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<< back to the 2003 archive listing << Food Protection Trends COMMENTARY from the executive director I am happy to talk with you about these or other projects of interest to
you This month I thought you might be interested to receive an update on various projects that have been in the works or on the drawing board. Hopefully, this is a good way to bring everyone the same information and give a progress report on the Association’s business. Today we want to cover topics such as a presentation at IAFP 2003 by Elsa Murano, a possible European IAFP meeting, online submission of JFP manuscripts, the International Food Safety Icons, and status on a couple of our pamphlets. Lets get started! Dr. Elsa Murano Presentation at IAFP 2003: We recently received confirmation from Dr. Elsa Murano, the Under Secretary for Food Safety at the United States Department of Agriculture, that she will be available to deliver a special presentation at IAFP 2003. Dr. Murano is uniquely qualified to talk with our attendees on the topic of science and food safety and I am sure she will attract a large crowd. There will also be time for questions and answers during the 45-minute plenary session. Excitement is building even at this early stage for Dr. Murano’s presentation! European IAFP Meeting: At the January Board meeting, it was decided that we should continue our research into holding an IAFP meeting in Europe and postpone our target date of October 2003. We want to have additional time to investigate potential partnering efforts and sponsorship possibilities. It now looks as if October of 2004 would be the next feasible time to hold such a meeting. To avoid confusion, it should be stated that a European meeting would not replace the IAFP Annual Meeting; it would just provide a supplement to it. A meeting in Europe would give our European Members (and others) a place to gather around the “IAFP banner” to discuss food safety issues and to meet with colleagues. Online Submission of JFP Manuscripts: Also at the January Board meeing, the Board approved moving forward with a system to allow online submission of manuscripts for the Journal of Food Protection. We set a target date of June 1st to have this system in place, but it looks like we will be ready to accept manuscripts sometime in April. So, the next time you are preparing a JFP manuscript, please consider submitting it online to speed the processing time! International Food Safety Icons: The International Food Safety Icons are now available! The Icons are simple pictorial representations of important food safety tasks that can be recognized and understood regardless of a person’s native language. These Icons have been developed over the past year or so and are now ready for your use. See the “Thoughts on Today’s Food Safety” column beginning on page 368 for additional details. Pamphlets Updated: Recently, two of our pamphlets have gone through extensive review and updating. They are “Before Disaster Strikes…A Guide to Food Safety in the Home” and “Food Safety at Temporary Events”. Both pamphlets are designed for distribution by county or provincial health departments. The first pamphlet gives suggestions for preparing an emergency food and water supply and tips on evaluating foods after a disaster has occurred. The second pamphlet gives guidance to street vendors who operate food stands at various one-of-a-kind festival or fairs. Both are available through the IAFP office. For details, see the order form on page 366. We are in the process of having both pamphlets translated to Spanish for wider distribution potential. It is our hope that we will be able to accommodate orders for the Spanish versions by June or July of this year. In summary, I hope that this column gives you information that is useful whether you are a new Member or a long-time Member of IAFP. Certainly, at any time you have questions on the status of projects undertaken by IAFP, you may contact me at the IAFP office. I am happy to talk with you about these or other projects of interest to you. |