International Association for Food Protection Elects Isabel Walls to Executive Board (4/1/08)
Final Program Set for IAFP 2008 (3/25/08)
IAFP Holds 2008-2009 Secretary Elections (1/31/08)
IAFP Timely Topics Symposium: Prepared, But Not Ready-To-Eat Foods – What You Need to Know a Great Success (1/28/08)
International Association for Food Protection Elects Isabel Walls to Executive Board
Des Moines, Iowa (April 1, 2008) Members of the International Association for Food Protection elected Isabel Walls to the Executive Board as Secretary. Dr. Walls will take office at the conclusion of IAFP 2008 in Columbus, Ohio and will fulfill a five-year commitment to the Association serving as President in 2011–2012.
Dr. Isabel Walls is a Senior Advisor with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where she manages the development of technical reports and provides scientific advice on sanitary and phytosanitary issues that may impact international trade, including issues related to the World Trade Organization policies and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Dr. Walls earned her Ph.D. in Food Microbiology from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and has post-doctoral experience from the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Pennsylvania.
An IAFP Member since 1992, Dr. Walls has served on the Journal of Food Protection Editorial Board since 1996. She chaired the Journal of Food Protection Management Committee (2002–2004) and, as vice chair, oversaw the development of JFP Online. A founding member of the Microbial Risk Analysis PDG, she is also active in the Meat and Poultry Safety and Quality and Food Law PDGs, and was a Local Arrangements Committee member for IAFP 2005.
Final Program Set for IAFP 2008
Des Moines, Iowa (March 25, 2008) The International Association for Food Protection set the final program for IAFP 2008 – the Association’s 95th Annual Meeting, August 3-6, 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting has earned recognition as the leading food safety conference. Online registration and program information is available on the Association Web site at: www.foodprotection.org.
The meeting kicks off Sunday evening, August 3, with the Ivan Parkin Lecture followed by the Opening Reception held in the Exhibit Hall. This year’s honored lecturer is Dr. Russell S. Flowers, Silliker Group Corporation. Monday morning starts three days of sessions with over 550 presentations including 24 half-day symposia, six round-table sessions, 80 technical and 400 poster presentations. A sample of symposia topics include: 2008 Foodborne Disease Outbreak Update: Salmonella in Processed Foods, Bacterial Physiology–A Forgotten Theme That is Critical for the Food Microbiologist, Harmonization of Irrigation Water Practices , Sampling and Sample Prep: Unglamorous but Very Necessary, Chemical Contaminants Testing in Foods, New and Innovative Ways to Derive Risk-Based Management Options and Comparative International Approaches to Regulating Unsafe Food. The Fifth Annual John H. Silliker Lecture will be presented on Wednesday afternoon, featuring Dr. Michael P. Doyle, University of Georgia. For additional educational opportunities, IAFP 2008 will present three pre-meeting workshops on August 1 and 2.
Attendance is expected to exceed 2,000 of the top industry, academic and government food safety professionals. This broad mix of attendees includes professionals in quality control, processing operations, regulatory inspections, consulting groups, risk assessment, research and development, microbiological research, plant management, technical services, and HACCP management. The meeting will also showcase more than 100 companies demonstrating the latest products and technologies in the Exhibit Hall.
IAFP Holds 2006-2007 Secretary Election
Des Moines, Iowa (January 31, 2008) The International Association for Food Protection announced Dr. Jose Emilio Esteban and Dr. Isabel Walls as candidates for the 2008-2009 Secretary. The elected Secretary will assume their position following IAFP 2008 in Columbus, Ohio in August and will serve a five-year term of successive positions. Ballots have been E-mailed to all Association Members. The election will remain open through March 17, 2008. Election results will be announced on the IAFP Web site and in the May issue of Food Protection Trends .
Dr. Jose Emilio Esteban is the Laboratory Director for the USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Western Laboratory, a position held since 1992. While developing and directing program and administrative policies, he supervises a workforce of approximately 50 professionals and support staff engaged in chemical and microbiological food analyses.
Dr. Esteban worked in private practice and as a consultant for a European refrigeration firm while earning his DVM (1982) and MBA (1985) degrees from the National Autonomous University in Mexico. He immigrated to the US in 1985, working a number of interesting jobs before joining the Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting Company. In 1987, he founded a small business communications firm dedicated to developing marketing messages to Spanish-speaking audiences, and soon furthered his education with an MPVM and his Ph.D. in Epidemiology (1994) from the University of California-Davis.
Dr. Esteban has served on the IAFP Program Committee since 2003, and is Chairperson for IAFP 2008. He also judged the 2006 and 2007 Developing Scientist Awards competition, serving as Committee Chairperson in 2007.
Dr. Isabel Walls is a Senior Advisor with USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where she manages the development of technical reports and provides scientific advice on sanitary and phytosanitary issues that may impact international trade, including issues related to the World Trade Organization policies and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Dr. Walls earned her Ph.D. in Food Microbiology from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and has postdoctoral experience from the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Pennsylvania.
An IAFP Member since 1992, Dr. Walls has served on the Journal of Food Protection Editorial Board since 1996. She chaired the Journal of Food Protection Management Committee (2002–2004) and, as vice chair, oversaw the development of JFP Online. A founding member of the Microbial Risk Analysis PDG, she is also active in the Meat and Poultry Safety and Quality and Food Law PDGs, and was a Local Arrangements Committee member for IAFP 2005.
For the complete biographies of the candidates visit the IAFP Website at: http://www.foodprotection.org.
IAFP Timely Topics Symposium: Prepared, But Not Ready-To-Eat Foods – What You Need to Know a Great Success
Des Moines, Iowa (January 28, 2008) The International Association for Food Protection, in cooperation with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) hosted IAFP’s First Timely Topics Symposium: Prepared, But Not Ready-To-Eat Foods – What You Need to Know. The Symposium was held January 24 th at the Doubletree Hotel Crystal City in Arlington, VA. More than 110 attendees, from 23 states, Canada and Europe participated.
The symposium featured insights from seven leading experts from industry, academia and government on food safety-related issues associated with Prepared, But Not Ready-to-Eat Foods. The topics included the epidemiology of recent outbreaks, the regulatory position on this class of foods, consumer perceptions and expectations, issues associated with microwave ovens, microwavable foods, validating cooking instructions, and appropriate labeling for consumers.
IAFP Board President Gary Acuff states, “The IAFP Timely Topics Symposium was well received. The symposium brought together food safety professionals ranging from corporate microbiologists to attorneys for the industry to discuss this timely subject. The symposium was an excellent way for IAFP to further our mission of Advancing Food Safety Worldwide.”
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