Food Protection Trends

COMMENTARY from the executive director
May 2005

“We look forward to seeing you in Baltimore at IAFP 2005”
By David W. Tharp, IAFP Executive Director

This issue of Food Protection Trends is our pre-Annual Meeting issue and is loaded with information about IAFP 2005. Please take time to review the Annual Meeting pages beginning on page 400. There you can learn about our Opening Session “Ivan Parkin Lecture” all the way through the Closing Session featuring the “John H. Silliker Lecture.” Excellent educational sessions, exhibitors’ new products and services, networking opportunities and a little fun are packed into the three-day meeting. I’ll cover the high points in this month’s article. In addition, I want to let you know about the new look of the IAFP Web site, the Secretary election results, Bylaw changes and remind you about the schedule changes for IAFP 2005. So, here we go!

Take a look at the next page to see what the newly redesigned IAFP Web site looks like and then visit www.foodprotection.org to navi-gate the thousands of pages! Many months of work has gone into this redesign – we hope you like the new, easy to use layout and dropdown menus. If you have comments or suggestions about the new layout, feel free to let me know of your input.

This month, we announce the election results for the new IAFP Secretary (see page 375). Stan Bailey was elected by a majority vote and will begin his service to IAFP as Secretary upon conclusion of IAFP 2005. Stan has been an active Member for more than 17 years. We congratulate Stan and look forward to his joining the Executive Board. We also want to recognize LeeAnne Jackson for her willingness to stand for election. Although LeeAnne was not elected, we applaud her for her past involvement in Association activities and look forward to her continued participation.

I want to call your attention to the IAFP Bylaws changes that begin on page 371. These changes will be voted on at the Business Meeting held on Tuesday beginning at 12:15 p.m. Be sure to review these changes prior to the Business Meeting.

The Business Meeting is one of the functions that will be affected by a schedule change this year. I mentioned these changes in my March column, but feel it is important to again call your attention to them. Our session times will remain the same as in previous years (8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.). The poster sessions will begin at 8:00 a.m. to allow additional viewing time prior to the start of the oral sessions. In addition, the Exhibit Hall will open at 8:00 a.m. with coffee and pastries available. This will provide a great way to start the day on Monday and Tuesday!

The other noticeable change in the schedule is moving our short afternoon sessions (along with the John H. Silliker Lecture) from Tuesday to Wednesday. You will want to stay until the end of the meeting to hear Michiel van Schothorst deliver the John H. Silliker Lecture titled “Managing the Safety of Internationally Traded Food.” This will be a thought- provoking presentation to conclude the 92nd Annual Meeting!

We encourage you to arrive in Baltimore on Saturday so that you can participate in the Committee and Professional Development Group (PDG) meetings that take place on Sunday. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings. Yes, some of the Committees have appointed Members, but all interested people may attend these meetings. PDGs many times are the starting point for our great symposia. By attending the PDG meetings, you can become a part of next year’s program! Members and nonmembers are welcome to join IAFP PDGs (of course we would like you to become an IAFP Member too if you are not already one!). The Committee and PDG meeting schedule is available online at the new IAFP Web site (look under Meetings and Education, then IAFP 2005). Choose a Committee or PDG covering your area of interest and get involved.

If you do plan to arrive on Saturday, we have a few optional activities for you to consider. A golf tournament is scheduled for Saturday morning, or you might choose to board the tour to our Nation’s Capital, Washington, D.C. In addition to those activities, a group of tickets for the Baltimore Orioles vs. the Toronto Blue Jays baseball game are being held for your use. These Saturday activities provide the base to build upon for our daytime tours that are offered Sunday through Wednesday.