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<< back to the 2002 archive listing << Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Postcards from Iowa, June 2002 I don't think that you will find a more appropriate meeting this year, if
your focus and interest is in food safety Hello! We are in the final weeks, counting down to the Annual Meeting. If you haven’t made your travel plans yet, there still is time. We have limited space in the hotel, but we certainly have room for you at the meeting. I would encourage you to come, if you can possibly work it in to your schedule. I don’t think that you will find a more appropriate meeting this year, if your focus and interest is in food safety. It all begins with our keynote address, the Ivan Parkin Lecture, on Sunday evening. Our Ivan Parkin lecturer this year is Dr. Mitchell Cohen, Director of the Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Cohen will be speaking on food safety in the time of Anthrax. I think that all of us have re-evaluated our roles in food safety in an age of bioterrorism, and I think that Dr. Cohen’s talk will not only be timely, but also help us put the importance of food safety in perspective. As many of you know, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) has partnered with IAFP for several years at our Annual Meeting. ILSI typically sponsors symposia at our meeting, organizing programs on relevant topics and bringing in speakers who might not otherwise attend our meeting. This year, ILSI will sponsor symposia on antibiotic resistant bacteria, Listeria research and chronic wasting disease. These topics are important to all of us in the food safety area, and certainly will provide timely updates on these subjects. Other symposia at our program include sessions on viruses, GMOs, produce, meat and seafood. One change that you will notice this year is the schedule for Tuesday afternoon. In the past, we have had a general session, followed by the business meeting. This year, because of the number of quality symposia proposals submitted, we have five “mini-symposia”, covering such topics as retail food safety, dairy waste management, public health and the control of Clostridium perfringens. In addition, we have two special lectures, one on ICMSF sampling plans and the other on risk assessment. Overall, we have a very diverse program of exceptional quality. I do want to make a brief mention of the costs associated with the meeting. As some of you have commented, the cost of the hotel rooms are higher than we have had in the past. This is due entirely to the location, although I do not think that you will be disappointed. I recently spoke with someone who was looking for a lower cost hotel in the area, and found that our room rates at the Hyatt were lower than any of the surrounding hotels. The bottom line is simply that San Diego is an exceptional meeting location, but that it is somewhat more expensive than other locations. While we’re on the subject of San Diego, don’t pass up the Monday Night Social. This year the social will be at the San Diego Zoo, and not only includes an evening meal, but allows you an opportunity to see the animals at a time when they become more active. You won’t want to miss this, especially if your family is able to join you for the meeting. When we selected San Diego as a meeting site three years ago, and then had to adjust the date to accommodate the different schedules, none of us could have dreamed that the events of the last several months could have happened. I think that the 4th of July will have a special significance to all of us this year, and I hope that you find some time to reflect on the things that are important to you. And if you get a chance, stay an extra day and see the fireworks in San Diego. Same time, next month. |