The California walnut industry has long upheld food safety as paramount. With an extensive history of producing high-quality walnuts, we have maintained a strong food safety record for over a century.
As an industry, we know even low-risk products like walnuts are not immune to potential contamination. Recognizing the need to be proactive, the industry is focused on implementing preventative steps to mitigate food safety risk throughout the production process, from orchard to consumer. This commitment to producing the highest quality and safest food for consumers remains unwavering.
To support the industry’s efforts and commitment to food safety, the California Walnut Commission (CWC) has made available tools and resources to assist:
• Walnut-specific food safety workshops to update on best practices and latest regulations
• Additional resources to support food safety programs
• Continuous monitoring of food safety rules and regulations to inform and prepare the industry
• Readiness to support if a food safety concern arises through communications, food safety experts and consultation
In July, CWC sponsored six food safety workshops conducted for growers, huller/dryers, and handlers to share best practices, provide updates on regulations and strengthen food safety culture in preparation for harvest in the coming months. Events saw a huge attendance, with many selling out, and received a positive response on the information provided.
Joshua Rahm, director of technical and regulatory affairs for the California Walnut Commission, shared, “Industry members have responded tremendously to the training sessions, with the walnut-specific courses providing the right tools and information to prepare their food safety efforts for the upcoming season. This valuable content had helped remind and reinforce the importance and value of preventative steps at all stages of the production process to ensure we continue to provide safe walnuts to customers around the world.”
The California walnut industry looks to continue to offer training and resources on food safety as well as other issues important to growers and the broader industry. The industry is committed to investing in food safety education, training and research projects on an ongoing basis to reinforce its commitment to providing high quality and safe food for consumers.
For more information, please visit our website at www.walnuts.org.
The California Walnut Commission represents more than 4,600 California walnut growers and nearly 70 handlers, grown in multi-generational growers’ family orchards. California walnuts, known for their excellent nutritional value and quality, are shipped around the world all year long, with more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the U.S. being from California. The CWC, established in 1987, promotes usage of walnuts through domestic and export market development activities as well as supports health research with consuming walnuts.
