Oct 3, 2017

Food safety topics on Colorado workshop agenda

The Colorado Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (CFVGA) has assembled a team of experts to help growers prepare for a variety of food safety occurrences just in case the unthinkable happens. A Recall Readiness and Crisis Management Workshop will be offered Nov. 14, 8am- 4:30pm at the Adams County Fairgrounds, Brighton, Colo. The workshop will be tailored to the produce industry, which has recently come under new Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules. Any grower or individual who works with produce growers is encouraged to attend.

“We all want to think a recall or other food safety event will never happen to us, and indeed, most growers will go through their careers without an incident,” said Jeni Lamb Rogers, an attorney with Holland & Hart, LLC and member of the CFVGA Board of Directors. “However, every grower who has ever gone through a recall wishes he or she was prepared or was better prepared. This workshop features some outstanding experts we’ve arranged to come to Colorado for a very reasonable price.”

The workshop will teach growers exactly what steps to take, what to prepare in advance and what resources are available in case the worst happens. Participants will have the opportunity to participate in a recall simulation and begin developing their own recall and crisis management plan. Trainers include:

• Jim Gorney, vice president, Produce Marketing Association, who will share more than two decades of industry insight and experience as FDA senior advisor for produce
•  Elis Owens, president, Birko Corporation, who will discuss how to plan for sanitary design to reduce exposure in in food safety crisis
• Dianne Mulligan, APR, president, M&C Communications, will talk about crisis communications based on her experience working with recalls, including managing communications after the 2011 cantaloupe outbreak at Jensen Farms
• Matt Bigham, Western Growers Insurance Services, will teach participants what to look for in a recall insurance policy and how to work with a service provider if a recall happens
• Lee Gray and Jeni Lamb Rogers, Holland & Hart LLP, will discuss legal responsibilities

“After attending the United Fresh Recall Ready (training) earlier this year, I realized how unprepared I was and how important it is to have a plan in place. Just like a car accident, even if you aren’t directly involved, it can have big impacts on what you do. I would encourage every grower to sign up for this workshop,” said Robert Sakata, Sakata Farms, Brighton, Colo.

Register for the Recall Readiness and Crisis Management Workshop at: https://cfvga_recall_ready_workshop.eventbrite.com  More information on the workshop is available at https://coloradoproduce.org/food-safety/  Travel and lodging assistance is available for CFVGA member growers traveling more than 150 miles round-trip to attend the workshop.

 The CFVGA is comprised of more than 250 members, including growers of all sizes and types of production throughout the state, as well as representatives of allied industries. The Colorado fruit and vegetable growing sectorcontributes nearly $300 million to Colorado at the farm gate and is multiplied as it goes through the distribution chain. Over 60,000 Colorado acres are in fruit and vegetable production.