Food Quality and Safety Symposium Spotlights Industry’s Leadership

Brian Dunning, chairman, Almond Board of California Food Quality & Safety Committee, welcomes attendees to the 12th annual ABC Food Quality and Safety Symposium.

More than 200 almond growers, handlers, and allied industry members, representing 80% of California’s almond production, gathered at the Almond Board of California’s 12th annual Food Quality and Safety Symposium held in Modesto on July 1.

The Symposium featured a briefing from Jenny Scott, from the Office of Food Safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She said she expects the nut industry to face new regulatory requirements in an effort to modernize food safety. However, she commended the California Almond industry for its pasteurization program and cited it as a model for other nut industries. She also emphasized that implementing controls prior to processing remains critical to a successful food safety program.

“One of the themes we heard from the guest speakers was that food safety is not proprietary, and that everyone in the food industry must continue to think proactively about improving processes and safety measures,” said ABC’s Tim Birmingham, Associate Director, Quality Assurance and Industry Services, in his concluding remarks. “That aligns with the California Almond industry’s commitment to food safety and it’s why we continue to invest in new research, technologies, and educational initiatives to provide consumers with a reliable supply of safe, high-quality almonds.” Read Birmingham’s full closing remarks.

Additional Symposium topics included an integrated approach to pest management and presentations from leading food quality experts on new research on oil migration studies in almonds and moisture and water activity, and how these factors can affect shelf life.

Learn more about other Almond Board food safety efforts.