FPAA Spring Policy Summit 2016 Incorporates Table Top Food Safety Exercise

Nogales, Ariz. – To help industry better understand the procedures followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when suspicions of food contamination appear, the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) has incorporated a Table Top Food Safety Exercise into the upcoming event the Spring Policy Summit 2016.

Through this exercise participants will learn and have an opportunity to interact directly with the decision making process of determining that a particular food may be responsible for an outbreak and the steps necessary to take control of such occurrence. The exercise will have participants divided into groups that will analyze hypothetical food safety evidence and consider the same scenarios that CDC and FDA face to determine how to contain the outbreak.

This activity will be moderated by Dr. Ian Williams, chief of the Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch at CDC who has been involved in a number of multistate outbreak investigations leading to the identification and recall of food products.

“While the produce industry has taken great strides to improve food safety, any company may suddenly find itself at the center of an investigation by FDA and CDC,” said Lance Jungmeyer, President of FPAA. “We hope to give a glimpse into how to be proactive in this kind of situation.”

“This is a great opportunity for participants to comprehend the process behind every recall, take preventative actions and respond timely and appropriately to protect consumers and their business,” concluded Jungmeyer.

The activity will take place on the second day of the event, Wednesday, March 16 and it is part the FPAA Spring Policy Summit agenda that covers a series of highly relevant topics including transportation, infrastructure, international trade and border banking. A complete description of the two day event is available at www.freshfrommexico.com

Source: Fresh Produce Association of the Americas