Food safety to take center stage at PMA's Fresh Summit
Food safety to take center stage at PMA's Fresh Summit
Food safety remains in the spotlight this year, in part due to the most recent high-profile foodborne illness outbreak linked to fresh produce. Substantial changes are needed to restore consumer confidence in produce safety, and to address regulators' and legislators' concerns.
An interactive town hall meeting and other educational workshops at Produce Marketing Association's 2008 Fresh Summit international convention and exposition, to be held Oct. 24-27 in Orlando, FL, will tackle this issue head on.
"We continue to discuss ways to improve food safety practices within the produce industry, but our consumer research and government interactions make it clear that we need to do less talking and more changing to retain our customers and avoid more government involvement in our business," PMA President Bryan Silbermann said in a press release. "If it is not already, food safety must become an integral part of your company's culture."
A town hall meeting on the recent Salmonella saintpaul outbreak has been added to the convention's food safety educational track. This two-hour interactive meeting, to be held Friday, Oct. 24, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., will rely heavily on questions and content from the audience.
The session, "Town Hall Meeting: A Candid Discussion of Foodborne Illness Investigations," will review lessons learned from the recent Salmonella outbreak and invite questions from the audience. In this essential, no-holds- barred town hall meeting, public health authorities, government officials and industry experts will discuss the investigative process, provide insight and information they have learned from these outbreaks, and answer industry members' questions.
"Food safety will also be a major theme in my annual 'State of the Industry' address, and I expect it will also be a prominent feature in the comments of outgoing Chairman Bruce Taylor and incoming Chairman Dave Corsi," Mr. Silbermann added in the press release. "Food safety is an integral part of our produce business now, and that will be evident at Fresh Summit."
Mr. Silbermann will speak during the general session luncheon on Friday, Oct. 24, and Messrs. Taylor and Corsi will speak during the breakfast general session on Sunday, Oct. 26.
An interactive town hall meeting and other educational workshops at Produce Marketing Association's 2008 Fresh Summit international convention and exposition, to be held Oct. 24-27 in Orlando, FL, will tackle this issue head on.
"We continue to discuss ways to improve food safety practices within the produce industry, but our consumer research and government interactions make it clear that we need to do less talking and more changing to retain our customers and avoid more government involvement in our business," PMA President Bryan Silbermann said in a press release. "If it is not already, food safety must become an integral part of your company's culture."
A town hall meeting on the recent Salmonella saintpaul outbreak has been added to the convention's food safety educational track. This two-hour interactive meeting, to be held Friday, Oct. 24, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., will rely heavily on questions and content from the audience.
The session, "Town Hall Meeting: A Candid Discussion of Foodborne Illness Investigations," will review lessons learned from the recent Salmonella outbreak and invite questions from the audience. In this essential, no-holds- barred town hall meeting, public health authorities, government officials and industry experts will discuss the investigative process, provide insight and information they have learned from these outbreaks, and answer industry members' questions.
"Food safety will also be a major theme in my annual 'State of the Industry' address, and I expect it will also be a prominent feature in the comments of outgoing Chairman Bruce Taylor and incoming Chairman Dave Corsi," Mr. Silbermann added in the press release. "Food safety is an integral part of our produce business now, and that will be evident at Fresh Summit."
Mr. Silbermann will speak during the general session luncheon on Friday, Oct. 24, and Messrs. Taylor and Corsi will speak during the breakfast general session on Sunday, Oct. 26.
