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<< back to the 2004 archive listing << Food Protection Trends COMMENTARY from the executive director “We encourage development of new Affiliates and like to see this growth” A meeting was held early on Tuesday morning during IAFP 2004 to encourage development of Affiliate organizations in Pacific Rim countries. There were over 40 people in the room as we talked about what it takes to become an IAFP Affiliate. Interest was strong from Members in Japan and New Zealand and we hope to be able to report positively on the progress of these two groups at IAFP 2005. There were also Members present from Thailand, Australia, and Korea (which already has an Affiliate). For those of you who do not know, the requirements to become an Affiliate of IAFP are very simple. First off, our Affiliate organizations operate independently from IAFP. They are freestanding entities without financial obligations either to or from the parent organization, IAFP. They do, of course, hold the same interests and values that IAFP does in “Advancing Food Safety Worldwide.” The IAFP Affiliate structure provides a base for many different types and styles of Affiliate organizations, both large and small. To be considered for Affiliate status within IAFP, a group of at least five IAFP Members must write a letter of interest containing the following information: · Names and contact information for the IAFP Members forming the Affiliate; The IAFP Executive Board reviews the information submitted and votes to approve issuance of Affiliate Charters. Once a group is officially recognized as an Affiliate, there are only three ongoing requirements to be an Affiliate. (1) The Affiliate group needs to have at least five of their members who are
IAFP Members; Very simple really! We encourage development of new Affiliates and like to see this growth. Since 1997, we have seen a nice resurgence of Affiliate groups. Here is a recap of new Affiliate organizations: 1997 Korea Association of Milk, Food and Environmental Specialists 1999 British Columbia Association for Food Protection
2000 Quebec Food Protection Association
2002 Southern California Association for Food Protection
2003 Portugal Association for Food Protection 2004 Arizona Environmental Health Association Ten new Affiliate organizations in eight years – not too bad of a record! As I said earlier, we have two groups that are working hard on gathering support to establish a new Affiliate. Hopefully, we will see the results of their work at IAFP 2005 when we may be able to present their new Affiliate Charters like we did this year with the Arizona group. I want to include a short note about our newest Affiliate, the Arizona Environmental Health Association. This group was an existing organization but saw affiliation with IAFP as a positive advantage when discussions began about forming an Arizona IAFP Affiliate. What I want to point out is that not all new Affiliates need to be a totally new group. We are able to accept new Affiliates who may already be an established group or even may be affiliated with other organizations. If you have any questions on forming an Affiliate organization, please contact me to discuss this topic in greater detail. As Kathy Glass mentioned in her President’s Column, we want to increase our number of active, international Affiliates! Now, as a follow up to last month’s column, yes, it was the best Annual Meeting ever! Attendance at IAFP 2004 was 1,584 people (a 7% increase over 2003), exhibits were up by 20% and sponsorship increased by 22%! Next month’s FPT will include the Annual Meeting wrap up with pictures, reports and session summaries. Be sure to watch for the IAFP 2004 report in November’s Food Protection Trends. |