IAFP 2018

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Des Moines, Iowa - IAFP 2018 was another successful meeting for the International Association for Food Protection. Held in Salt Lake City, Utah, the three-day meeting concluded July 11 with an international audience of nearly 3,600 registered attendees representing 53 countries, 49 states, and five Canadian provinces. The meeting has earned recognition as the leading food safety conference.

 President Mickey Parish officially welcomed attendees to Salt Lake City at IAFP 2018’s Opening Session on Sunday evening. Those honored throughout the session included two Fellow Award recipients; five Travel Award recipients from State or Provincial Health or Agricultural Departments; three Travel Award recipients from a Country with a Developing Economy; and 20 Student Travel Scholarship Award recipients. A special presentation of the first Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship followed. The Ivan Parkin Lecture closed the session and featured Dr. Gary Acuff, Professor of Food Microbiology in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Dr. Acuff spoke on “Where Do You Put Your Chopsticks?”

IAFP 2018’s program featured more than 1,000 presentations including 67 symposia, 17 roundtable sessions, 133 technical presentations, and more than 600 poster presentations. Representatives from 189 companies, including 37 new exhibitors, showcased equipment and the latest innovations in food safety services in the Exhibit Hall. 

Monday’s agenda included a U.S. Regulatory Update on Food Safety, featuring Carmen Rottenberg with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Stephen Ostroff with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

On Wednesday afternoon, the John H. Silliker Lecture featured Dr. Ann Marie McNamara, Vice President of Food and Essentials Safety and Quality Assurance at Target, Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. McNamara spoke on “Heroes Past and Future.”

Wednesday night’s Awards Banquet honored excellence in food safety by recognizing 29 individuals and organizations with awards. The evening concluded with the gavel presentation to Incoming President, Dr. Tim Jackson, VP, Food Safety, Regulatory Compliance and Worker Welfare, Driscoll's Inc., Watsonville, California.