Pace International LLC to launch postharvest academy webinar series

Pace International, a leading provider of sustainable postharvest solutions and technologies for the fresh produce industry, is launching its Postharvest Academy Webinar Series this month.

The webinar series invites Pace International customers to learn about the latest research in the postharvest segment at their own pace with access to on-demand content.

The first webinar in the series features James R. Cranney, President of California Citrus Quality Council. Representing 2,000 growers and 85 citrus packers on technical and regulatory issues domestically and overseas, Cranney works with government agencies, international standards-setting organizations, and trading partners to solve problems related to market access, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, food safety, and food additive and pesticide residue regulations that may restrict or eliminate trade of citrus fruits.

“Current challenges at our West Coast ports have only made decay control programs more critical,” shared Cranney. “Understanding and implementing best practices in carton labelling and fungicide management will help the industry better navigate port and transportation disruption. This is why managing postharvest fungicide activities is one of several topics I’ll cover during this Postharvest Academy webinar,” he said.

In February, the Postharvest Academy Webinar Series will feature a session presented by Linda J. Harris, Ph.D., Professor of Cooperative Extension in Microbial Food Safety at the University of California, Davis. Harris’ work in microbial food safety, with a focus on the microbiology of fresh fruits and vegetables, includes developing and validating standard methods for inoculation and recovery of pathogens from a range of produce items. She also has evaluated various sanitizers for their efficacy in reducing microbial populations on various cut and intact produce surfaces.

"Pace has seen firsthand how customers prefer to consume educational content at their own pace, which this webinar series allows for," said Jorge Gotuzzo, Senior Director of Marketing at Pace International. “Our goal for Pace’s Postharvest Academy webinar series is to be the premier source of innovative postharvest technology education that supports efficient and sustainable operations at our customer sites and is in sync with global market trends. We are honored to host these speakers in support of the great work our customers do.”