PMA

A new report has been released by the US-based Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in conjunction with Western Growers Association, designed to provide insight into produce-specific food safety research findings presented at the Centre for Produce Safety's (CPS) first Research Symposium, held in June last year.

According to the PMA, the report lays out key findings from, and real-world applications of, CPS's first 11 research projects in 'practical and comprehensible' terms.

'This document provides unique one-of-a-kind value by outlining not only the technical findings, but also translating the findings into real-world application,' said PMA president and CEO Bryan Silbermann. 'The findings of these research projects are instrumental to our work in the food safety arena and it is important for industry members t understand what came out of the research and symposium.'

Projects included in the research ranged from looking at the movement and survivability of E. coli in lettuce production and enhancing the effectiveness of pathogen testing systems.

'The value of the findings presented at the CPS symposium lies in their ability to help us identify and manage the risks we deal with every day,' said PMA's chief science & technology officer Dr Bob Whitaker. 'The 'What Does It Mean for You' sections in the report were designed specifically to help industry members implement food safety changes based on the research findings. For example, the research indicates that LGMA buffers appear to work and that simple modifications to lettuce coring knives may significantly reduce the risk of pathogen contamination.'

Food safety and traceability will be high on the agenda at PMA's Fresh connections: North Carolina event on 5 April, offering an interactive programme with the group's food safety and traceability experts.

Hosted by Dole Food Company in partnership with Food Lion, the event takes place at Dole's David H. Murdock Core Lab in Kannapolis, with speakers including Dr Whitaker and PMA's vice-president of supply chain efficiencies Ed Treacy.

Download the PMA report here

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