AMS No. 054-16
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2016 –The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee will host a public meeting on April 6-7, 2016, in Arlington, Virginia.
At the meeting, which is being coordinated by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Committee members will review the status of their previous recommendations to the Secretary and the progress made by current working group members. The working groups may also provide additional recommendations to the full Committee for discussion and potential agreement to send to the Secretary of Agriculture as a formal recommendation or statement.
The meeting will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 6, and from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 7. It is open to the public and will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fairfax/Prince William Meeting Room, Arlington, VA, 22202. All individuals interested in submitting comments related to the fruit and vegetable industry must submit them 10 days in advance of the meeting date. To submit comments or to arrange for special accommodations, contact the Committee’s Designated Federal Officer Pamela Stanziani at (202) 720-3334, or e-mail pamela.stanziani@ams.usda.gov.
Committee members have a range of experiences and perspectives and represent a broad cross-section of the industry. USDA established the Committee in 2001 to examine the full spectrum of issues facing the fruit and vegetable industry and to provide suggestions and ideas to the Secretary on how the Department can tailor its programs to meet the changing needs of the produce industry. To date, the Committee has met 16 times and developed over 90 statements and recommendations on issues ranging from food safety, the development of a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) trust, and the formation of other USDA programs and services.
Additional information on the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee is available online at: www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/facas-advisory-councils/fviac. Details about the meeting will be published in the March 15, 2016 Federal Register.
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