The International Fresh Produce Association announced, at its inaugural Global Produce and Floral Show, the recipients of awards recognizing industry efforts to advance root cause analysis.
Conducting an effective root cause analysis or assessment (RCA) is an essential skill demonstrated by the most effective and forward thinking produce companies. If something goes wrong, or simply could be done better, understanding not just what happened but why something happened allows a company, and ideally the broader community, to put measures in place so that the issue (or a similar issue) can be addressed for the long term. However, this is easier said than done. There are many barriers to conducting a thorough RCA: expertise, resources, regulatory and reputational issues, etc.
Winners of this year's Root Cause Analysis Award. From left to right: Proexport Papaya, Farmer’s Fridge, and IEH Laboratories.
IFPA seeks to change the outward perception of RCAs. “Companies that conduct thorough investigations into issues or near misses should be celebrated, not penalized,” says Dr. Jennifer McEntire, chief food safety and regulatory officer at IFPA. “As has been demonstrated in other industries, openly celebrating proactive problem solving and sharing of knowledge fosters a culture of excellence.”
Any IFPA member was eligible to apply for the award. Applications were judged by a subgroup of the IFPA Food Safety Council based on the composition of the RCA team, management commitment to RCA, execution of the RCA including the process used, depth of the work, documentation, and verification of the RCA, as well as the how the outcomes of the effort were used to develop corrective and preventive actions.
The winners of the 2022 award are Farmer’s Fridge, IEH Laboratories, and Proexport Papaya. Together they will share their approaches to evaluating root causes and how their efforts led them to implement preventive actions during an IFPA webinar later this winter.
Contact:
Siobhan May
IFPA
Tel: +1 (302) 781-5855
SMay@freshproduce.com
www.freshproduce.com