The California Fresh Fruit Association Hosts Its 79th Annual Meeting With Dave Corsi as Speaker
FRESNO, CA - The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) kicked off its 79th Annual Meeting in Del Mar, California, this past weekend. It was a jam-packed event, featuring the election of the Board of Directors and Chairman, as well as industry speakers including Dave Corsi, VP of Produce and Floral at Wegmans, David McInerney of FreshDirect, and Dr. Cathy Enright of The Biotechnology Industry Organization.
Key topics addressed during the event included:
- Water availability
- Food safety
- Potential changes to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act (CALRA)
Corsi shared his thoughts and perspective on the issue of food safety in regards to fresh fruit, discussing the importance of making sure fresh fruit producers maintain the best possible practices to prevent foodborne pathogens. Corsi noted that it’s important that the retailer works in conjunction with the producer so that they are communicating their concern for food safety to maintain a high level of confidence with the consumer.
McInerney’s presentation concentrated on the relationship between growers and shippers, while Dr. Enright, an industry leader when it comes to GMOs, discussed the perspective impacting the fresh fruit industry in relation to the use of genetically altered products, according to a press release.
CFFA President Barry Bedwell spoke to us about some of the highlights of the event and its success. “This has been one of our most successful events to date," he said. The Annual Meeting is a great chance for people to get together and network and talk first-hand how these issues are impacting their business. Our workshops had the best positive feedback and gave our members lots of good ideas and input in one location.”
With the arrival of its new fiscal year, the CFFA announced that David Jackson of Family Tree Farms was re-elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board also welcomed new director Bill Chandler of Chandler Farms, and gave thanks to three exiting directors: Stan Cosart of W.F. Cosart Packing Co., Tom Schultz of Chase National Kiwi Farms, and Carol Chandler of Chandler Farms. The full slate of officers includes:
- Chair: David Jackson (Family Tree Farms)
- First Vice Chair: Harold McClarty (HMC Farms)
- Second Vice Chair: Randy Giumarra (Giumarra Vineyards)
- Secretary/Treasurer: Louis Pandol (Pandol Bros., Inc.)
With the tremendous success of this year's event, we’ll be looking forward to great things to come from the California Fresh Fruit Association this year.
