By Blake Jackson
For the past 15 years, Cornell University has collaborated closely with Wegmans Food Markets and its growers to ensure compliance with federal food safety regulations and protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Fresh produce is particularly vulnerable to contamination due to its exposure to soil in open fields and because it is often eaten raw.
To address these risks, farmers and retailers have prioritized food safety adopting rigorous protocols both on the farm and in the supply chain.
A key contributor to these efforts has been the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA), a Cornell-based initiative established in 2010 through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration.
According to Steve Strub, produce food safety manager at Wegmans, the PSA has played a vital role in distributing timely information and leading training initiatives for growers. “In 2010, we started working with the Produce Safety Alliance,” he said. “It was not long after the spinach E. coli outbreak occurred, which affected 26 states and Ontario, Canada; that’s what got Wegmans involved.”
Strub, who has been with Wegmans for 28 years and oversees produce safety for 110 stores, credited Elizabeth Bihn, PSA director and head of the National Good Agricultural Practices Program at Cornell AgriTech, as a driving force behind their successful partnership.
“Betsy has been with us since the get-go,” Strub said. “Talk about real and practical. She’s an annual part of our training; she’s the star of our show and has a great connection with our growers. They know her and respect her knowledge and experience.”
Under FDA's Produce Safety Rule and Wegmans’ own standards, each farm is required to have at least one person trained in food safety. The PSA’s curriculum spans seven modules, covering topics like hygiene, water safety, and postharvest sanitation.
Bihn emphasized the importance of trust and risk awareness: “We work to make sure growers have the information they need to discern between hazards and risks and are able to effectively do what they need to do to reduce risk.”
With new traceability rules under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) coming soon, this collaborative work is more critical than ever.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-valentinrussanov
Categories: New York, Education, General