Birko’s Dr. Elis Owens Named To Center For Produce Safety Technical Committee
October 2, 2014 | 2 min to read
HENDERSON, Colo. — Birko, a leader in providing food safety solutions to the produce industry, today announced that Dr. Elis Owens has been named to the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee.
“We’re immensely proud of Elis for being named to this important committee for produce safety,” said Kelly Green, Birko’s third-generation owner and chairman of the board. “He is well known for his expertise in helping produce processors fight foodborne pathogens.”
Owens, Birko’s senior microbiologist/chemist, served as an ad hoc member of the 2014 grant application and review cycle for CPS.
He is active in developing Birko’s antimicrobial product line and attendant delivery systems. Owens oversees field trials at customer plants, works with university research partners and outside labs and acts as a government liaison for antimicrobial approvals. He has been a presenter at the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit. Owens earned his Ph.D. from the University of Wales in Cardiff, and conducted post-doctoral research at Michigan State University’s Center for Microbial Ecology. Owens has published papers in FEMS Microbiology Ecology and FEMS Microbiology Letters.
About the CPS Technical Committee
The CPS Technical Committee, part of the Center for Produce Safety at the University of California, Davis, reviews food safety research proposals for possible funding and makes $3 million available to fund general and commodity-specific research on food safety practices for the fresh produce industry. Since 2008, CPS has funded 85 research programs with some of the world’s leading produce food safety scientists.
About Birko
Birko is a leading provider of food safety solutions to the produce, meat and beverage industries. Birko manufactures concentrated chemical formulations used in plant cleaning and sanitation, as well as antimicrobial interventions used to reduce pathogens from the manufacturing process of food. Birko’s equipment division, Chad Equipment, LLC, designs and manufactures chemical dispensing systems and state-of-the-art washing systems as well as equipment used for food safety protection. Birko is a Produce Marketing Association Gold Circle Contributor and a member of United Fresh Produce Association. Founded in 1953, Birko is ISO 9001 certified. It is also a WBENC Certified Women’s Business Enterprise.
Source: Birko