The Center for Produce Safety (The Center)

is an industry, academic, and regulatory collaborative effort designed to directly address the most pressing issues of safety in the produce industry. Several major donors, including the Produce Marketing Association, Taylor Farms, the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture and the University of California have pledged financial resources to this critical effort. The Center will primarily focus on three critical objectives. First, it will serve as a clearinghouse for available research related to produce safety. This initiative is the first in the industry designed to capture all existing scientific data on food safety in one central repository. Second, the Center will fund new scientific studies focused on developing solutions that mitigate risks associated with the nation's produce supply. Third, in addition to the investments in new research, the Center will invest in science-based training and outreach programs. The training and outreach will augment programs already in place and will include the latest scientific information and recognized good agricultural practices. The Center will be housed at UC Davis' Western Institute for Food Safety and Security (WIFSS) and is being led by Executive Director Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli.