This March, the Ontario Produce Marketing Association (OPMA) will be offering a three-day seminar to help participants become familiar with the most efficient way to receive and check a load of produce on arrival to determine quality. OPMA’s Director of Inspection Services, Jeff Honey, will be covering topics including determining if an inspection is warranted, reviewing requirements of inspection programs, how to interpret Canadian and U.S. grade standards, and more. An up-to-date receiver who has been properly trained will save time and money for their organization. Coming out of this seminar, participants will know when and how to request inspections that will be of maximum use when negotiating a claim with a shipper.
OPMA have provided custom seminars on single commodities as well as custom sessions specific to what the attendees grow and pack or what they may store for others. OPMA is happy to work with companies to provide a session suitable to your specific needs. Over twenty fruits and vegetables are covered over the three-day course and either Canadian or US grade standards and inspection instructions are distributed and discussed. Participants are asked to bring in samples for discussion and grading. Jeff also has hundreds of photos of defective produce that he has taken over the years, or that have been sent to him for defect identification.
Receivers must act quickly when loads arrive with suspected quality issues. In the event of a dispute, inspections of damaged or deteriorated produce are a vital part of settling produce claims.
Jeff Honey grew up in Quebec and is fluently bilingual, provided seminars in English or French. Previous to joining OPMA in 1995, Jeff was with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The senior inspector at the Ontario Food Terminal for over five years, Jeff supervised an inspection staff of up to sixteen people. Since 1996, OPMA have trained more than 900 people from across Canada including growers, packers, shippers, wholesalers, retailers, logistics specialists, buyers and sales staff.
OPMA Seminar Session 1
March 22, 2017 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
OPMA Seminar Session 2
March 23, 2017 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
OPMA Seminar Session 3
March 24, 2017 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Seminars will be held at the OPMA offices: 165 The Queensway, Suite 225, Toronto, Ontario, M8Y1H8, Canada
For more information please contact Jeff Honey at 416-519-9390 ext. 232. To register, please fill out the form at:
http://www.theopma.ca/wp-content/uploads/OPMAtemplatetrainingregist.form_.pdf
