The Center for Produce Safety presented its Distinguished Service Award to industry veteran James “Jim” Lugg for what it called his selfless commitment to fresh produce food safety and exemplary leadership.
Lugg, president of J. Lugg & Associates, received the award from Joe Pezzini, chair of CPS’ board of directors, at a June 17 leadership dinner held before CPS’ 2024 Research Symposium got underway in Denver, according to a news release.
Noting that Lugg has been in CPS volunteer leadership since the center’s inception in 2007, Pezzini, the senior director of agricultural operations at Taylor Farms, summarized Lugg’s career and contributions. CPS says its produce-centric mission is to fund science, find solutions and fuel change in fresh produce safety.
Beyond Lugg’s influence through CPS board and technical committee, Pezzini singled out the honoree’s impact on produce safety through people and process.
He noted that Lugg has mentored many young people, bringing them into the industry, where they have made their own lasting contributions. As an industry pioneer, Lugg helped develop modified atmosphere technology that led to modern convenience salad packages, Pezzini said.
“Jim began his career with University of California Cooperative Extension, first in Kings County and then in Monterey County, specializing in soil and water issues,” Pezzini said in the release. “Bruce Church Co. persuaded him to leave UC to work on soil and water issues with farming lettuce. He soon realized the arrival issues for their lettuce were related to postharvest handling. That is what led him to a lifetime work initiating the creation of the bagged salad industry.
“Jim has the exceptional ability to see potential in young, gifted college grads, and the persuasive ability of talking them into a career in the produce industry,” Pezzini added. “His vision has paid forward unmeasurable contributions made by those many individuals to the industry over the years.”
Lugg said he was “truly speechless” in receiving the honor.
“My work with CPS has always been extremely rewarding because I am always thinking about how the industry can use information,” he said in the release. “It’s not about how great the research is, but how useful it will be. That fits with CPS’ mission statement: Fund, Find, Fuel.
“The industry has jumped in and funded the research,” Lugg added. “The scientists we’ve funded have excelled in finding solutions, and industry has certainly applied the research findings.”
As an added surprise, CPS brought in Lugg’s daughter, Pam Young, for award pictures.
Lugg, a native Californian, has been part of the fresh produce industry for more than six decades the release said. He earned a bachelor’s degree in soil science from the University of California at Berkeley in 1956. His career highlights include:
- Work with UC Cooperative Extension and service on several university advisory groups.
- Roles at Bruce Church Inc., TransFRESH Corp., Fresh International Corp. Inc., and Fresh Express Foods.
- Service with the California Leafy Green Handlers Marketing Agreement.
- Participation on numerous panels, sharing expansive food safety knowledge.
- Leading J. Lugg & Associates, which provides help in solving technical food safety issues and helps entrepreneurs plan and build their new businesses.
In addition to the CPS Distinguished Service Award, Lugg:
- Received the E.E. “Gene” Harden Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California.
- Was honored with a UC Berkeley Rausser College of Natural Resources Citation for outstanding service to the college.
- Was named to the University of California’s President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources.
- Was named to the USDA’s National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board.
