The National Onion Association’s annual convention set for Dec. 7-10 in Scottsdale, AZ, will continue its focus on food safety, according to a release from the NOA this week.
Registration is open now at onions-usa.org/conventions, and the release noted the event is a good opportunity for members’ food safety administrators and managers “to get some one-on-one time with the FDA to get questions answered.”
The release said that the Boise Convention this past summer, several farmers questioned FDA representatives during the final morning crop report breakfast, but some of the questions have remained unanswered.
Keynote speaker in Scottsdale will be FDA Director of Food Safety Dr. Samir Assar, who has led the FDA division of Produce Safety for the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition since 2008.
He has also led development of FDA’s policy, regulation, and guidance on produce safety, including those mandated by the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act. A conversation with Assar can be accessed at Read a conversation with him about FSMA Compliance.
The convention will be held at the Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia in Scottsdale. Registration is $850 for the event ($450 for spouses/friends).
In addition to the food safety issue, the event’s agenda also includes an ag tour at Sunbelt Transplants in Buckeye, AZ.
