|
|
<< back to the 2002 archive listing << Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation Thoughts from the President . . . Timing is Everything The only constant thing in life is change, and it is no different for IAFP Frog legs, eel, Mandarin fish, pork tongue, squid, drunken shrimp, braised veal, sea cucumber, Shanghai crab, chicken feet …and all this in just one meal! One of the many meals we enjoyed during a recent trip when a colleague and I traveled to Shanghai in the People’s Republic of China, to teach a two-week workshop on risk analysis. Although I passed on the chicken feet, altogether there were some very intriguing eating experiences! The workshop, sponsored by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, was directed towards participants from the fishery industries and organized locally by the Ministry of Agriculture, the China Society of Fisheries, and INFOYU, the information dissemination service for the industry. Seafood of all kinds is a huge export commodity for the country. Given the enthusiasm of the participants, it was clear that as the global community embraces risk analysis concepts in all aspects of food trade, there is an increasing need for training and exchange of information in risk assessment, risk management, and risk communication. Despite the language barrier (we communicated through a translator for all our lectures), it struck me that our food safety concerns, how to assess risk and how to implement and optimize new technologies to ensure the safety and quality of foods, are remarkably similar in all parts of the globe. In discussing the public health impacts of foodborne disease, the same issues exist in China as everywhere: the need for better surveillance data about infectious food and waterborne disease, information about prevalence and levels of hazards and the primary vehicles for specific pathogens, a better understanding of the ecology and behavior of pathogens, and, equally important, easy access to the information that is available. I learned a lot during my time in Shanghai, about the fisheries industry, new adventures in eating, amazement at the sophisticated modern architecture contrasted with centuries-old history. And not least, the experience reinforced that we need to explore new partnerships and take advantage of opportunities to exchange knowledge and ideas worldwide on protecting the food supply. This issue of DFES reports on the events of our 2002 Annual Meeting in beautiful San Diego. Among the scenes from the meeting, we include the recipients of the IAFP 2002 Awards. It is always an honor to be recognized for one’s achievements and contributions by your peers, and I congratulate each of our distinguished Award winners for their accomplishments. It is worth taking a glance at the reports of the Professional Development Groups (PDGs), which met just before the technical program commenced. The diversity of the PDGs simply reflects the strengths of what our individual members bring to our Association. The newest addition this year was the Water Safety and Quality PDG. Members of a PDG include anyone interested in the topic! These groups offer an opportunity to meet informally, catch up on newest developments in the field, and generate ideas that develop into symposia for next year’s Annual Meeting. In this way, you, our Members, have direct input into organizing sessions that meet your information needs. We appreciate the hard work of all PDG members that results in a scientific program that is multidisciplinary, touches all aspects of microbiological food protection, and ultimately contributes to the success of each year’s Annual Meeting. The IAFP Web site lists the PDGs, their missions, and members. Some, for example the Microbial Risk Assessment PDG, are adding links to other related Web sites. We encourage PDG members to develop their Web pages as resources for other members and food safety professionals, and to continue communicating throughout the year. I want to give a special thank-you to all Members of the Student PDG who helped ensure that everything ran smoothly in each session room in San Diego. Student Members also contributed the symposia summaries that are published in this issue, and for that we are most appreciative! Finally, the only constant thing in life is change, and it is no different for IAFP! A new name and a new look for Dairy, Food and Environmental Sanitation is on the horizon! “Read all about it!”…Executive Director David Tharp’s column last month covered the name change issue. Look on page 822 in this issue to preview the new name and cover design. |