Bennet Tours Rocky Ford Cantaloupe Warehouse at Hirakata Farms, Highlights Safety of Cantaloupes

Bennet Tours Rocky Ford Cantaloupe Warehouse at Hirakata Farms, Highlights Safety of Cantaloupes

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Bennet%20Tours%20Rocky%20Ford%20Cantaloupe%20Warehouse%20at%20Hirakata%20Farms%2C%20Highlights%20Safety%20of%20Cantaloupes Colorado U S Senator Michael Bennet today toured the cantaloupe warehouse at Hirakata Farms in Rocky Ford and highlighted the work of local producers as well as the safety of Rocky Ford cantaloupes The event is part of a two day swing through Colorado rsquo s Eastern Plains that will highlight the need to create jobs support family farmers and ranchers and boost economic development in Colorado rsquo s rural communities ldquo Our farmers in Rocky Ford produce some of the best melons in the world Thanks to the Rocky Ford Growers Association we can be even more confident that producers are taking the steps they need to create a delicious and safe product rdquo Bennet said ldquo This operation is just another example of how Colorado rsquo s rural businesses are helping to advance the economic recovery rdquo ldquo Rocky Ford rsquo s cantaloupe industry is important to the fabric of our state for over a century it has been synonymous with delicious juicy melons rdquo said Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture John T Salazar nbsp ldquo Food safety is a journey not a destination nbsp We will continue to work with the Rocky Ford Grower rsquo s Association to provide training and development of food safety practices in order to provide a safe nutritious product for families rdquo Farmers in and around Rocky Ford took proactive steps to protect against future outbreaks and to restore public confidence in their product The growers formed the Rocky Ford Growers Association that trademarked Rocky Ford Melons and made upgrades to equipment and food processing facilities They also hired a full time safety manager and established a strict process by which the melons are handled from the fields to the grocery store The melons will also be packed with special codes that retailers can scan using a smartphone

You can read the rest of this article at: http://www.bennet.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=a94d5bc6-adda-4598-800a-edcb4f75aee3