Center for Produce Safety launched at UC-Davis
Center for Produce Safety launched at UC-Davis
On April 11, representatives from leading produce trade associations and the California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura announced plans to create a Center for Produce Safety at the University of California-Davis.
The center will be housed at UC Davis' Western Institute for Food Safety & Security, which has a mission is to conduct research that enhances the safety and security of the nation's food supply.
The Produce Marketing Association is contributing $2 million to establish the center. Taylor Farms in Salinas, CA, has also pledged to contribute $2 million in cash as well another $1 million of research already planned by the company.
PMA will work with the state of California, which also is contributing $500,000, and other leading industry associations to secure additional funding for research and training initiatives.
"I commend the produce industry and the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security for collaborating with government to launch the new Center for Produce Safety at the University of California at Davis," Mr. Kawamura said in a press release. "The Center for Produce Safety will lose no time putting together an aggressive research, training and outreach agenda into how and where foodborne illnesses arise in produce, and actions that can be taken to reduce these risks. The industry's actions will help restore consumer confidence and demonstrate that the health and safety of consumers is their ultimate priority."
"The success of the produce industry depends on our collective commitment to public health," PMA President Bryan Silbermann added in the press release. "Our members, who represent every link of the nation's produce supply chain, are committed to supporting robust food safety programs based on the best science available. The Center for Produce Safety will significantly advance the industry's collective knowledge about food safety and help ensure consumers continue to enjoy safe, wholesome and healthy produce, every bite, every time."
Bruce Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Taylor Farms, agreed, noting, "I consider the contribution Taylor Farms is making today as an investment in the future of our company and the produce industry. I encourage my colleagues across the entire supply chain to contribute at whatever level possible to ensure that the Center for Produce Safety is able to advance an aggressive research agenda that provides produce companies with the guidance needed to further enhance food-safety efforts."
The Center for Produce Safety will focus primarily on two critical objectives. First, it will serve as an unprecedented clearinghouse for all available research related to produce safety. This initiative is the first in the industry designed to capture all existing scientific data on food safety in one central repository. Second, the center will fund new scientific studies focused on developing new solutions that mitigate risks associated with the nation's produce supply.
Allocation of the center's research investments and oversight of active research projects will be led by a governing body consisting of leaders from industry, associations, government and academia. Details of this body are currently under development.
The creation of the center is the direct result of an industry-wide collaborative response to recent E. coli outbreaks. In the fall, the Produce Marketing Association and other industry association partners joined government agencies to focus on investigating the cause of the outbreaks and expediting efforts to protect against the risks of future outbreaks.
In addition to the investments in new research, produce industry leaders and food-safety experts from California are also launching science-based training and outreach programs. The field-level training support will supplement programs already in place by individual produce growers and handlers and ensure they include the latest scientific information and established good agricultural practices.
The Center for Produce Safety and enhanced field-level training and outreach programs supplement the industry's recent progress in establishing a comprehensive set of new guidelines agreed to by the spinach and leafy greens industry.
The center will be housed at UC Davis' Western Institute for Food Safety & Security, which has a mission is to conduct research that enhances the safety and security of the nation's food supply.
The Produce Marketing Association is contributing $2 million to establish the center. Taylor Farms in Salinas, CA, has also pledged to contribute $2 million in cash as well another $1 million of research already planned by the company.
PMA will work with the state of California, which also is contributing $500,000, and other leading industry associations to secure additional funding for research and training initiatives.
"I commend the produce industry and the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security for collaborating with government to launch the new Center for Produce Safety at the University of California at Davis," Mr. Kawamura said in a press release. "The Center for Produce Safety will lose no time putting together an aggressive research, training and outreach agenda into how and where foodborne illnesses arise in produce, and actions that can be taken to reduce these risks. The industry's actions will help restore consumer confidence and demonstrate that the health and safety of consumers is their ultimate priority."
"The success of the produce industry depends on our collective commitment to public health," PMA President Bryan Silbermann added in the press release. "Our members, who represent every link of the nation's produce supply chain, are committed to supporting robust food safety programs based on the best science available. The Center for Produce Safety will significantly advance the industry's collective knowledge about food safety and help ensure consumers continue to enjoy safe, wholesome and healthy produce, every bite, every time."
Bruce Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Taylor Farms, agreed, noting, "I consider the contribution Taylor Farms is making today as an investment in the future of our company and the produce industry. I encourage my colleagues across the entire supply chain to contribute at whatever level possible to ensure that the Center for Produce Safety is able to advance an aggressive research agenda that provides produce companies with the guidance needed to further enhance food-safety efforts."
The Center for Produce Safety will focus primarily on two critical objectives. First, it will serve as an unprecedented clearinghouse for all available research related to produce safety. This initiative is the first in the industry designed to capture all existing scientific data on food safety in one central repository. Second, the center will fund new scientific studies focused on developing new solutions that mitigate risks associated with the nation's produce supply.
Allocation of the center's research investments and oversight of active research projects will be led by a governing body consisting of leaders from industry, associations, government and academia. Details of this body are currently under development.
The creation of the center is the direct result of an industry-wide collaborative response to recent E. coli outbreaks. In the fall, the Produce Marketing Association and other industry association partners joined government agencies to focus on investigating the cause of the outbreaks and expediting efforts to protect against the risks of future outbreaks.
In addition to the investments in new research, produce industry leaders and food-safety experts from California are also launching science-based training and outreach programs. The field-level training support will supplement programs already in place by individual produce growers and handlers and ensure they include the latest scientific information and established good agricultural practices.
The Center for Produce Safety and enhanced field-level training and outreach programs supplement the industry's recent progress in establishing a comprehensive set of new guidelines agreed to by the spinach and leafy greens industry.
