Washington Association Donates $750,000 To Food Safety

Posted by Christina Herrick|January 28, 2016

Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) has announced a contribution of $750,000 over the course of five years in support of food safety research. This pledge is part of a $20 million capital campaign to support the work of the Center for Produce Safety (CPS), which oversees a coordinated research effort that provides fresh fruit and vegetable producers with the data they need to fill knowledge gaps on produce food safety.

CPS is a public‐private partnership that brings together food safety experts in government, academia, and the national produce industry to identify research needs, fund the most promising investigations, and translate the results into real‐world solutions. In the seven years since it was established, CPS has awarded $16.4 million to support 100 different research projects. The current capital campaign will enable CPS to greatly expand the number of critical research projects it is able to support.

“The Washington State Tree Fruit Association’s contribution to the Campaign for Produce Safety demonstrates our members’ commitment to ensuring that Washington apples, pears and cherries are not only healthy and delicious, but also remain among the safest food choices consumers can make,” said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA President. “Our industry chose to make this investment in research through the Center for Produce Safety because of its strength in developing solutions to food safety questions that are practical, science‐based, and credible, while using research dollars effectively.”