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<< back to the 1999 archive listing << Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Views From Your President, July 1999 An opportunity for positive change Well, the IAMFES 86th Annual Meeting is upon us. As mentioned in a previous column, this year's Meeting looks like a real winner. Typically, Members find the scientific sessions of most interest, although the social functions can be equally valuable, both professionally and personally. Although not highlighted as the most fun or scientifically enriching event, the business meeting is nevertheless another very important component of the Annual Meeting. A main purpose of the business meeting is to inform Members of the state of their Association. However, it also provides Members the opportunity for direct input on important decisions affecting the future direction of their Association. In fact, certain important decisions can ONLY be made with input of Members attending the business meeting. This year, several important resolutions will require your input in the form of a vote. By the time you read this, each of you should have received a letter from me explaining these issues. The primary issue to be discussed at this year's business meeting will focus on changing the Association's name to International Association for Food Protection. To do this, however, we must also change our Constitution and Bylaws to reflect this change, a separate but related issue that will require your approval. The decision to recommend a name change has been unanimously approved by your Executive Board after extensive discussion and research. In this month's column, I would like to summarize some reasons for recommending the name change. The main function of a name should be to reflect and project the identity and mission of its Membership. The present name no longer accomplishes this. Several years ago, your Executive Board commissioned a survey of the Membership and potential members to determine the Association's composition and attitudes regarding the Association's name. The results were quite informative. We found that the Membership of the Association is quite different than some had perceived. The Membership is no longer predominantly comprised of individuals working in the dairy industry or employed as sanitarians. Rather, it is almost equally comprised of Members working with virtually every food commodity. Likewise, the Membership includes representatives from education, private industry, and government and are involved in a variety of jobs including quality and safety assurance, research, regulatory compliance, teaching, and sales. However, the survey respondents all had one thing in common: an interest in maintaining and promoting a safe food supply. It became readily apparent that although the current name encompasses certain aspects of food protection, it no longer reflects the breadth of expertise and interests of the Membership. Hence, a new name that better described the organization is needed. Our Association's history shows that this is not the first time such a change was needed. Many Members assume that our name has always been IAMFES. However, this is not the case. During its 89-year history, our Association has changed its name three times, each time to better reflect the identity of the organization. Our original name was changed in 1938 from the International Association of Dairy and Milk Inspectors to the International Association of Milk Sanitarians. Twelve years later, the name was again changed, this time to International Association of Milk and Food Sanitarians. Finally, in 1966, the name was expanded to its present form. Each time, the name was broadened to reflect the growing importance and interest in overall food safety. The proposed name of International Association for Food Protection continues this tradition. The survey as well as market research also revealed an interesting paradox.
Non-members (that is, potential new members) interested in food protection overwhelmingly
indicated recognition and respect for our flagship publication, Journal of Food
Protection but did NOT recognize the name of IAMFES nor realize it was the publishing
association. Clearly, many potential new members were being lost because they
do not recognize the connection between our best-known "product" (Journal
of Food Protection) and our Association. Permit me to relate a personal anecdote
that illustrates this point. Several years ago a former student of mine, then
working for a government agency directly involved with food protection, was
denied permission to attend our Annual Meeting because IAMFES was deemed "irrelevant"
to the agency's mission. When this individual informed her superior that the
Meeting was for the association that publishes Journal of Food Protection, the
response was "Oh, I didn't realize that. Then there's no problem"
and the individual was given permission to attend. Such situations together
with our survey data indicate a "public relations" problem and clearly
indicate that it is time for a change if we as an association are to survive
and grow. Comments and suggestions from both Members and non-members alike have
supported the need for a name change. A sampling of these reasons include: |