September/October 2022 - 23

WWW.CENTERFORPRODUCESAFETY.ORG
CPS
We do more together than we ever could apart
If you' ve been
involved with the
Center
for Produce
By Bonnie
Fernandez-Fenaroli
Center for
Produce Safety
Safety, you know that
our personality is to
be humble. After all,
our mission to enhance
fresh produce safety
will likely never be
100% completed -
there will always be a
new challenge - and
we rely on a legion of volunteers to do
our work. That said, it is important to
acknowledge the CPS effort and to share
our new 2021 annual report.
This report features a range of voices,
illustrating how CPS's unique community
helps achieve our mission to fund science,
find solutions and fuel change. Together,
these voices convey two clear messages:
One, when diverse minds meet, produce
safety benefits and; two, we do more
together than we ever could apart.
Those interviewed in the report include
two producers, a retail leader, California's
secretary of food and agriculture and
the head of Canada's Food Safety and
Consumer Protection Directorate. Each
reinforced the value of CPS's diverse
community.
* Varied CPS voices ensure outputs.
Bonduelle Fresh America's Tony Banegas
cites numerous examples of the value
that CPS's diverse volunteer Technical
Committee members bring to their
mission to guide the center's research
program, and funded researchers. The
conclusion: Can " industry, academia,
government, public health and other
stakeholder volunteers come together
to enhance fresh produce food safety?
Time shows the answer is 'yes.' "
* The resulting science works in the
real world. Church Brothers Farms'
Susanne Klose, Ph.D., urges her industry
counterparts not to be intimidated by
CPS research. She walks through how,
after frog intrusion into lettuce fields of
her then-employer triggered losses, she
used CPS research to mitigate future
risk across their ranches. " This wealth
of expertise results in ... solutions that
 Kevin Mis Solval, Ph.D.'s project demonstrated that infrared camera-enabled smartphones can easily and
accurately collect temperatures on fresh produce.
work for our industry, " said Klose.
* When industry and regulators in
particular work together, produce
safety benefits. Canadian Food
Inspection Agency's Tammy Switucha
highlights how CPS provides a " safe
space for industry stakeholders and
regulators to discuss " fresh produce
safety. Those two-way conversations
help to ensure that " everyone (is) part
of the solution, " she noted.
* Our produce safety needs will only
increase. California produces more
than 400 fresh produce commodities.
So, Karren Ross, secretary of California's
Department of Food and Agriculture,
understands " the (fresh produce food
safety landscape is constantly evolving, "
she said. So, Ross has leveraged the
federal Specialty Crop Block Grant
Program, providing $21.2 million from
2009-2021 in matching grants to fund
CPS research.
* CPS is cultivating our next generation
of science talent. Retailer H-E-B's
Tammi Frederick reports on CPS's
Professional Development Program to
cultivate science students working with
CPS-funded researchers. CPS rounds out
these students' science training with
leadership and communication skills, as
well as business etiquette. The program
prepares these scientists for careers
" from the laboratory to the produce
department and the supply chain links
and stakeholders in between. "
If you're into numbers, the new CPS
annual report has those, too:
* Funding diverse science. In 2021,
CPS launched 14 new research
projects to answer industry's burning
produce safety questions. Meanwhile
13 projects were completed, adding
to our knowledge on critical produce
food safety topics including treating
ag water, controlling listeria and
other pathogens, and harnessing new
technologies.
* Finding diverse solutions. To date,
CPS's annual research program has
invested $40.6 million in 212 projects
conducted by 115 principal investigators
at 48 research institutions across five
countries.
* Fueling diverse change. Holding
CPS's annual Research Symposium
virtually in 2021 allowed a record
audience of more than 1,500 persons
to participate.
* Good financial stewards. CPS's
2021 financials show that 89% of CPS
expenses go to research knowledge
transfer; operations account for only
9% of CPS expenses.
CPS has a proud history of being antistatus
quo, demonstrated at both a macro
level in how we've continuously improved
how we identify our research priorities
and at a process level.
View the 2021 annual report at www.
CenterforProduceSafety.org/cps_annual_
report.php. To join the list of industry
leaders that fund our critical work, email
bonnie@centerforproducesafety.org.
- Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli is executive
director of Center for Produce Safety. The
501(c)(3) nonprofit brings together diverse
leaders from industry, government, and the
scientific and academic communities to
work toward the common goal of enhancing
fresh produce food safety.
PRODUCE PROCESS ING
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http://WWW.CENTERFORPRODUCESAFETY.ORG http://www.CenterforProduceSafety.org/cps_annual_

September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2022