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Association History 1911-2000The ‘80s The 1980 Annual Meeting was special because it was held in Milwaukee, the birthplace of the Association in 1911. This was to have been a joint meeting with NEHA, but, because of the distance between hotels, very few attendees could participate in both meetings. As a result, it was agreed to dissolve the Bridge Committee that had worked to merge IAMFES and NEHA into a single organization. Dr. C. K. Johns of Ottawa, Quebec, Canada was an honored attendee. He had served as president at the Meeting held in Milwaukee in 1935, had been a Member of the Association for over 50 years, and had attended nearly all of the Annual Meetings during this time. At this meeting, the Chairman of the Affiliate Council became a voting member of the Executive Board. There were 28 local organizations affiliated with IAMFES at that time. This year also marked the introduction of Food and Fieldmen, which contained articles on a variety of topics of interest to dairy plant field-men and practicing sanitarians. Sample copies were distributed to attendees. Regular publication was to commence the following January, under a new title, Dairy and Food Sanitation. The Chairperson of the Journal Management Committee congratulated contributing authors and many others who had made this new journal possible. A two-color Membership pamphlet, "IAMFES, Inc. — It’s for you" was also distributed to attendees. In 1981, Dairy and Food Sanitation a was born. It was estimated that 3,000 Members would need to subscribe to the new Journal in order to cover production costs. Also, a change in dues structure would be required as follows: Membership with Journal of Food Protection, $60.00; Membership with both publications, $75.00. Student Memberships were available at $10 and students could choose to receive either journal. The Sustaining Member Fee increased from $250 to $300 per year. The Educator-Industry Award was split into two separate Awards in 1982. An award would be presented to recognize a Member from education and one from industry. The Industry Award was named after Harold Barnum. It was the Association’s goal to have a circulation of 3,000 for Dairy and Food Sanitation by the end of 1982. Circulation was over 2,000 and increasing monthly. The Board determined at this meeting that it must see a strong return on investment for Dairy and Food Sanitation during 1982, or face squarely the question of whether the new Journal would continue to be offered. The Journal of Food Protection held its own in circulation and was becoming recognized throughout the world as the leading publication in the area of food science research. It was evident at this meeting that the IAMFES staff was challenged by financial problems. Additional income was needed, along with an increase in Membership. The Executive Board granted the Executive Secretary permission to borrow up to $15,000 without Board per-mission; this privilege was never used. Several journal advertisers pre-paid a year’s advertising fees, which helped relieve immediate cash flow problems. Following the 1982 Meeting, the Association staff organized a telemarketing program and developed additional programs to produce immediate funds. The staff prepared to begin exhibiting at meetings and conferences of other organizations to promote Association benefits. Much was achieved because of staff members who were willing to put in extra hours during these trying times. The 1983 Meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri, saw many changes take place. Earl Wright stepped down and Kathy Hathaway was appointed Executive Secretary. The addition of a second computer made it possible for the staff to provide direct billing to affiliates that wished to turn over their dues collections, resulting in an increase in Affiliate memberships. It was pointed out by the Association President that the financial picture improved markedly for the Association, from a loss of approximately $30,000 in 1980, to balanced budgets in 1981 and 1982, to a net income of approximately $45,000 in 1983. In 1984, the President reported the Executive Board acted to allow exhibits, starting with the 1986 Annual Meeting. The Foundation Fund grew progressively. An overseas keynote speaker on food protection was sponsored by the Foundation Fund. Survey results showed the following percentages of Association Members: Industry, 53%, Government, 30%, and Academia, 17%. Dairy and Food Sanitation was increasing page counts by this time, and additional members were added to the editorial staff. Henry Atherton began editing the Journal for publication. The Journal of Food Protection grew from a 50-page to a 90-page Journal and was now received in 90 countries. The 1986 Annual Meeting broke all previous attendance records. Although 400 people had been expected, the number exceeded 600 attendees. This was a good indicator of increasing interest in the organization. Membership had been decreasing slightly, but in 1986, it increased, and Members now numbered almost 3,600. This was also the first year for exhibits at the Annual Meeting. Twenty-seven educational tabletop exhibits were displayed. Based on the success of the exhibits, the Executive Board agreed to allow exhibits at future meetings. Also in 1986, the keynote speech became known as the Ivan Parkin Lecture. This lecture was funded by the Foundation Fund. Ivan Parkin was IAFP President from 1954 to 1955 and remained active in the Association for many years following. He served as an example to others as a loyal Member, a professional, and an educator dedicated to protecting the food supply. Dr. Parkin is remembered by those who knew him as a kind and warm person. Being chosen to deliver the lecture was a considerable honor. Another new Foundation-supported Award was begun as a student competition and titled the Developing Scientist Award. This Award recognized excellence in student presentations at the Annual Meeting. At this meeting, a proposed audiovisual lending library was discussed. Support would come from Foundation funds. The library would serve as a technical information and training source for all Members. The 1987 Annual Meeting, held at Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, California, shattered the 1986 record with its 850 participants. This was a year of tremendous growth in many areas of the Association. There was an increase in graduate student papers presented that year as well as an increase of 523 Members bringing total Membership to 4,121. The lending library proposed a year before was authorized by the Executive Board. In January 1988, Lloyd Bullerman took over Scientific Editor duties from Elmer Marth for the Journal of Food Protection. Dr. Marth served as Scientific Editor for twenty years. The 1988 Annual Meeting held in Tampa, Florida, marked the 75th Annual Meeting. The Association observed the occasion with its Diamond Jubilee Celebration. The program was the most ambitious ever held by the Association. Nine symposia provided in-depth information on specific topics and issues, and was well received by the 800 registered participants. Membership continued to grow during the year, surpassing 4,400, which included 800 new Members. At the 1989 meeting held in Kansas City, Missouri, it was reported the year had been very productive, but slightly unusual. Earlier that year, Kathy Hathaway, the Executive Manager, resigned to move to Ohio. Steven Halstead was hired as the new Executive Manager and was introduced to Members at the Meeting. The 1989 Meeting was considered outstanding because of the variety of technical sessions and symposia related to food and environmental concerns. An increased number of companies exhibited their materials, equipment, and services. The President pointed out that the future of the organization depends on continuing to attract qualified individuals in The ‘90s During 1990, a computer, scanner, and laser printer were added, to make desktop publishing possible. This equipment allowed faster preparation of the Journals and added flexibility. There had been a deficit of funds for the previous four years, but 1990 marked the reversal of that deficit to a surplus of $8,300. Revenues for 1991 were budgeted at $780,000. The 1990 Annual Meeting held in Arlington Heights, Illinois attracted 810 attendees. One hundred twenty-six speakers including 18 developing scientists gave presentations. Sixty-seven companies were present in the exhibit hall. At the 1990 Annual Meeting, a committee appointed to investigate the possibility of a name change of the organization gave its report. However, the Membership voted not to change the name of the Association at this time. Considerable time was spent analyzing and streamlining office operations. At the 1991 Annual Meeting, the purchase of four additional computers was reported. These were networked together to perform desktop publishing of the Journals, a change that provided savings for the Association. Poster presentations and pre-meeting workshops were initiated in Louisville, Kentucky at the 1991 Annual Meeting. An historic event took place in 1992. Ann Draughon, a professor at the University of Tennessee was elected to the Executive Board as secretary. She was the first woman elected Over 60 presentations were given during various symposia at the 1992 Annual Meeting in Toronto under the theme of "Global Issues and Food Safety." Poster and technical presentations combined with symposia provided attendees with close to 170 presentations. Pre-meeting workshops were popular, giving Members an opportunity to deal with scientific subjects on a discussion-and-demonstration basis. The Long-Range Planning Committee presented the following recommendations to the Executive Board:
By 1992, it was evident the Association office needed additional space. Since appropriate office space could not be found in the Ames area, it was decided to relocate to Des Moines. In September 1992, the staff and office moved 35 miles south from Ames to Des Moines. At the 1993 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, a new alliance was formed with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI). ILSI’s sponsorship of a symposium on "Foodborne Microbial Pathogens" greatly enhanced the educational program. The program including four concurrent sessions was the Association’s most ambitious to date. Over 175 presentations during the three-day meeting combined with two pre-meeting workshops to provide attendees a wealth of information. Symposia were presented with speakers traveling from Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Korea, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Professional Development Groups (PDGs) were established in 1993 to enhance program development for future Annual Meetings. Meat, seafood, poultry and the food safety network were the first PDGs begun. Also in 1993, the Long-Range Planning Committee recommended and the Board accepted a mission statement for the Association. "To provide food safety professionals worldwide with a forum to exchange information on protecting the food supply" was put to use as the Association’s mission. In January of 1994, Larry Beuchat was appointed as Co-Scientific Editor for the Journal of Food Protection. Because of the volume of papers submitted to the Journal, the Executive Board agreed with Lloyd Bullerman to appoint a second Scientific Editor. San Antonio was a great setting for the 1994 Annual Meeting with a program that included over 200 presentations and 921 attendees. Subject matter continued to expand as pathogens were discovered in new locations and in new carriers. In addition to the general program, there were poster sessions and an Audiovisual Theater where selections from the Audiovisual Library were presented. Combined with two pre-meeting workshops, 20 committee and PDG meetings, and over 60 educational exhibiting companies, the 81st Annual Meeting provided the latest scientific information to attendees. In recognition of corporate excellence in food safety, the first Black Pearl Award was supported and presented by Wilbur Feagan of F&H Food Equipment Company. Mr. Feagan presented the award to the H.E.B., Company at the Awards Banquet in San Antonio. By 1995, ILSI’s presentation of symposia had grown to three. Their involvement helped to attract additional interest from international attendees. At the conclusion of the Meeting In December 1995, Dave Merrifield took over as Executive Director bringing many years of management experience with him. He had been the Director of the Iowa Chiropractic Society. Effective January of 1996, Lloyd Bullerman retired his position as Scientific Editor for the Journal of Food Protection, which he had held for 8 years. John Sofos joined Larry Beuchat as Co-Editors for the Journal. Also in 1996, Bill LaGrange began as Scientific Editor for Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation. During 1996, IAMFES entered the new electronic age. E-mail became a communication tool. The Executive Board began using E-mail to communicate quickly. At the Annual Meeting in Seattle that year, it was announced that Members’ E-mail addresses would be included in the Membership Directory. More than 960 attendees had the opportunity to participate in over 225 presentations. This was the first year of holding five concurrent sessions. Although the number of Annual Meeting presentations and attendees continue to grow, the Meeting remained small enough for intimate one-on-one conversations with the speakers. This was a great attraction for attendees. The ability of the IAMFES Annual Meeting to react to late breaking topics of concern and include them on the program was also a benefit that many Meetings were not able to offer. Later in 1996, the Executive Board established a benefit for Affiliates of IAMFES. The Board members were available to serve as speakers on topics of importance to food safety; IAMFES would provide the travel expense for the Board member to get to the Affiliate meeting. January of 1997 brought the appointment of David Tharp as Executive Director replacing Dave Merrifield who resigned. David Tharp had served as Director of Finance and Administration for four years and served as Interim Director in 1995. The President’s Food Safety Initiative was released in early 1997. This affected many Members and was a topic of much discussion at Annual Meetings. At the April 1997 Executive Board meeting, the strategic plan was reviewed and revised with new goals established. A strategy was discussed to develop a timeline to change the Association name. The discussion centered on a long implementation period to allow for Members’ input and discussion. It was projected that January of 2000 would be the date for officially changing the name assuming acceptance by the Members. In the spring of 1997, a Windows network server was installed at the office. By fall, membership software was added. Efficiencies were gained and record keeping was made easier. Attendance at the 1997 Annual Meeting exceeded 1,000 for the first time ever. The Meeting was held in Orlando with up to 5 concurrent sessions containing symposium, technical session and poster session presentations. A charter was issued to the Korean Association of Dairy, Food and Environmental Specialist (KOAMFES). The first Affiliate Association chartered outside of North America. IAMFES launched a Web site in the fall of 1997 with information about the Association. About 10 pages of general data explaining the Journals, Annual Meeting, committee involvement and Membership made up the first Web site. Interest was generated and Membership applications were received from the Internet presence. The first every stand-alone workshop was held in April of 1997 in suburban San Francisco. The topic was "Resources for the Real World of HACCP." It was well attended and a successful first venture. At the 1998 Annual Meeting Opening Session in Nashville, seven Members were inducted as Fellows for the first time. Attendance soared to 1,152! Membership also showed growth after two consecutive years of decline. Sponsorship monies were solicited and supporting companies contributed $10,000 to sponsor Annual Meeting events. It was announced that Journals shipped to points outside of North America will now be sent via air delivery to the destination countries saving weeks, even months of delivery time. Also in 1998, a new Award was presented to the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Award titled "NFPA’s Food Safety Award" was sponsored by the National Food Processors Association. The IAMFES Foundation Fund sponsored its first Silent Auction and raised more than $2,000. Late in 1998, IAMFES cosponsored an ILSI conference titled "The National Food Safety Initiative: Implications for Microbial Data Collections, Analysis and Application" held in Washington, D.C. IAMFES assisted in preparing promotional materials and registering attendees. It was a successful 3-day conference for both organizations with more than 240 attendees. By the end of the year, a redesigned Web site was launched with more than 100 pages of information. A link to the printer of Journal of Food Protection made the Table of Contents and Abstracts available to visitors. Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Table of Contents and selected features were also made available to users. Endless volumes of information could now be found at the IAMFES Web site. A stand-alone workshop titled "An Insider’s Look at Microbial Risk Assessment" was held in Washington, D.C in the spring of 1999. Attendance showed that interest was high in Early in 1999, efforts turned to keeping Members informed about the upcoming votes on changing the Association name. The process was explained in the President’s column and the Executive Director’s column. Information was provided at the IAMFES Web site for Member review. Two votes would need to be taken. One at the Annual Business Meeting, then a second mail ballot vote assuming the first vote passed. Each vote was to accept the Constitution that stated that an Association is created by the name of "International Association for Food Protection." The 86th Annual Meeting in Dearborn was attended by 1,131 and provided more than 250 presentations. ILSI’s continued involvement through supporting symposia attracted additional international attendees. Committee and PDG involvement was again at an all-time high level. Eighty-five companies showed their latest products and technology in the exhibit hall. The name change vote was taken at the Annual Meeting in Dearborn and Members overwhelmingly voiced their approval of the new name, "International Association for Food Protection." Ballots were mailed to all Members. Of the votes returned, 94% voted to accept Many legal filings followed the vote results, along with changing our name with vendors, suppliers, federal and state governments. New stationery, envelopes and Member-ship materials all had to be obtained. All were in place as we entered the year 2000. 2000 Now as we go forth into the 21st Century, the Association is well positioned with a new name identifying our Members’ interests. We have two well-respected Journals that are recognized around the world. The Journal of Food Protection and Dairy, Food and Environ-mental Sanitation are delivered to Members and subscribers in 60 countries. Circulation currently stands at 3,000 for JFP and 3,100 for DFES. The Membership Directory is now available online and our revenues are budgeted at $1.5 million. Our Annual Meeting attracts leaders in food safety from every continent. This year we expect more than 1,200 attendees in Atlanta for the IAFP 87th Annual Meeting. As this history of the Association shows, the Association today is much different than We conclude this history with a quote from President F.W. Fabian (1942), "Our Association, founded in 1911, is now going into the second generation of milk inspectors. The charter Members who founded the Association are getting scarce. Now any organization which has carried on for 35 years, through two world wars, one depression, and the exuberant Twenties, must have something or else it, like many other organizations, would have long since folded up." Long live the International Association for Food Protection! |