Washington, DC – The International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 announced, at its inaugural Global Produce and Floral Show, the recipients of awards recognizing industry efforts to advance root cause analysis.
Conducting an effective root cause analysis or assessment (RCA) is an essential skill demonstrated by the most effective and forward thinking produce companies.
If something goes wrong, or simply could be done better, understanding not just what happened but why something happened allows a company, and ideally the broader community, to put measures in place so that the issue (or a similar issue) can be addressed for the long term. However, this is easier said than done. There are many barriers to conducting a thorough RCA: expertise, resources, regulatory and reputational issues, etc.
IFPA seeks to change the outward perception of RCAs.
“Companies that conduct thorough investigations into issues or near misses should be celebrated, not penalized,” says Dr. Jennifer McEntire, chief food safety and regulatory officer at IFPA. “As has been demonstrated in other industries, openly celebrating proactive problem solving and sharing of knowledge fosters a culture of excellence”.
Any IFPA member was eligible to apply for the award. Applications were judged by a subgroup of the IFPA Food Safety Council based on the composition of the RCA team, management commitment to RCA, execution of the RCA including the process used, depth of the work, documentation, and verification of the RCA, as well as the how the outcomes of the effort were used to develop corrective and preventive actions.
The winners of the 2022 award are Farmer’s Fridge, IEH Laboratories, and Proexport Papaya. Together they will share their approaches to evaluating root causes and how their efforts led them to implement preventive actions during an IFPA webinar later this winter.
About the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)?is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to bring the industry together to create a vibrant future for all. We grow our member’s prosperity by conducting advocacy; connecting people and ideas; and offering guidance that allows us all to?take action?with purpose and confidence.? While IFPA is built on the legacy of United Fresh and Produce Marketing Association, it is not just a combination. It is transformational. Recognizing the industry required an even more powerful and unified voice, the leaders of the former United Fresh and Produce Marketing Association chose not to merge, but rather to create an entirely new organization to supersede their organizations, effective January 1, 2022.
