Food Protection Trends

COMMENTARY from the executive director
July 2005

“While the staff serves as a coordinating body for IAFP 2005, there are many other people working towards the common goal of making IAFP 2005 a very sucessful meeting."
By David W. Tharp, IAFP Executive Director

July is a very busy time at the IAFP office as you might well imagine. As we prepare for IAFP 2005, with more than 1,600 attendees, 500 presentations, 100 exhibitors and the many meetings and activities, there are numerous details to watch over. Coordination of speaker presentation times, volunteer scheduling, delivery of product and program materials to the convention site are just the beginning of the details necessary for IAFP’s Annual Meeting.

With our experienced staff, everything seems to come together seamlessly, but I assure you there are untold hours and hours of work and communication behind the scenes to bring this meeting together. I want to recognize the dedicated work of our staff (numbering only 10!) and thank each and every one of them for the extra efforts they put forth for the Association’s Annual Meeting. There are many sacrifices incurred, the largest of which is a week away from home and family late in the summer season. We are fortunate to have staff members who have been employed by IAFP for many years, which makes the task at hand easier.

While the staff serves as a coordinating body for IAFP 2005, there are many other people working towards the common goal of making IAFP 2005 a very successful meeting. Our speakers and presenters are putting the finishing touches on their presentations. Without them, what would our meeting be? This is the focal point and main reason for bringing together more than 1,600 food safety professionals, to share the latest information on protecting the food supply! At the same time, exhibitors are preparing their displays for the exhibit hall to show their products and services to attendees. Again, this is an effort to share their information on how to protect our food supply. You may review a listing of this year’s exhibitors on page 594. The program schedule begins on page 558.

Sponsors also provide a much-needed boost to the Annual Meeting revenue stream. We are indeed fortunate to have sponsorship support from many leading companies in the food safety industry. A preliminary listing of IAFP 2005 sponsors is shown on page 597. Please make it known to our sponsors that you appreciate their support of IAFP. Without them, our Annual Meeting would not be able to support some of the receptions or breaks that we have become accustomed to over the years.

Last month, I reviewed the support that Capital Area Food Protection Association (CAFPA) will provide to IAFP by serving as the Local Arrangements Committee. I just want to remind you that they will be busily working during July to coordinate their volunteer schedules and I hear they are working to gather items for a welcome pack for all attendees! The welcome pack is a major undertaking by itself. We again thank CAFPA for their efforts!

As if IAFP 2005 is not enough of a task, we have more going on at the same time! Kathy Glass mentioned in her column this month that we will host our first “European Symposium on Food Safety” October 11 and 12 of this year in Prague, The Czech Republic. Program details are now available on the IAFP Web site (look under “meeting and education”). Registration and hotel information will soon be available. If you are an IAFP Member in Europe, we encourage your attendance and please share this program with your colleagues. We hope to see many of our European Members and friends at this Symposium on Recontamination Issues in the Food Industry.

So, as we approach IAFP 2005 (August 14–17 in Baltimore), you can see that we have our hands full! We enjoy planning and coordinating the world’s leading food safety meeting and most of all; we enjoy the interaction with IAFP Members at the Annual Meeting! It is wonderful to know that the pre-planning pays off and food safety professionals are able to benefit by sharing information on protecting the food supply. That not only benefits our Members, but also benefits our world society through improved health and well-being!