Renaissance Food Group will sponsor the new United Fresh Produce Safety Immersion Program, which the organization says is developed to build the technical capacity, critical thinking skills, and leadership attributes of the next generation of produce safety professionals.
“The importance of produce safety, coupled with emerging science and technology and changes in the regulatory and legal environment, have created a real need for ongoing professional development,” said Cheryl Enlow (right), Vice President of Quality Assurance & Food Safety, Renaissance Food Group, and Chair of the United Fresh Food Safety Council. “We are proud to sponsor this new program and play a role in shaping the future of produce safety professionals.”
The year-long program is comprised of three face-to-face meetings/trainings, three webinars, and an ongoing mentorship program, and will focus on developing early-to-mid career professionals with less than five years’ experience in produce safety. Candidates early in their produce safety careers, food safety professionals moving from other food sectors into produce, and members of the produce industry who have recently taken on a food safety role, are encouraged to participate. The Produce Safety Immersion Program is limited to 20 individuals. Four produce safety professionals will serve as mentors to the program fellows and will accompany them at each meeting.
“I’m proud of the robust portfolio of produce safety trainings, webinars, and resources that United Fresh provides,” said Dr. Jennifer McEntire, Vice President, Food Safety at United Fresh. “We are building upon that foundation to give a select group of promising produce safety professionals the benefit of in-depth experiential learning, coupled with the support of the best and brightest mentors in the industry.”
Participation in the Produce Safety Immersion Program includes: tuition, ongoing mentorship, eight nights hotel accommodations and all program meals. It also includes registration to United Fresh’s three core programs in 2020:
- FreshStart Conference (January 14-16, Tucson, AZ)
- United Fresh Convention & Expo (June 16-19, San Diego, CA)
- United Fresh Washington Conference (September 21-21, Washington, D.C.)
Fellows accepted into the Produce Safety Immersion Program will be selected by a group of food safety professionals from the Food Safety Council and the United Fresh Board of Directors. Applications must be submitted by November 1, 2019.
For more information:
Mary Coppola
United Fresh Produce Association
Ph: +1 (202) 303-3425
mcoppola@unitedfresh.org
www.unitedfresh.org