United Fresh Produce Association is now accepting applications for Class Three of the Produce Safety Immersion Program. The program, which lasts for 12 months, aims to empower the next generation of produce safety professionals to enhance their technical capacity, critical thinking skills, and leadership attributes.

The program includes face-to-face meetings, trainings, tailored webinars, regular networking and professional development sessions with industry leaders, and an ongoing mentorship program. In addition, four produce safety professionals will become mentors to the program fellows and will support their professional growth and development

Class Three will be immersed in key produce safety topics including outbreak investigations, traceability, environmental monitoring, statistics of sampling, food law, and more. The full schedule of programming is available on the United Fresh website.

Class Three will launch in January 2022 as part of the new association. Early-to-mid-career professionals with less than five years of experience in produce safety are encouraged to reply. Past mentors and program alumni will evaluate their applications, based on their backgrounds, roles in the industry, career aspirations, and recommendations. 

United Fresh will be hosting an informational webinar about the Produce Safety Immersion Program on October 19 at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT. Dr. McEntire will discuss the impact of the Program, along with the tentative 2022 schedule, and application instructions. Alumni and current program members will share their experiences and attendees will have time to ask questions. Complimentary registration for the webinar is available here.

To apply for Class Three of the Produce Safety Immersion Program, visit www.unitedfresh.org. The application deadline is October 31, 2021. For more information about the program, contact Katie McGowan, United Fresh’s Food Safety Manager, at 202-303-3402 or kmcgowan@unitedfresh.org.