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If there’s one lesson the U.S. produce industry has learned from food safety events over the last decade, it’s this: when a problem arises, we’re all involved— and we’re all at risk. Every produce outbreak, every illness, every recall sends ripples across the marketplace. The entire supply chain, from growers to shippers to retailers, feels the economic, operational and social impact of food safety events. The 2006 E. coli outbreak in spinach, the 2011 outbreak of listeriosis from cantaloupes, and the recent recalls of apples and stone fruit, are stark reminders of the supply chain disruption and human tragedy that can result from foodborne illness outbreaks. While the industry has made great strides in recent years, there’s still a lot we don’t know about what causes many produce outbreaks and how we can prevent them. But that knowledge gap is becoming narrower thanks to the work and mission of the Center for Produce Safety. Impressive record of success - CPS, a public-private partnership between industry, government and academia — was formed in 2007 to advance research needed to continually improve produce food safety worldwide. In just a few years, CPs has awarded $18.4 million and funded over 100 research projects. The results of that research have provided industry leaders with timely, actionable, cost-effective solutions to minimize produce safety vulnerabilities and protect their brand equity and continue to provide consumers’ confidence in their purchases of fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts.