New facility near Asheville will help with produce safety training and produce research

North Carolina -- New facility near Asheville wil help with produce safety training and guidance research

By Brandon Herring August 5, 2021

A food safety education program within NCDA&CS gained a big tool for its toolbox recently. It’s expected to help ensure that North Carolina fresh produce growers are well educated about how to safely pack and hold their produce.

On July 20, the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River hosted a grand opening for its new produce handling facility. What’s inside the newly updated building just outside Asheville will help the NCDA&CS Produce Safety Program with outreach, education, and training.

A crowd gathered for the official opening of the facility.
Superintendent Jeff Chandler speaks at the grand opening.
Commissioner Steve Troxler speaks to the crowd for the grand opening.
Dean Richard Linton (NCSU CALS) and Commissioner Troxler cut the ribbon at the new produce handling facility in Mills River.
“This has been a long time in the making, so we are extremely excited as the Produce Safety Program to see this facility come to life and to be able to be used by growers, industry stakeholders, our program, N.C. State Extension – everyone – [to] collaborate to use this facility for an educational and outreach purpose,” said Sarah Cope, the outreach coordinator for the Produce Safety Program.

The Produce Safety Program runs through the Food & Drug Protection Division of NCDA&CS, and its goal is to help fresh produce growers understand and comply with the federal Produce Safety Rule. The program works with N.C. State, research stations and others to help farmers implement best practices related to produce growing, harvesting, packing, and holding safety. The program also conducts produce safety inspections to check compliance with the Produce Safety Rule.

The Produce Safety Program and N.C. State Extension offer Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Courses with most, if not all, of the courses in a classroom setting. That can change with the new produce handling facility. The facility houses an optical produce sorting machine and a produce pack line. The equipment and building creates an educational platform for training to include more hands-on demonstrations.