Since 2011, Gretchen has served as the coordinator for the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) and supports the team by organizing the development, launch, and evaluation of the PSA's curriculum materials and training programs. Gretchen facilitates national and international collaboration between Land Grant institutions and educators, produce trade associations, grower organizations, and regulatory officials and provides technical assistance to the produce industry at large. Gretchen is also an active member of the National Good Agricultural Practices Program and assists in workshop development and delivery of on-farm food safety education to fruit and vegetable farmers in the Northeast in association with the Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS). Previously, Gretchen developed educational tools to assist Colorado produce growers and food producers in navigating federal, state, and local food safety requirements while helping them to maintain and expand their markets.
Beyond produce safety, Gretchen has a diverse background in food science and food systems, including troubleshooting supply chain distribution food quality and safety issues, food product development and sensory science, and food microbiology. Gretchen received her Master of Science degree in the Interdisciplinary Food Science/Food Safety Program at Colorado State University and her Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science from Pennsylvania State University.
Selected Publications
Book Chapters
- Wall, G. L., & Bihn, E. A. (2015). Recommendations to Regulations: Managing Wildlife and Produce Safety on the Farm. Food Safety Risks from Wildlife: Challenges in Agriculture, Conservation, and Public Health Michele T. Jay-Russell, Michael P. Doyle (ed.), Springer, New York, NY, USA.
Training Manuals
- Bihn, E. A., Wszelaki, A. L., Schermann, M. A., Wall, G. L., & Amundson, S. K. (2014). Farm food safety decision trees for fruit and vegetable growers. p. 187 Cornell University / National GAPs Program.
