Call for Participation in New Working Group Managing Risks in Produce and Leafy Greens

“A review of global best practices by this Technical Working Group will assist in escalating food safety knowledge and practices in a commodity that does not routinely have a kill step in the process. The group’s work will lead to advancing the GFSI Benchmarking Requirements.” – Barbara Masters, Vice President of Regulatory Policy, Food and Agriculture at Tyson Foods, Inc.

“Food safety is at the heart of everything we do in the produce industry. When dealing with commodities that are considered ready to eat because they will not undergo a kill step, you must have very robust food safety controls and mitigation steps in place. By creating a platform where industry can come together to share expertise and best practices for the purpose of establishing relevant industry-specific standards, GFSI delivers an essential component to ensure healthy, safe and nutritious produce for consumers everywhere.” – Natalie Dyenson, MPH, Vice President, Food Safety & Quality, Dole Food Company, Inc.

The Group’s Mandate

This Technical Working Group is set up to provide an objective review of best practices in the production of leafy greens around the world in response to recent food safety issues in this industry. It also aims to continue the work of a GFSI Task Force on a risk-based approach to managing and auditing primary production sites.

GFSI is expecting this group to bring clarity to the industry on those two topics by conducting a thorough literature review and collecting worldwide expertise, before making expert recommendations to further strengthen the Benchmarking Requirements.

Length of mandate: 18 months

Frequency of meetings and commitment: Two face-to-face meetings each year. Conference calls will take place between meetings. All meetings are held in English. Presence to these meetings for the length of the mandate is compulsory; the group will meet in Seattle on the 24th and 25th February 2020.

How to Apply

If you are interested in taking part in this Technical Working Group, please fill in this online application.

A maximum of 18 members will be chosen between Retailers, Manufacturers, Accreditation Body / Certification Body, Service Providers, Academics, and Regulators.

Successful candidates will need to demonstrate experience in the following areas:

• Primary production, in particular leafy greens;
• Produce safety;
• Risk assessment and risk management;
• Auditing, preferably in primary production;
• Development and knowledge of food safety standards, specifically related to produce.

Please make sure your application includes details that demonstrate your competences and experiences in those criteria.

Applicants must be employed by an organisation that agrees to sponsor their participation in the Technical Working Group. All costs and expenses for participating in all activities of GFSI must be covered by the organisations that the applicants represent. For further information on our rules and procedures, see our governance document.

Please note that this Call for Participation is now closed. Be sure to subscribe to GFSI News to be notified of any upcoming opportunities.