The pma testified on Capitol Hill this month to update the government on its most recent food-safety activities.

PMA senior vice-president of industry products and services, Lorna Christie, testified before the House Commitee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on Horticulture and Organic Agriculture on the issue of food safety. The purpose of the hearing was for the subcommittee to discover actions the US produce industry has taken to address the safety of fresh and fresh-cut goods.

Christie, who just days before spoke at Re:fresh in London, also highlighted the PMA’s recent investment of US$2 million (£1m) to fund the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California in Davis. This establishment is designed to create a forum for experts from industry, government and academia, to come together and find answers about the origin and prevention of contamination. The centre will coordinate, fund and disseminate research to enhance the safety of fresh produce worldwide. Funds were also allocated to enhance education and training throughout the supply chain.

Christie, pictured, said: “We are committed to doing whatever it takes to protect public health and rebuild consumer confidence.” She reinforced the PMA’s commitment to work with federal and state government, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other produce industry partners.

Christie also outlined examples of the PMA’s work with other produce organisations, including establishing commodity-specific food-safety guidance, encouraging the adoption of technology that will facilitate rapid trace-backs and creating best-practice guidelines.

She also praised the work done to establish a California Lettuce and Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, but also recommended prioritising food-safety efforts based on commodity-specific risk factors, and creating a strong Farm Bill to address the interest of speciality crops and the need for food-safety research and technical assistance in order for companies to maximise food safety.

Other suggestions she put forward included using clear language to differentiate products, creating a robust federal effort applicable to any product grown in the US or abroad, developing traceability tools to narrow the scope of any future outbreak and demonstrating the industry’s commitment to public health with a collaborative effort.

CHILEAN SEMINAR SUCCESS

Chile was the recent location of a PMA seminar entitled “Supermarkets, Opportunities and Challenges for Chilean Fruit in Emerging Economies”, held on May 15 in Santiago.

The event represented the first in a series of activities the PMA is set to organise in Chile, following the opening of its Chilean subsidiary.

The seminar brought together leaders in the fresh produce export industry and supermarket chains, and a keynote presentation was given by Thomas Reardon, a scholar in global retail analysis. He discussed his study of the evolution of production and international trade of fruits and vegetables, identifying economic opportunities for Chilean fruit at retail level.

“Chile’s strategic location, economic and political stability, strong export industry and promising growth opportunities, along with the PMA membership in the country, make it an ideal location for seminars like this,” said Nancy Tucker, PMA vice-president of global business development.