YUMA, AZ - Food safety continues to be an integral part of the fresh produce industry, especially as consumers have become more conscientious about health and safety due to the pandemic. In its mission to continuously innovate and provide food safety resources, Western Growers (WG) has introduced the AgTechX Food Safety Cohort, a global group specializing in prevention technologies and rapid diagnostics.

Dennis Donohue, Director, Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology“We are excited to welcome a talented group of innovators and entrepreneurs to Yuma to begin a year of focus on accelerating new food safety solutions," said Dennis Donohue, Director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT). "We have learned that co-development between growers and processors and technology companies is how progress really happens. We have a great group to get started with, and we hope to attract other players as we proceed through the year."

The announcement about this new cohort comes as part of WGCIT, the Center for Produce Safety, and the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture’s inaugural AgTechX Food Safety event. The event featured panels on industry issues, regulatory views, and food safety innovation, according to a release. It kicked off a year-long initiative focused on food safety technology to improve the toolkit of rapid diagnostics and prevention technologies.

Western Growers has introduced the AgTechX Food Safety Cohort, a global group specializing in prevention technologies and rapid diagnostics who will receive exclusive access to resources to help them launch and scale their projects

This newly launched cohort will receive exclusive access to resources to help them launch and scale their projects and aid in this organizations’ initiative.

Initial members of the cohort include:

• Javier Atencia, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Pathotrak
• Alex Athey, Chief Executive Officer, En Solución Inc.
• Rafael Davila, Founder, Priority Sampling
• Eyal Gerecht, President and Chief Executive Officer, TeraBAT, Inc.
• Mike Hogan PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, PathogenDx
• Tom Jacobs, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, SnapDNA
• Marc Petitpas, Senior Director, North America Sales, ScanTech Sciences, Inc.
• Carl "Skip" Rapp, Chief Executive Officer, TeraBAT, Inc.
• Jonathan Sierra, Chief Executive Officer, Yarok Microbio Ltd.
• Chip Starns, Co-Founder, Executive Vice President, ScanTech Sciences, Inc.

The next two events in the AgTechX series are planned for later in 2022, and will be held in Woodland and King City, California.

What impact will this new cohort have on the food safety sector? Keep reading AndNowUKnow for answers.

Western Growers