United Fresh announces first Produce Safety Immersion Program class
The United Fresh Produce Association has announced the Class One Fellows of the inaugural Produce Safety Immersion Program.
The program, according to a news release, sponsored by Renaissance Food Group at the gold level, and Ecolab as a silver sponsor. The 15 fellows will begin the program Jan. 14-16 at the United Fresh’s FreshStart Conference in Tucson, Ariz.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the first class of the Produce Safety Immersion Program as they begin their journey as produce safety professionals,” Jennifer McEntire, vice pesident of food safety at United Fresh, said in a news release. “Through a variety of unique experiences over the course of next year, the class will work hard to build their technical capacity, critical thinking skills, and leadership attributes.”
The program consists of three face-to-face meetings/trainings, tailored webinars, and ongoing mentorship, according to the release. Those meetings are:
- 2020 FreshStart Conference, Jan. 14-16, Tucson, Ariz.;
- United Fresh 2020 Convention & Expo, June 16-19, San Diego, Calif.; and
- 2020 United Fresh Washington Conference, Sept. 21-23, Washington, D.C.
Members of the first class of the Produce Safety Immersion Program:
- Judy Amaya, Robinson Fresh, Sunrise, Fla.;
- Aaron Anderson, Pacific International Marketing, Salinas, Calif.;
- Nancy Arrieta, Lipman Family Farms, Denver, Colo.;
- John T. Baillie, Amerifresh, Scottsdale, Ariz.;
- Deadra Barnett, DNO Produce, Columbus, Ohio;
- Isabel Chamberlain, Plenty Inc., San Francisco, Calif.;
- Shelby Chih, Renaissance Food Group, Rancho Cordova, Calif.;
- Ken Dreyer, Madison Chemical, Madison, Ind.;
- Kristie Goad, Taylor Farms, Covington, Ky;
- Jackie Hawkins, Bright Farms, Irvington, N.Y.;
- Taylor Livingston, Titan Farms, Ridge Spring, S.C.;
- Kinsey Porter, North Bay Produce, Traverse City, Mich.;
- Kristina Schoen, Wish Farms, Plant City, Fla.;
- Christopher Wright, Duncan Family Farms, Brockport, N.Y.; and
- Daniel Wu, Giorgi Mushroom, Temple, Pa.
Five produce safety professionals will serve as mentors to the program fellows and will accompany them at each meeting. The mentors include:
- Donna Lynn Browne, Director of Food Safety & Social Responsibility, Naturipe Farms;
- De Ann Davis, Food Safety Director, Commercial Food Sanitation;
- Suresh DeCosta, Director of Food Safety, North America and Latin America, Lipman Family Farms;
- Cheryl Enlow, Vice President of Quality Assurance & Food Safety, Renaissance Food Group; and
- Walter Ram, Vice President of Food Safety, Guimarra Companies.
“Ongoing professional development is especially crucial in produce safety, as ensuring consumers can safely consume such healthy products requires knowledge of a wide variety of processes and regulations,” Donna Lynn Browne, director of food safety and social responsibility, Naturipe Farms, said in the release. “United Fresh has always been on the forefront of all things food safety in produce and this program is yet another great tool for the industry.”
Several United Fresh member companies, including 3M, Braga Family Farms, Ecolab, Heinzen Manufacturing, Merieux Nutrisciences, and Naturipe Farms are supporting the program by hosting the class throughout the year.
