Newark, DE<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Bryan Silbermann, CEO and President, Produce Marketing Association, joins Sarah Hoxie to discuss the energy and excitement that encompassed the 2012 PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, California.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The event broke every record it had kept up until this year. Fresh Summit was numbering well over 20,000 attendees on the day of the interview was well on its way to 21,000. The previous record was 19,000 three years ago in Anaheim. The energy at this year's event was just incredible, remarked Mr. Silbermann, with more than sixty countries represented at the show.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">One of the new and exciting exhibits for Mr. Silbermann this year was the California Avocado Commission's food truck and celebrity chef partner that brought the unique experience and taste of the streets to attendees. The CAC's use of the food truck as a mobile kitchen to sample tacos and special salsas was a great marketing device and was supported by the long lines that Mr. Silbermann noticed throughout the show.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">On a more serious note, Mr. Silbermann responds to Sarah Hoxie's inquiry on recalls and their all time high in the industry; what has changed and what are his thoughts moving forward. He responded that the industry needs to understand that the kind of testing that is available, the types of surveillance that is being done, the sensitivity of the tools that are used now by the government as well as to industry means that they are finding things more frequently. This is part of the challenge that the industry has to face. In that light, the industry is working more closely with government to really get a handle on what level of a particular pathogen is, in fact, acceptable.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Mr. Silbermann, notes, that they are finding levels of pathogens that really pose no risk and no one is getting sick, but recalls are being initiated because there zero tolerance at this point in time. This is an area where he believes there will be dedicated research done through the Center for Produce Safety as the industry moves forward. Also, he reflects that the industry shows that by initiating these recalls they are putting the safety and the health of consumers first.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Mr. Silbermann takes a moment to talk about his family. His granddaughter Emily is now 1 year and 2 months old and Toby will turn four on November 11th. He is going over for four days, for a Pirate-themed party in Central France for Toby and then jumps on a plane for a Western Grower's trip in Scottsdale, Arizona. Safe travels, Mr. Silbermann.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">www.pma.com<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
