IFPA expands food-safety support

The International Fresh Produce Association named Gretchen Wall as its director of food safety and quality. IFPA also announced the promotion of Emily Griep to vice president, regulatory compliance and global food-safety standards. The moves are a part of the association’s commitment to serving as the industry’s source of support and advocacy in produce safety.

"The launch of IFPA gave us an opportunity to reflect on the current status and anticipate the future needs of the global produce supply chain,” said Jennifer McEntire, chief food safety and regulatory officer. “The industry continues to put tremendous resources toward produce safety, and as the industry association, our team will provide expanded resources to help IFPA members stay on top of new knowledge and requirements related to produce safety.”

IFPA serves as a resource on food safety not only for members and the produce industry, but also to regulatory partners, policy makers, and members of the media within North America and other global markets.  This will be seen in future offerings including an upcoming webinar for Central and South American markets on the newly proposed ag water rule.

“My doctoral work focused on food safety in global markets, and I am excited to use these experiences to support the breadth of the IFPA membership,” said Griep. “Consumers everywhere deserve to eat safe produce, and I look forward to supporting globally harmonized, science-based, practical produce safety standards.”

Prior to taking on this role, Griep served as manager, food safety, for the United Fresh Produce Association.

“I’ve spent the past 10 years helping growers understand and apply the regulations and practices that govern produce safety,” said Wall, who joins IFPA from the Cornell University-based Produce Safety Alliance. “My earlier experiences with cold chain and quality issues will allow me to give holistic support to members who often manage food safety and quality.”

The addition of Wall and promotion of Griep provide a solid foundation of produce-safety support for the industry. IFPA has already shown the expanded scope of services that industry members can take advantage of, including the inaugural Virtual Town Hall held Jan. 5, which focused on produce quality and the upcoming Feb. 9 session that will focus on Recall Readiness.