Northwest Horticultural Council
Food Safety Committee
Charter
1. Name: Food Safety Committee
2. Authority: The Food Safety Committee (FSC) is a standing committee of the Northwest Horticultural Council (NHC) and serves at its pleasure. It acts and communicates through the trustees and staff of the NHC.
3. Function: To help identify and evaluate scientific, research, regulatory, and other policy issues associated with the ultimate safe consumption of deciduous tree fruits grown in the Pacific Northwest. Emphasis is on commercial practices at both the orchard and packing house level, i.e., Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices, and to help form general industry strategies to address food safety issues that are, or may be, raised by consumers, media, retailers, and/or government agencies. The committee is also expected to give its advice to the NHC’s Trustees on other issues that they may refer to the committee from time to time.
4. Commodities Covered: Apples, pears, cherries, and other deciduous tree fruits, whether fresh or processed, grown in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington and represented by the NHC.
5. Membership: (1) General: Each commercial fruit industry firm that is a member in good standing of, or subject to assessment to, any member of the NHC is entitled to name one or more individuals to this committee; however such firms shall have only one vote on committee business. (2) Associate: Other individuals may apply for membership and upon express approval of the NHC’s chairman serve as associate members of the committee. Associate members shall have no voting rights. (3) Ex-Offico: The manager of the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission and the president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association shall be ex-officio members of the committee. (4) Members of the committee will commit to paying all expenses, including travel costs, which may be incurred as a result of committee business.
6. Executive Committee: No more than 11 members to be appointed by the chairman of the Northwest Horticultural Council. Terms: Two years, with all initial terms deemed to have started on July 1, 2013. Members may be reappointed for additional terms. The Executive Committee shall coordinate and schedule the activities of the Food Safety Committee in the time between full committee meetings.
7. Chairman: The Food Safety Committee’s chairman, who also serves as chairman of the Executive Committee, shall be appointed by chairman of the NHC. The chairman shall be invited to attend each regular meeting of the Northwest Horticultural Council’s Trustees.
8. Staff Coordination: Employees of the NHC will serve as staff to the committee.
9. Frequency of Meetings: The Food Safety Committee will meet at least once a year, and at such other times as there is need and the committee desires.
10. Subcommittees/Working Groups: Resolution of a specific food safety issue may require more concentrated attention and effort than the full committee can reasonably devote. In such cases, the chairman of the Food Safety Committee may form either a subcommittee or special working group. Appointees to a subcommittee or special working group by the chairman may be members of the Food Safety Committee, special technical experts, or from the industry at large.
11. Date of Formation: November 6, 2014. (Successor committee to the Pacific Northwest Food Safety Committee, which was formed on June 26, 2007)
Charter amended May 14, 2015