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By René Hardwick, National Onion Association Director of Public and Industry Relations
Discussions around food safety will continue this year at the National Onion Association’s (NOA) annual December convention in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Samir Assar, director of food safety for the Food and Drug Administration. This is a perfect opportunity for your operations’ food safety administrators and managers to get some one-on-one time with the FDA to get your questions answered.
The visit will continue conversations from our summer convention in Boise, Idaho, when the NOA revealed its updated Bulb Onion Food Safety Guidelines document. If you haven’t received a copy, you may find one on the NOA website at www.onions-usa.org/allaboutonions.
“This document represents the best in our industry – the best science, the best practices and the best intentions to instill confidence in all who eat onions that the U.S. dry bulb onion industry is committed to providing a safe, sustainable product,” said Greg Yielding, executive vice president and chief executive of the NOA.
The United States dry bulb onion industry established a food safety framework and guidance document in 2010. The updated document takes into account new scientific findings and the evolution in onion production and handling practices across the United States.
The updated guidelines were in response to two reported food safety outbreaks in the last two years that were alleged to have come from onions. Many onion growers throughout the country remain unconvinced the outbreaks occurred on their farms or under their handling. Many believe if onions were the focus of the outbreaks, they would have come in contact with contaminants further down the supply chain, with which they had no control.
At the Boise summer convention, several farmers questioned FDA representatives during the final morning crop report breakfast. Yielding said the discussion needs to continue, as there remained some unanswered questions from that meeting. But Yielding said he also heard from many attendees that they wished they would have brought their food safety personnel to the convention to hear the discussions.
Samir Assar has been the director of the division of Produce Safety for the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition since 2008. He has led the development of FDA’s policy, regulation and guidance on produce safety, including those mandated by the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.
His bio states, “Dr. Assar is committed to enhancing partnerships with produce safety stakeholders and has collaboratively forged initiatives and agreements aimed at protecting public health.
“Dr. Assar also serves as the FDA project leader for the Western Center for Food Safety at the University of California – Davis, whose focus is on research, education and outreach on production agriculture and food safety issues.”
The NOA convention will take place Dec. 7-10 in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia. Registration is $850 for the event ($450 for spouses/friends), and you can register through the Member Center at www.onions-usa.org/conventions.
