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The mixer will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Vista Del Lago Resort, 14103 Lakeshore Drive.
The cost is $15 per person. Bring your business card for an opportunity to have an ad on our chamber Web page.
The menu will include Chicken Adobo, lumpia, jasmine rice, beans, cornbread, salad, water and sodas.
RSVP here or call the chamber at 707-994-3600 for more information.
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This unit has been created to assist California produce farms in understanding the requirements of the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act.
The unit will be responsible for conducting on-farm inspections on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that will begin in 2019 to verify compliance with the Produce Safety Rule, which became effective Jan. 26, for produce farms designated as “large” – defined as those with $500,000 or more in annual sales. Smaller farms will be phased in over the next few years.
“It’s estimated some 20,000 California farms will fall under this new regulation,” explained California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “This will be a big job and we will all need to work cooperatively to achieve our vision of 100 percent compliance.”
CDFA’s plan is to first educate farmers about the Produce Safety Rule and then regulate farms by verifying their compliance with it by keeping required records on adherence to best practices and providing ongoing health and hygiene training for workers, among other provisions. CDFA is launching an educational program and is asking produce associations to join-in to help spread the word.
To administer the program, inspectors employed by CDFA are required to be credentialed by the FDA and have specialized training and education to conduct authorized routine inspections on behalf of the federal agency.
Meanwhile, the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, will continue to serve in its role to ensure the safety of California’s food supply. If a CDFA Produce Safety Program inspector believes there is a significant and imminent threat to public health on a produce farm, he or she will inform CDPH of the situation for evaluation and potential regulatory action.
Under the Produce Safety Rule, every produce farm must have at least one employee on staff who has completed an FDA-recognized grower training course.
CDFA is offering training courses in both English and Spanish at several locations throughout the state. Produce farmers who do not yet have an employee who has completed the training should do so immediately.
“CDFA will also be offering a series of non-regulatory On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRR),” said Natalie Krout-Greenberg, Director of CDFA’s Inspection Services Division. “These are designed to give produce farmers a better understanding of what they can expect from a routine Produce Safety Program inspection. Information on how to schedule an OFRR will be available very soon.”
CDFA’s Produce Safety Program is developing an informational Website that will be accessible to all produce farmers and the public next month. The Web site will be located at www.cdfa.ca.gov/prducesafety/ .
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According to the notice from the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, sampling of spiny lobster and analysis of samples by California Department of Public Health laboratories indicates that consumption of spiny lobster taken from this area no longer poses a significant threat for domoic acid exposure.
The commercial spiny lobster fishery is now open statewide and CDPH lifted the recreational fishery consumption warning for the area.
On Oct. 24, 2017, state health agencies determined that spiny lobster in waters around Anacapa Island, Ventura County and the east end of Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara County had unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended closure of the commercial fishery in this area.
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As an advisory board to the governor and the CDFA secretary, the board addresses issues of importance to California’s farmers, ranchers and community stakeholders.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, the board will hear from Delta stakeholders on the importance of Delta agriculture, agritourism and environmental restoration efforts.
The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Old Sugar Mill, 35265 Willow Ave. (Barrel Room), Clarksburg.
Invited speakers include Supervisor Skip Thomson, chair of the Delta Protection Commission; Mark Pruner, public member of the Delta Protection Advisory Committee; Stephen F. Herigner III, Heringer Estates Family Vineyard & Winery; Tim Neuharth, Steamboat Acres; Michael George, Delta Watermaster; and Kristopher Tjernell, California Natural Resources Agency. Following the meeting, board members will have a tour of Delta region in cooperation with staff from the Delta Protection Commission.
On Thursday, Feb. 1, the board will have a meeting in Sonoma County to discuss the impacts of the October wildfires on local agricultural production.
The meeting will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Iron Horse Vineyards, 9786 Ross Station Road, Sebastopol.
Invited speakers include: Agricultural Commissioner Tony Linegar, county of Sonoma; Karissa Kruse, Sonoma County Winegrowers; Honore Comfort, Wine Business Institute; Gladys Horiuchi, Wine Institute; and a representative from Sonoma County Tourism.
Prior to the meeting, board members will have a tour of impacted areas in Sonoma County in cooperation with staff from the county of Sonoma.
The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representatives and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.
All meetings are open to the public and attendance is welcome.
Follow the board on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Cafood_agboard.