working girl.

For those of you who don't really know what I'm studying or passionate about, I'm an Agricultural Business major at Cal Poly, focusing on food safety, all while learning about the sales side of produce at the same time.

First off, when I talk to people not involved in agriculture, and I tell them I'm an ag-business major, I get a look from them like they are imagining that this is what I do....

And then I say I'm a food safety assistant, and they look off into space, as if they are imagining me doing this....

WRONG!!

 I work for a produce consolidator/shipper, which means that we buy commodities from growers or suppliers, take ownership of these commodities, which we then turn around and sell to other companies...mainly food service types of places, like places that supply hospitals, prisons, schools, nursing homes, government funded daycares, etc. We also have a transportation side, which is small but growing! And my place in the office is assisting our food safety manager. That's what I know about my company so far! Right now, we are obtaining current records of insurance, and audits from each of our vendors, and we have a LOT of them! Or at least it seems like it when I'm having to fax each vendor asking them to fill out the packet! 

Okay, now for a little lesson in food safety; food safety consists of auditing coolers, making sure they are safe for food to be packed or washed or stored in, and fixing anything that isn't up to standard.  With the many recent outbreaks of listeria, and E. Coli, everyone, the public especially, is really starting to demand a higher standard of safety for the food they are eating and feeding to the people they love. And that, is where I come in...at least a little bit for now.

Anyway, I've become very passionate about this side of agriculture after I took an agriculture policy class earlier this year, and we focused a lot on food safety.  When I interview for this internship I have, they were looking to fill a sales coordinator position, but when they found out I was interested in food safety, they were very excited, (as well as surprised--since apparently, I'm not nerdy enough to be in food safety...haha) as was the food safety manager, to have an assistant to help him get caught up!

So for those of you who didn't know what I'm about, on the business side of things, now you do. And I hope I shed a little light on what Agricultural Business really is, for all you no aggie people!