There was a heightened sense of camaraderie and interaction amongst the participants who attended the September 2011 workshop.  The workshop, coordinated and facilitated by Dr. Marita Cantwell, was structured so that there were many opportunities for sharing challenging fresh-cut situations, and brainstorming solutions.  

One dynamic session was the "Fresh-cut Products Shelf Life" demonstration, in which the storage time and temperature for more than 20 fresh-cut products was evaluated.  Considering color, general appearance, smell, and texture, participants ranked each item to see if they could detect the differences.

Because the content for this workshop is significantly updated each year, participants often attend every few years.  One commented, [this is] “my first time, I’ll be back next year—had a great time.”· Other feedback included “Excellent course, time, themes, expositors, in general … exceeded my expectations. Congratulations”, and “Overall I felt the course was valuable and was able to gain useful knowledge that will help better my company. The two important factors were the importance of temperature and that produce is not just a product but a living product.”