<p><strong>Davis, CA</strong> - Produce Marketing Association and the Center for Produce Safety conducted a joint press conference call on January 12th, to reflect on the CPS’s Cantaloupe: Food Safety Priorities meeting held Wednesday, January 11th, in San Diego.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The event addressed key objectives regarding cantaloupe-specific agricultural practices and concerns, in response to a Listeria outbreak traced to cantaloupes in the Rocky Ford, Colorado, area. The meeting also addressed procedures that industry members will be taking in the coming year to address the future of the fruit. Stephen Patricio, President of Westside Produce and Chair of the Center for Produce Safety Advisory Board; Dr. Bob Whitaker, Chief Science & Technology Officer for Produce Marketing Association and Chair of the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee and Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, Executive Director of the Center for Produce Safety. Steve Patricio, states, "It was a great opportunity to bring the industry together to speak about priorities and to address what is missing in terms of guidance and what is missing in terms of science and what is missing in terms of direction for the industry to take." Although cantaloupes do not inherently pose a unique risk, the broad based consumption and use are major components in the fruit's food safety issues. The event reflected a strong desire to create a better understanding and baseline of information on Listeria, as well as what can be done to deal with microbial levels on the surface of cantaloupes and how biofilms and bacteria exist, persist and survive on the surface of fruit and equipment. Bob Whitaker, expressed that if the industry could understand how these entities live, it could better understand how to resolve the crisis.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> CPS aims to address the information gaps that prevail when it comes to food safety for cantaloupes, through science based research. Bob Whitaker, in regards to the current issues, states, "In the process of putting together our request for proposals, we will be developing a draft that will go to the Center for Produce Safety technical committee for review...The technical committee is composed of industry scientists, academic scientists, and regulatory scientists that will take a look and help shape some of the ideas." Steve Patricio reflects that "measurable, definable and verifiable guidance" is what CPS is after, not guidance based on opinion and assumption.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> A crucial outcome of the meeting was an agreement made between several major trade associations, including PMA, Western Growers Association, and United Fresh. In order to continue the momentum created by the meeting, the associations together will come to a consensus on the most effective way to create cantaloupe specific guidance. Also, pursuant to new guidance, the group will propose an outline for directing outreach and how the new information can be implemented both nationally and internationally. The associations have agreed to effectively complete the undertaking within a two week period. To top off the eventful meeting, Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, revealed, "The Produce Marketing Association has stepped up, once again and is providing $900,000 to cover the administrative costs of the Center for Produce Safety for the next two years. Therefore, as we get more and more research dollars into the center it will all be directed to research."</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>www.cps.ucdavis.edu</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
