Center for Produce Safety

What Center for Produce Safety does

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is a U.S. non-profit research foundation founded in 2007 and headquartered in Woodland, California, that funds and disseminates independent, science-based research on fresh produce food safety. Its mission is to address produce-specific food safety questions by connecting the fresh produce supply chain (growers, packers, processors, retailers, foodservice, suppliers), state and federal regulators (including the FDA and state departments of agriculture in California, Washington, Florida, and Texas), and academic researchers (Cornell, UC Davis, Michigan State, Arizona State, Virginia Tech). CPS does not develop proprietary technology products; instead, its core asset is a curated research portfolio of 237+ funded projects across topics such as Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, Cyclospora, agricultural water, and harvest sanitation, made searchable through an online research database, supplemented by a resource library of 141+ articles, webinars, and key learnings.

CPS's business model is contribution-based rather than commercial. It is funded through periodic capital campaigns (most recent in 2020), Specialty Crop Block Grant funds from four major specialty-crop-producing states, and event sponsorships tied to its annual Research Symposium. It operates an all-volunteer Board of Directors and Technical Committee, with industry contributors arranged in tiers (Diamond, Platinum, Silver) and additional sponsorships supporting programs such as the MSc Candidate Industry Immersion Program and Rapid Response Projects for urgent industry questions. Knowledge dissemination occurs through the website, email newsletter, annual symposium (17th edition in Nashville, June 2026), webinars, and topic-specific resource hubs. The organization is preparing to mark its 20th anniversary in 2027 and is positioning for a successor capital campaign cycle.

The platform architecture is essentially a curated content and research-funding pipeline rather than a software product: annual Calls for Research Proposals are reviewed by the Technical Committee and external reviewers, awarded studies are executed by university principal investigators, and findings are translated into CPS-authored key learnings and resource-library content for industry adoption. CPS's competitive position rests on its tripartite convening role, the regulatory relevance of its work to the FDA Produce Safety Rule, and the accumulated depth of its research database, which together create a difficult-to-replicate ecosystem for produce safety science.

Name

Center for Produce Safety

Legal name

Center for Produce Safety

Website

https://centerforproducesafety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Produce Safety is a U.S. non-profit research foundation that funds independent produce safety studies worldwide, connecting fresh-produce industry, state and federal regulators, and academic researchers to address pathogen, agricultural water, and sanitation risks across the supply chain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Produce Safety Research

akta.pro primary industry

Process/Facility Hazard Analysis (HACCP Plans, CCP Determination) (AFALAOAE)

Keywords

• Produce safety research
• Food safety science
• Agricultural research funding
• Specialty crop research
• Pathogen contamination research

Headquarters

HQ city

Woodland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Capital Campaigns: CPS work is funded by periodic capital campaigns, most recently in 2020. Organizations contribute to fund produce safety research.
2. Government Grants: Governments of major specialty crop-producing states supply Specialty Crop Block Grant funds from California, Washington, Florida, and Texas.
3. Event Sponsorships: Industry leaders sponsor CPS knowledge transfer events including the Annual Research Symposium.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is a nonprofit research organization that funds and oversees independent produce safety research worldwide, bringing together the fresh produce supply chain, government, and academia to deliver science-based solutions for foodborne pathogen risks. Its core deliverables are a searchable online research database of 237+ funded projects, an annual research symposium, knowledge transfer resources, an MSc industry immersion program, and rapid-response research projects for urgent industry food safety questions.

Product overview

The Center for Produce Safety (CPS) is a research-focused nonprofit organization that does not offer commercial products or services in the traditional sense. Its core offering is a collaborative produce safety research program that connects industry, government, and academia to fund and disseminate science-based food safety research. The primary public-facing resources include a searchable research database containing 200+ funded research projects, a resource library with CPS-authored articles, key learnings from annual symposia, webinars, and research updates covering topics such as Listeria, agricultural water, Salmonella, Cyclospora, E. coli, and whole genome sequencing. CPS also operates an MSc Candidate Industry Immersion Program providing grants up to $25,000 for students, and facilitates Rapid Response Projects for urgent industry research needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MSc Candidate Industry Immersion Program A structured program providing grants of up to $25,000 for MSc candidates pursuing produce food safety research, with industry immersion placements under CPS-funded Principal Investigators at partner universities such as Cornell, Michigan State, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, and UC Davis.
• Rapid Response Projects A rapid-response research service available to produce industry companies facing urgent, time-sensitive produce safety questions that require quick-turn scientific investigation and answers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 years of advancing produce safety research with 237+ funded projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FDA (Food and Drug Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPS research informed FDA's Produce Safety Rule agricultural water provisions; CPS Agricultural Water Testing Methods Colloquium Report informed FDA policy.
• Produce Marketing AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partner; Bob Whitaker, Ph.D. (PMA) authors annual CPS Research Symposium Key Learnings; collaborative knowledge transfer.
• International Fresh Produce AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor industry association partner; provides Cyclospora resources and Listeria guidance through CPS resource library.
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic health agency partner; CPS links to CDC resources on Listeria, Cyclospora, E. coli, and Salmonella in resource library.
• United Fresh Produce AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association partner; guidance on Environmental Monitoring and Control of Listeria for the Fresh Produce Industry published through CPS.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner; Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D. leads multiple CPS-funded research projects on Listeria, E. coli, and risk assessment.
• Michigan State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner; Teresa Bergholz, Ph.D. leads CPS-funded research on E. coli O157:H7 physiology and risk assessment.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner; Channah Rock, Ph.D. leads multiple CPS projects on agricultural water, risk assessment, and harvest equipment.
• University of California, DaviscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner; Trevor Suslow, Ph.D. is a prominent CPS researcher contributing to multiple produce safety topics.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• SGS: SGS is a global testing, inspection, and certification company that serves the produce industry with food safety services. While a for-profit, SGS serves overlapping customers and operates in the same food safety ecosystem as CPS.
• Eurofins Scientific: Eurofins is a global food testing laboratory network serving produce industry customers. While a for-profit testing provider, Eurofins applies research outputs from organizations like CPS in commercial testing services for pathogens and contaminants.

Broad incumbents

• BRCGS (Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards): BRCGS develops global food safety standards used by many produce suppliers. While focused on certification rather than research, BRCGS benefits from and references CPS-funded research in standard development for the fresh produce industry.
• Safe Quality Food Institute: SQFI is a division of FMI that administers the SQF food safety certification program. While focused on certification rather than research, SQFI serves many of the same produce industry stakeholders and benefits from CPS's research findings.
• NSF International: NSF is a global organization that provides food safety testing, certification, and standards development. While broader in scope than CPS, NSF serves overlapping produce industry customers and develops standards informed by the type of research CPS funds.
• Institute of Food Technologists: IFT is a nonprofit scientific society advancing food science and technology. While broader than CPS in scope, IFT supports food safety research through publications, conferences, and grants that overlap with CPS's mission.

Direct peers

• Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research: FFAR is a nonprofit that funds food and agriculture research through public-private partnerships, similar to CPS's industry-government-academia model. Both organizations fund independent research that bridges scientific discovery with industry application across the food and agriculture sector.
• Global Food Safety Initiative: GFSI is a nonprofit industry collaboration that benchmarks food safety standards globally. While focused on certification standards rather than research, GFSI operates in the same produce/food safety ecosystem with overlapping industry stakeholders and complementary objectives.
• International Association for Food Protection: IAFP is a nonprofit association that advances food safety research and education worldwide. Its mission to provide science-based food safety solutions aligns closely with CPS's research dissemination and knowledge transfer activities in produce safety.
• FSSC 22000 (Foundation for Food Safety Certification): FSSC 22000 is a nonprofit food safety certification scheme serving the food industry, including produce suppliers. Like CPS, it operates as a partnership-driven nonprofit in the food safety ecosystem with overlapping industry sponsors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPSnewsupdates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-center-for-produce-safety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Produce Safety