United Fresh Produce Association is offering a new Recall Ready Seminar designed specifically for U.S. importers of fresh fruits and vegetables.
During this full-day course, importers will learn the unique role they play during a recall and what they can do to be prepared to handle a food safety recall. Speakers will discuss importers’ responsibilities, liability, food safety considerations and crisis communication needs during a recall and U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) investigation. The seminar also includes a table-top recall exercise in which groups are presented with unexpected events that require them to go through the recall decision-making process and execution.
This curriculum is tailored for importers as defined by the FDA: “U.S. owners or consignees of fresh produce at the time of entry into the U.S., or U.S. agents or representatives of a foreign owner or consignee.” Managers, sales personnel, purchasing agents, quality assurance staff and logistics managers at importing companies will all benefit from attending this seminar.
“Many produce importers are not prepared to handle a recall – that is, they aren’t sure of how their roles, responsibilities and liability differ from other produce operations leading up to and during a recall,” said Dr. David Gombas, senior vice president food safety and technology at United Fresh and one of the seminar speakers. “Produce importers told us they wanted to know what they had to do in order to be recall ready, so we developed this seminar to do just that.”
“Effective recall communication is challenging for any company that hasn’t planned, but produce importers can face unique challenges,” said seminar speaker Amy Philpott of Watson Green LLC, a public relations firm in Washington, D.C. “There is the potential for anti-import publicity; foreign media interest; and, depending on the product, the need to communicate with consumer sub-groups beyond just issuing the general press release. This seminar will help importers develop a recall communication plan that takes into consideration these unique variables.”
The United Fresh Recall Ready Importer Seminar will be held June 16, 2015 at the Hilton Miami Airport Hotel. For more information or to register visit http://www.unitedfresh.org/events-programs/recall-ready-program/ or contact Erin Grether at 202-303-3402, EGrether@unitedfresh.org.
Contact:
Mary Coppola
Tel: 202-303-3425