NEWARK, DE - The Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the United Fresh Produce Association, Western Growers, the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) have teamed up to offer the produce industry new workshops focused on Listeria monocytogenes(Lm). Held September 11-12 in Fresno, California, and September 13-14 in Monterey/Seaside, California, the workshops will teach attendees across the fresh produce supply chain to control and prevent Lm.

“Preventive controls to significantly reduce or eliminate Lm is a big challenge in the processing plant environment. Our team at McEntire Produce has found the listeria workshop to be a valuable tool to better understand the complexity in managing Lm and providing practical solutions we can use in our operation,” said Tom Lovelace, Executive Vice President of McEntire Produce, Inc., in Columbia, South Carolina.

The hands-on workshops will be produce-specific, according to a press release, and last one and one-half days each. Both will cover topics that include sanitary design, sanitation best practices, and environmental monitoring. Both workshops will include a combination of breakout sessions, panel discussions, case studies and other learning formats, and the first day will conclude with a networking reception at which attendees can engage with each other, with speakers, and with exhibitors.

Scheduled speakers include sanitary design specialists from Birko, Ecolab and Heinzen Manufacturing International; produce safety expert Trevor Suslow, Ph.D. from University of California at Davis; as well as association food safety leads Bob Whitaker, Ph.D. from PMA, Jennifer McEntire, Ph.D. from United Fresh, and Sonia Salas from Western Growers. Consumer Safety Officer Don Kautter will represent the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

For more information and to register for a workshop, visit the United Fresh, PMA, or Western Growers website. The registration fee is $750 for members of any of the supporting associations, and $995 for non-members. For additional Lm resources, see United Fresh’s Lm guidance and PMA’s listeria resource page.

Produce Marketing Association United Fresh Produce Association Western Growers California Fresh Fruit Association