Kit named finalist at United Fresh 2011 for ‘best new food safety solution’
YUMA (April 7, 2011) – The Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement is pleased to announce that its Food Safety Training Kit is one of five “best new food safety solution” finalists in the United Fresh 2011 New Product Award Competition.
The United Fresh New Product Award Competition, a part of United Fresh 2011 trade show taking place in New Orleans, May 2-5, highlights new products and innovations which contribute to the fresh and fresh-cut produce industry’s economic growth. Arizona Leafy Greens’ Food Safety Training Kit educates field workers in safe food handling practices and is a major component of the industry wide good agricultural practices program.
The kit is part of a comprehensive bilingual food safety program aimed at harvest supervisors and foremen, food safety coordinators, production supervisors, quality control personnel, extension educators and/or industry consultants who conduct food safety training at leafy greens farms, and is specifically targeted at those who handle leafy greens before, during or after harvest.
“We’re committed to the integrity of leafy greens products grown and shipped from Arizona,” said Vicki-Lynne Scott, technical subcommittee chairperson and board member of the Arizona Leafy Greens Products Shipper Marketing Agreement. “Our hope in developing the Food Safety Kit was to provide guidelines which would break new ground in the leafy greens industry, and we’re honored that United Fresh has confirmed the value of our product.”
All semi-finalist products will be on display at the United Fresh Membership booth and will be judged by attendees.
The Arizona Leafy Greens Products Shipper Marketing Agreement (Arizona Leafy Greens) is a consortium of shippers of Arizona leafy greens produce that have put in place protective controls to ensure the integrity of leafy greens products grown and shipped from Arizona. Arizona’s Leafy Greens industry provides 75 percent of the leafy greens produce consumed in the United States and Canada for the months of November through March. The $1 billion industry employs approximately 20,000 workers. Arizona Leafy Greens is comprised of 90 percent of the state’s growers and shippers in a volunteer network that enables them to proactively diffuse potential issues through an intricate system of checks and balances. The program is administered by the Arizona Department of Agriculture and closely monitored by USDA-licensed inspectors.
