Expert to discuss leafy greens protection

Protecting the integrity of leafy greens is of utmost importance to Arizona's thriving lettuce industry.

To help out, the Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee has engaged an expert who will offer one-on-one and group trainings with growers at no cost to them.

Barry Eisenberg, Ph.D., has been retained as the Arizona Leafy Greens technical food safety consultant. To introduce him to the industry, an educational program will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Radisson Hotel, 1501 S. Redondo Center Drive.

Eisenberg has an extensive track record of helping companies meet food safety and quality goals. He will work with growers, individually and in groups, at the expense of the Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee, to help them enhance their protocols and prepare for food safety audits.

During the meeting, he will provide a brief overview of how to prepare for an audit, chlorine monitoring, risk assessments and how to use his availability as a resource to the industry. During the week following the meeting, he will meet with individual growers.

Attendees and those interested in making individual appointments can call 1-602-542-0945 or email tlopez@azda.gov.

“The addition of Barry for individual guidance to our industry members is invaluable,” said Vicki-Lynne Scott, technical subcommittee chairwoman and board member of the Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee. “It's another enhancement to our overall food safety training program, but with the personal connection to offer counsel on an individual basis, taking into consideration individual growers' unique situations.”

Arizona Leafy Greens has invested significantly over the past few years on developing its Food Safety Program, which includes a bilingual Food Safety Training Kit for classroom settings and field training posters for impromptu trainings. The program drives home the importance of safety training while recognizing the very different cultural attributes of Hispanic workers, which comprise the majority of those in the field.

The program is designed for 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.

The program is administered by the Arizona Department of Agriculture and closely monitored by USDA-licensed auditors. More information is at www.arizonaleafygreens.org.