November/December 2021 - 26

THE PULSE
INDUSTRY
INSIDER
SCRI grants to include leafy greens
In late October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture
announced an investment of nearly $74 million to 21 award
recipients through its Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)
grants program.
SCRI program
investments address
critical challenges
facing conventional
and organic food and
agricultural production
systems across the
specialty crop industry.
Several of the 2021
SCRI grants include
funds to improve
lettuce or leafy green
production, including
grants to the University
of California-Berkeley,
UC-Davis and Clemson
University.
The program's priority focus areas include improving crop
characteristics, managing threats from pests and diseases,
improving production efficiency, profitability and technological
innovation, and mitigating food safety hazards.
SCRI gives priority to projects that are multistate, multiinstitutional,
or trans-disciplinary, and include ways to
communicate results to producers and the public.
A complete list of the 21 funded FY2021 SCRI grant
recipients is available at go.usa.gov/xM97N.
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produceprocessing.net
The sub-committee will bring together industry representatives
including De Ann Davis of Western Growers, academics and
members from regulatory partners including the Food and Drug
Association and the Department of Defense.
" I'm honored to be chosen not only to serve on NACMCF but
provide leadership to the sub-committee specifically focused
on developing a road map for understanding and dealing with
Cyclospora which is a pathogen of growing concern to our industry
and consumers, " Teplitski said. " This federal-private collaboration
is essential to not only developing a deep and comprehensive
understanding of pathogens like cyclospora but also to establish
realistic and effective practices for produce safety. "
Cyclospora has been identified as a pathogen of growing
concern and little is understood about the persistence of the
pathogen in the crop production environment. The charge to
the cyclospora sub-committee is to understand the lifecycle
of the pathogen, mine all available data and come up with
recommendations that food safety agencies can use to develop
policies that are built on solid science.
At the end of the year, the committee will submit a
comprehensive report to the FDA that will be available to the
general public. The report will be shared during a briefing held
at the end of the year but there will be periodic public meetings
providing updates throughout 2022.
Teplitski will continue his role as chief science officer in the
International Fresh Produce Association when it launches Jan. 1.
Triangle Package adds Central region
sales manager
Triangle Package Machinery has added packing industry
veteran George Reschke to head its Central region sales efforts.
Reschke, who has a bachelor's in mechanical engineering
Teplitski to co-chair USDA cyclospora
committee
The USDA recently announced membership changes to its
National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for
Foods that would focus on strengthening the nation's food
systems through improved production and processing.
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria
for Foods oversees food safety efforts at five federal agencies,
including USDA and FDA. Max Teplitski, chief science officer at
Produce Marketing Association, will be one of 13 new members
appointed to the group. Also, it was announced Teplitski will
chair the group's sub-committee on cyclospora, along with the
co-chair, Peggy Cook of Neogen Corporation.
26 NOVEMBER /DECEMBER 2 0 21
from the University of Missouri, has more than 14 years of
sales experience with three different major packaging
equipment companies.
With prior experience in engineering in addition to packaging
equipment sales, Reschke excels at sales management and
new business development by utilizing his industry knowledge
of manufacturing and automation.
" George is a skilled sales professional with a proven track
record of high performance, " said Ralph Hernandez, Triangle's
VP of sales and marketing. " His experience is grounded in a
solid foundation of engineering, which allows him to understand
our equipment dynamically, and ultimately help find proper
solutions to our customers' challenges. "
As Central regional sales manager, Reschke will focus on
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.
http://www.produceprocessing.net http://go.usa.gov/xM97N
November/December 2021

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