|
|
<< back to the 1999 archive listing << Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Views From Your President, May 1999 The 1999 Annual Meeting Program: The best is getting even better! One of the great things about serving on IAMFES committees is that you are often able to get previews of upcoming events. Nowhere is this benefit more evident than with the Program Committee. At the winter Program Committee meeting, committee members review both submitted abstracts as well as symposia. Although this is often a daunting and time-consuming process, committee members get a foretaste preview of what the technical program will contain at the Annual Meeting. As interesting as it is to see the great presentations in their submitted form, the final program is always even more exciting. The technical session promises to be one of the best ever. A quick glance at the program will reveal that virtually every contemporary food safety issue will be addressed at the upcoming meeting. The following list provides examples of especially timely topics: o Global trade - Two symposia addressing this issue will be presented. The first symposium will focus on the globalization of foodborne disease. Topics will include types of diseases involved, trade issues, and prevention strategies. The second symposium addresses harmonizing food safety regulations. The topics to be addressed in this symposium will range from discussions of the scientific basis of standards, to the issue of equivalence in inspections for international trade. Not only do these symposia address important current issues confronting the food industry and regulatory agencies, but they underscore IAMFES' more international scope. o Listeria monocytogenes - Listeria monocytogenes has once again surfaced as both a safety and regulatory issue for the food industry. Only this time, it has also attracted wide media attention and engendered broad consumer awareness. Over 20 oral or poster presentations dealing with aspects ranging from methodology to regulations will be presented during the meeting. In addition, a special symposium analyzing the circumstances surrounding the widely publicized recent meat-borne listeriosis outbreak will be presented at our general session. o Risk assessment - Quantitative risk assessment is becoming an important tool in setting both research and regulatory priorities. A whole symposium will be specifically dedicated to USDA's risk assessment for E. coli O157:H7 in ground beef. This symposium is somewhat unique in that it will be presented in a "farm-to-fork" approach addressing production, preparation, and communication issues. o HACCP - This year, the technical session will contain two symposia focusing on the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system. The first will address HACCP in retail operations and the second will extensively discuss the USDA HACCP implementation for meat and poultry products. o Produce safety - For years, fresh produce was largely ignored as a potential source of foodborne illness. However, several outbreaks of foodborne illness in recent years have brought produce safety to the forefront. Two symposia dealing with different aspects of produce safety will be presented. The first will address the broad issues affecting produce safety, including a review of outbreaks, risk assessment, and various production and processing aspects. The second more narrowly focused symposium will specifically address the role of water and manure in the microbiological safety of fresh produce. o Animal waste management - Animal waste is becoming an increasingly troublesome problem for the food industry. Consequently, this issue has become an important topic of discussion for anyone interested in assuring food safety. In addition to the symposium listed above focusing on produce safety, a separate symposium looking at animal waste management and its relationship to food safety will be presented. Of course, these are just a sampling of the many interesting topics that will be addressed in the technical sessions. As always, presentations will provide both results of cutting-edge basic research as well as applied research. You may also find it interesting to note that the presenters are as diverse as the topics, representing over 17 countries from every continent. Meeting and interacting with these individuals is an invaluable way to get new ideas and share experiences. Our IAMFES Annual Meetings have gained an international reputation for being the most comprehensive professional association conference dealing with food safety and related issues. This year's meeting is shaping up to be one of the best ever. Don't miss it! |