About CPS

CPS Mission

Fund the Science, Find Solutions and Fuel the Change

CPS Annual Report

The Center for Produce Safety Annual Report for 2022

 

The Challenge

The fresh produce industry is responsible for supplying a safe food supply to the world’s consumers. Government expects ever-safer food, and companies continue to invest millions of dollars creating and implementing food safety initiatives. The goal is always to produce results – at the speed of industry – that respond to timely issues that can affect food safety.

CPS Approach

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. CPS is a collaborative partnership that leverages the combined expertise of industry, government and the scientific and academic communities to focus on providing research needed to continually enhance food safety. This level of collaboration allows CPS to fill the knowledge gaps on produce food safety and address both research priorities and immediate industry needs.

CPS is an industry-wide partnership. Industry-wide problems require industry-wide brainpower. The Center for Produce Safety brings together leaders from industry, government, and the scientific and academic communities, to work together toward the common goals of identifying the most pressing research needs, funding the most promising investigations and advancing real-world solutions.  CPS initially launched as a public-private partnership, but is now international in scope with projects in 5 countries around the globe. CPS has compiled an impressive 11 - year body of work, awarding over $29 million and funding 172 one- to two-year research projects at 43 research institutions. In 2019, CPS funded 15 research projects in 6 states, from Arizona to New York. In addition to the annual call for research proposals, CPS revamped its annual research funding program to encompass immediate industry needs with Innovation Challenge Grants and Rapid Response Research.

It's always about the Science. CPS provides industry with credible, independent, science-based research that is applicable across the produce supply chain. The Technical Committee provides the necessary scrutiny and tight controls needed to ensure funded research projects are practical, measurable and translatable. Issues range from ag water treatment to wash water sanitation, to the use of soil amendments and composting, to addressing the management of domestic and wild animals near farms and irrigation sources.

Knowledge closes the loop. CPS does more than fund research. It’s critical that research results are disseminated and new knowledge on produce food safety issues is put to use across the supply chain. Our annual symposium — augmented by year-round seminars, webinars, reports, and videos — equips industry leaders to implement actionable steps to ensure positive food safety outcomes. Cognizant of the fact that not all in the industry can send a representative to the annual symposium, CPS formed the Knowledge Transfer Task Force in 2018 to further the goal of distributing research results to all. CPS provides knowledge of industry processes, applications, varieties and conditions to academia and the research community to better target and direct research that will have immediate application in the produce industry. Our educational efforts extend to regulatory agencies as we partner with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others to shape food safety guidelines.


The Campaign for CPS

CPS is a partnership that is creating targeted research; streamlining costs and maximizing research output by combining industry, government and academic resources; and translating research into action – all to enhance food safety and protect your business.

As an industry leader, we ask you to consider a financial pledge to the Center for Produce Safety. Your monetary gift is an investment in your business and your industry.

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is a 501(c)(3), U.S. tax-exempt, charitable organization focused exclusively on providing the produce industry and government with open access to the actionable information needed to continually enhance the safety of produce.