Food safety advocate William “Bill” Marler, Marler Clark, L.L.P., P.S. will open the Center for Produce Safety 4th annual Produce Research Symposium on Tuesday, June 25, with a keynote presentation on “The evolving legal and financial realities of produce food safety: what it means for you.” Marler, the leading plaintiff’s attorney in food safety, will describe the evolving legal and financial implications when foodborne illness outbreaks occur. Mr. Marler will share his experiences and provide the human and business context for the importance of developing and implementing risk and science-based food safety programs. Stephen Patricio, CPS chair and president of Westside Produce, stated, “Bill Marler will provide perspective to the difficult issues that surround produce food safety. We are honored Bill will be a part of the symposium.”

The event’s opening day will also include a look into the past and the future of CPS produce food safety research, along with an afternoon session on Listeria and produce. On the second day sixteen research projects will be presented. Each project will include industry context to the research and its application. Presenting scientists will be available for one-on-one questions from symposium participants. Nineteen posters highlighting research in the CPS pipeline will be on display throughout the event.

An addition to this year’s symposium program is the food safety tour of Wegmans Food Market on June 24. This educational tour will highlight the everyday food safety responsibilities of retail industry.