Program Set for IAFP 2026
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Des Moines, Iowa – The International Association for Food Protection set the program for IAFP 2026–the Association’s Annual Meeting, July 26–29, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meeting has earned recognition as the leading food safety conference. Online registration is available on the Association website at www.foodprotection.org.
The meeting begins Sunday evening, July 26, with the Opening Session featuring the Ivan Parkin Lecture, followed by the Cheese and Wine Reception held in the Exhibit Hall. This year’s honored lecturers are Dr. Gregory Astill, DecisionNext, Overland Park, Kansas; and Dr. Elizabeth A. Bihn, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Monday morning starts three days of sessions with more than 1,000 presentations, including 68 symposia; 30 roundtables; 755 poster presentations; and 148 technical presentations. Samples of symposium topics include: AI-Powered Food Safety: Predictive Modeling, Pathogen Detection, and Beyond; Building a Data-Driven Culture Today for Safer Food Tomorrow; Food Chemical Safety Assessment: How & Why; Mixed Signals: The Prevalence and Risks of Multi-Genotype Pathogen Contamination; Technologies for Improving Recall Management in Retail & Foodservice; and The Key Performance Indicators of Food Safety Training. The Annual John H. Silliker Lecture will be presented on Wednesday afternoon, featuring Dr. Ruth Petran, Ruth Petran Consulting, LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota. For additional educational opportunities, IAFP 2026 will present five Pre-Meeting Workshops on July 23, July 24, and July 25.
Top industry, academic, and government food safety professionals are expected to be in attendance throughout the three-day event. The broad mix of attendees includes professionals in quality control, processing operations, regulatory inspections, food safety consulting, risk assessment, research and development, microbiological research, plant management, technical services, and HACCP management. The meeting will also showcase more than 140 companies and organizations demonstrating the latest products and technologies in the Exhibit Hall.
About International Association for Food Protection
The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) represents more than 4,000 food safety professionals committed to Advancing Food Safety Worldwide®. The association includes educators, government officials, microbiologists, food industry executives and quality control professionals who are involved in all aspects of growing, storing, transporting, processing and preparing all types of foods. Working together, IAFP members, representing more than 70 countries, help the association achieve its mission through networking, educational programs, journals, career opportunities and numerous other resources.
