FDA Commissioner, Industry Leaders Headline New Safety Summit
March 30, 2007
This April, the produce industry will have an opportunity to hear from leading industry, academic and government experts at the new Produce Safety Summit in Palm Springs, Calif. The summit, which takes place April 25-26, prior to the 2007 United FreshTech convention, will focus on discussing food safety challenges and developing solutions to address produce safety concerns. This first-of-its-kind event features an extensive list of expert speakers, starting with a keynote address by Chief Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D., Commissioner of the FDA, named one of Time magazine's 2006 "most influential people to shape the world." Next, a panel of industry leaders including David Barney, business development manager, Bakkavor, Paul Cruikshank, branded commodity management manager, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., Charles Sweat, chief operating officer, Earthbound Farm, and Bob Whitaker, Ph.D., vice president processing & technology, NewStar Fresh Foods, LLC, will examine the "Impact of Food Safety on the Produce Industry Today." Then, Frank Padilla, assistant vice president, GMM fresh foods, Costco Wholesale, Gale Prince, director, corporate regulatory affairs, The Kroger Company, Mitch Smith, director quality systems, McDonald's Corporation, and Ed Thompson, vice president, quality assurance, Avendra, LLC, take the stage to talk about the importance of food safety and its role within the entire produce supply chain. On Thursday morning, the summit features a series of presentations on new insights, research and studies being done in the area of produce safety. To participate in the summit, attendees will need an All-Access FreshTech Pass or Produce Safety Summit Package, which includes all summit sessions, a networking reception, and two-day expo pass. For more information or to register, visit www.freshtech.org or contact Victoria Kuhns at (202) 303-3408.
United Fresh Produce Association
1901 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: 202 303 3400
Fax: 202 303 3433 united@unitedfresh.org
