US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has this week named the 24 fresh produce industry members that will make up the United States Department of Agricultures' (USDA) Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee, including the Produce Marketing Association's (PMA) Lorna Christie.
Ms Christie, the executive vice-president and chief operating officer at the PMA, is joined on the Committee by 14 PMA members including board of directors vice-chairman Mike O'Brien.
'I look forward to serving with so many PMA members on this committee,' Ms Christie said. 'The diversity of the group is a good indication that secretary Vilsack wants to hear from the entire supply chain. 'This is a great opportunity to expand PMA's ability to bring the valuable on-the-ground information and experience of our members to Washington D.C.'
The Advisory Committee, which has been in operation since 2001, meets twice per year to develop recommendations for submission to the Secretary of Agriculture on issue affecting the US produce industry.
Members represent the entire supply chain, including growers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers, trade associations, importers, processors, foodservice suppliers and state agricultural departments.
'I'm thrilled at the makeup of this committee,' said PMA president and CEO Bryan Silbermann. 'Through the years, the committee has made excellent recommendations that USDA has acted upon to better serve our industry.
'We appreciate USDA's openness and its outreach to industry as we work toward common goals,' he added. 'We're certainly pleased to see Lorna named to the group, and we're also excited that our state agriculture secretary, Ed Kee, is included.'
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