PMA’s Whitaker to address food safety culture at summit

Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Chief Science and Technology Officer, Bob Whitaker, Ph.D. will present the morning keynote at the Salinas Valley Ag Technology Summit at Hartnell College in Salinas, California, on March 27.

Whitaker’s keynote will address produce safety technologies and trends that companies need to address to ensure their produce safety cultures lift the industry beyond compliance to better protect their companies against outbreaks like the ones the industry has witnessed in the past year.

“The illness outbreaks of this past year have demonstrated a need for our industry to shift away from continuing to take the same approaches we have employed in the past to address produce safety and to leverage the existing and emerging science and technology to build corporate cultures that proactively prevent contamination,” Whitaker said.

On the summit’s theme “Tomorrow’s Technology You Can Use Today,” Whitaker’s session will demonstrate how advancing technologies will only increase exposure of produce safety issues with more sophisticated detection capabilities but also increase our opportunities to take these challenges head-on.

“Our industry is changing; our produce safety knowledge base in widening, FSMA regulations are being implemented, and increased product and operational transparency to customers and consumers is at our doorstep. We have a tremendous opportunity to look inwardly at our industry and our own companies to create risk and science-based solutions that transform our business cultures and promote food trust among consumers that drives increased produce consumption.”

Whitaker’s keynote address takes place at Hartnell College, Main Campus, Main Stage (Building K) at 8:00 a.m. on March 27.