First class of United Fresh Produce Safety Immersion Program to carry over to 2021
Participants in the United Fresh Produce Association’s first Produce Safety Immersion Program will have an encore next year.
Because of travel restrictions caused by COVD-19 pandemic, the group couldn’t take planned trips together during the year-long program. Because of that, the group is expected to share a couple of trips with the program’s second class in 2021.
While the group did convene at the Jan. 14-16 United Freshstart Conference, the in-person trips planned in conjunction with the United Fresh Convention and Washington Conference were cancelled when those events were presented digitally.
In March, the program developed educational opportunities to replace previously scheduled in-person meetings.
Immersion program participants met for three one-hour web seminars per day in mid-April, according to United Fresh, covering topics including outbreak investigations and the role of state agriculture departments, berry harvesting and produce safety history.
The webinars gave program participants the opportunity to talk with experts from the FDA, Cornell University and the produce industry.
In addition to the formal webinars, the group has had virtual happy hours and networking times.
The Produce Safety Immersion Program has been the “absolute pride and joy” of Jennifer McEntire, vice president of food safety and technology for United Fresh.
“It is so encouraging to me to see people who really have a passion for produce safety,” McEntire said.
“And for me, for our association to be in a position to help enhance not only their technical knowledge, but also build deep relationships.”
The experience of being in the class has been incredible despite the travel restrictions, said Kinsey Porter, compliance coordinator for North Bay Produce Inc., Traverse City, Mich. Porter joined North Bay Produce about two years ago after graduating from Clemson University with a master’s degree in food science.
The class hasn’t disappointed, she said.
“We have had tons of (Zoom) meetings regarding professional development and learning new technical skills and networking, and I’ve had the opportunity to talk with many experts in the produce industry and academia and from FDA,” she said.
“I’ve really had the opportunity to learn a lot of great tools and information that I will definitely use throughout my career.”
For 2020 there have been 14 participants in the immersion program and five mentors who have been engaging with the class.
“It’s been great to have someone who is so established in their career that I can ask questions to and talk with about their career, and they’ve given me career advice, and kind of helped me navigate some things, so it’s been really great,” Porter said.
Some valuable parts of the program include learning the roles of other participants and the food safety procedures at their respective facilities.
“Something else that was really great was one of the mentors presented on how to speak to upper management,” Porter said.
The talk explored strategies of talking to leaders with different personality styles and learning styles of people.
“If you fit into this category, this is how you should talk to this person; I think it’s important to realize how important it is to talk to upper management in order to convey information,” she said.
Porter said McEntire has provided a lot of direction to the group.
“She has really been able to connect us with a lot of individuals,” she said.
United Fresh also wants the group to experience traveling to Washington, D.C., and perhaps California before they graduate.
The food safety immersion experience was made better by a “really great group,” said Deadra Barnett, project manager for DNO Produce, Columbus, Ohio.
While every participant in the class would prefer more face-to-face networking, the virtual learning opportunities have been significant.
“It’s actually been a really, really great group to be involved with,” said Taylor Livingston, food safety and packing operations manger for Titan Farms LLC.
While the program and planned trips didn’t happen as planned, Livingston said the group’s virtual meetings were valuable.
“I think the virtual setup actually helped, in some ways, just because we got to speak with a lot of different people that we wouldn’t have had time to before,” she said.
“So it’s easier to set up that meeting for an hour virtually than it is to fly across the country and coordinate five people at a time.”
Livingston said she is looking forward to completion of the program next year.
“I would much rather be out there seeing the stuff and getting my hands into it and seeing firsthand,” she said.
“I think we’ll still get that opportunity.”
The program has allowed participants to learn about particular subjects in a virtual setting, said John Baillie, food safety lead for Amerifresh, Tempe, Ariz.
“If we want to learn about a particular subject, then they give us that opportunity to voice our thoughts and they will go out and get the speakers,” he said.
Baillie said it has been a great experience to be able to meet other people who have different industry perspectives, but have the same goals.
Applications for the next class of the Produce Safety Immersion Program will be opened up by October and the new class will be named by January.
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