Julia Stewart:
Hello, this is PMA PR Director Julia Stewart, and welcome back to PMA’s audio blog, “Ask Dr. Bob” with PMA’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker. Bob, it’s been a while since we’ve had an update on the Center for Produce Safety, so today you brought with you Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Executive Director of the CPS to talk with us.

Bob:
Julia, CPS has been a significant help in prioritizing research needs, creating partnerships to get the research done, and facilitating an open dialogue between researchers and business. Though only two and a half years old, the center is already generating real-world research answers to pressing industry food safety questions. Bonnie, can you give our listeners an update on what CPS has been up to lately?

Bonnie:
Thanks Bob. I’m pleased to say we’ve funded 24 research projects over the past 14 months, with a shared investment amounting to more than $3.8 million. A few of our most notable projects include looking at how pathogens move in field and processing environments, how we can do better co-manage food safety and the environment, and exploring mechanisms for mining some of the private data out there that may allow evaluation of pathogen trends. Your audience can find out more about all the specific projects on our Web site, www.cps.ucdavis.edu.

Bob:
This research is done in cooperation with research partners, some even in other parts of the world, right?

Bonnie:
Yes, that’s right, Bob. Our accomplishments are the result of our close work with what we call our ‘Partners in Research’, many of whom are U.S. state and national organizations. However, we view our role as a global one, and so we’re also forging relationships with researchers internationally. We currently have two projects with the U.S. Israel Bi-national Agriculture Research and Development program commonly referred to as BARD.

Bob:
Now, under its objective of facilitating dialogue, the CPS will hold its First Annual Research Symposium on June 23 at the Mondavi Center on the campus of UC Davis, where I’ll be the moderating the research discussions. Can you tell us more about that?

Bonnie:
This symposium is the CPS’s debutante ball, our coming out party – this is where we will publicly debut the results of the research we’ve been working on! This symposium is a forum for scientists to present the results of new food safety research funded by CPS and its partners. It will facilitate an open dialogue among attendees regarding the practical implications and applications of the research. And, it will share information about our mission, partnerships, ongoing research, funding, and our commitment to translating research into ready-to-use, actionable information. We’re expecting about 400 attendees from the United States and around the world.

Bob:
That going to be exciting! Our 2009 Fresh Summit attendees got a preview at a standing-room-only workshop you and I did with some of the researchers last October, and it was so well received. Now, is this symposium event strictly for scientists, or who else should attend?

Bonnie:
Well, the audience will include scientists as well as the entire produce supply chain from farm to retail – if you have a role in ensuring the safety of fresh produce, this event is relevant to you. During the symposium, researchers will briefly present findings, then an industry panel will talk about what the real-world implications and use of the information is – that dialogue will add tremendous value. The event will show how CPS is delivering on its mission to provide real-world research answers to the industry’s food safety problems.

Bob:
For more information on the symposium, our listeners can visit the center’s Web site. PMA is really proud to be a sponsor of this event.

Bonnie:
Bob, in addition to your involvement in this symposium, you’ve also been spearheading another significant area for CPS in drafting the RFP’s for our fifth call for research proposals.

Bob:
Yes, that’s right Bonnie. We’re working on continuing the valuable research effort that is beginning to bear fruit. Our next RFP will be announced on March 1. Proposals will be due April 30, and the awards will be announced in June. I expect we should have nearly $3 million in new research coming up.

Julia:
Thank you, Bob and Bonnie. It’s great to see how your hard work is already starting to yield results. PMA also want to extend a big thank you to our Gold Circle campaign contributors. Their support makes Bob’s work and PMA’s involvement with CPS possible. If any of our listeners want to find out how you can become a Gold Circle contributor, visit www.pma.com/goldcircle.

Once again, you can find out more about CPS’s work on the industry’s behalf – including finding out how to register for the June 23 symposium - -by visiting CPS’s Web site at www.cps.ucdavis.edu.

To our audience, thanks for your interest today. Please join us again next time!

Julia Stewart:
Hi, this is PMA PR Director Julia Stewart, and welcome back to PMA’s audio blog, “Ask Dr. Bob” with PMA’s Chief Science and Technology Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker. Bob, we’ve got fantastic guest with us today as we welcome PMA’s new Director of Food Safety and Technology, Johnna Hepner.

Bob:
That’s right Julia, we’re really pleased to have her join our team. Johnna joins PMA from Markon Cooperative in Salinas, where she was food safety director. Previously she served as producer buyer and quality assurance manager for Markon from 1993 to 2003, and before that as quality assurance manager for National Pre-Cut Produce in Salinas from 1991 to 1993. You can see that Johnna has a great deal of practical experience that we can draw on to benefit our members.

We brought Johnna on board to reflect PMA’s ongoing commitment to the area of food safety and technology. Right now there is a tremendous amount of activity around food safety, and we want to ensure we have the right staffing to meet our members needs. We are indeed fortunate to be able to add Johnna and add her depth and breadth of experience. Welcome to our team, Johnna.

Johnna:
Thank you, Bob. I’m excited to join PMA and to be able work with you and our key members in the areas of food safety and technology. I’m looking forward to using my real-world experience to benefit the members of PMA and the industry as a whole.

Bob:
Johnna’s responsibilities will include monitoring, evaluating and collaborating on produce-specific food safety guidance and standards development, as well as legislation and regulation. She will also represent the association to our members, commodity groups and allied industry organizations, as well as with external groups including federal regulators and legislators. We especially want to leverage Johnna’s extensive experience with small and medium sized growers andprocessors to help them better implement food safety programs in an efficient and cost effective manner. 

Julia:
Johnna, what does your past experience allow you to bring to PMA and our members?

Johnna:
I have a diverse background including quality assurance, processing, and food science, as well as food safety – that gives me a well-rounded approach to many of the issues, and will provide depth for our members to draw from. My strong buyer perspective in working directly with grower/shippers in the U.S. and abroad has enabled me to effectively communicate the issues our members deal with on a daily basis. All this, combined with your experience, Bob, really gives us a comprehensive approach.

Bob:
Another thing you bring to PMA, is a valuable balance between practical working knowledge of production and processing, and knowledge of food safety. It benefits our members to have that kind of real-world perspective. You’re someone who has been in the field and the processing plants…you’ve seen these programs at work and have firsthand understanding of how they fit.

Julia:
Bob, how will our members directly benefit from having Johnna join our team?

Bob:
Julia, it’s so important that we can reach out to all our members. There are so many activities going on now on the policy front, program implementation, and our educational efforts with members. Having Johnna on board gives us the ability to be even more actively engaged with our members. We see a lot of value in being able to increase our outreach to member groups around the country.

As we’ve already said, she brings a very well rounded approach to food safety and technology, and is very familiar with both sides of the equation, buyer and supplier. She has a background in quality assurance and food science as well, and perhaps most importantly, she brings a passion for doing things right when it comes to food safety and technology.

Johnna:
I like that word, passion. I do have a passion for food safety, and I hope to be able to relay that to our members.

Julia:
Thank you, Bob and Johnna. We’ll look forward to hearing more from both of you in the future.

For more information on Johnna or our food safety activities, please go to our website www.pma.com.

Thank you, listeners, for joining us.

Julia Stewart:
Hello, this is PMA PR Director Julia Stewart, and welcome back to PMA’s audio blog, “Ask Dr. Bob”. PMA’s Chief Science and Technology Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker is with me again today. Bob, we currently have a very unique opportunity to shape the future of the food safety regulations that will govern us. Can you explain to our listeners what is happening and what it has to do with them?

Bob:
Sure, Julia. As our listeners may recall, I have spoken about President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group and their focus on upgrading U.S. food safety laws, fostering coordination of food safety efforts throughout the various Government agencies that have responsibility for food safety, and ensuring laws are being adequately enforced. We also discussed the resulting Commodity Specific Guidance which was developed for certain commodities in our industry late last year and how FDA would be looking to expand it in the future.

Well, now we’re at that point!  FDA has announced they are working on a proposed produce Food Safety Rule with an expected release date of this October.  So, we have a tremendous opportunity for input right at the beginning of the process! FDA has announced the opening of a docket to obtain information about current production and packing practices for fresh produce. They are establishing this docket so that interested parties can provide information and share views to help in the development of safety standards for fresh produce, as well as strategies and cooperative efforts to ensure compliance. FDA will use these comments to develop the proposed rule. It’s great to have the chance to get our comments and input in now while the ideas are still being formulated, as opposed to being re-active once the rule is drafted. 

Julia:
What exactly are they looking for, do we know?

Bob:
Yes, FDA is inviting comments on a number of critical food safety issues, many of which occupy much of our food safety conversations today. They are seeking input on product testing, food safety auditing, the role the agency should play in produce safety, and the intersection of food safety practices and environmental sustainability among other important issues. FDA is also trying to gather industry’s thoughts on how FDA should measure compliance. You know, it’s one thing to comment on setting standards, but it’s a different prospect altogether to have input into how to feasibly implement and enforce those standards. 

Julia:
Bob, do you think the agency pays attention to the comments they receive? We invest a lot of time in developing comments.

Bob:
I can tell you, one of the key eye-openers I’ve had in my first 2 years with PMA, is to see how FDA really pays attention to these comments, and how writing them has opened up a dialogue between ourselves and FDA. 

You know, when I first started at PMA I had several opportunities to comment on various FDA initiatives and guidelines.  To provide substantive – and hopefully helpful – comments takes some thought, and most importantly, time.  I found myself wondering if the time commitment was worth it; I mean was FDA really reading what we were submitting? 

Well, last summer I had the good fortune to participate in a tour the Center for Produce Safety, set up for FDA officials in California.  The tour was designed to help the FDA folks gain a better understanding of agricultural production and what the industry was doing to improve their food safety practices – but it turned out to be informative for me.  During one of our long bus rides down through the Central Valley, I was speaking with a senior FDA scientist about a number of food safety topics only to have her start reciting back to me some of what I had commented on a few months earlier. This led into a very positive discussion on those comments and an opportunity to expand upon them.  In truth, I think she had a better grasp of what I wrote than what I had!  I became a convert right then and there and I truly believe that FDA does indeed review and consider all the comments they receive. 

Julia:
Bob, when is it appropriate for our members to comment?

Bob:
Our listeners should check out the Federal Register notice, Volume 75, number 35 posted on February 23, 2010 on page 8086.  Provide comments on those questions or topics where you have experience or a point of view that can give FDA some valuable, constructive input. You can find a link to the Federal Register notice at our food safety page on www.pma.com   

PMA will be submitting written comments as well, and as always, we appreciate any input you might have for us. Just email me at askdrbob@pma.com.  I’d also like to take this chance to thank those who have offered helpful comments in the past. I greatly value the interaction I have in talking with people around the industry.

Julia:
Thank you, Bob, for giving us more background on this important public comment opportunity – and to hear your personal experience that we are in fact being heard.
Listeners, we do encourage all of you to take a look at the FDA docket and seriously consider submitting some constructive comments that will help them in their process of writing the Proposed Produce Food Safety Rule. Again, for more information on this, go to www.pma.com and look for the food safety page under the Issues tab.

Thanks to our listeners, and please join us next time!