Retail and Foodservice Professional Development Group

Mission Statement: To provide the retail and foodservice industry worldwide with information to prepare and serve safe food.

Meeting Information

Virtual: TBD

In Person: IAFP 2025

                   July 27, 2025, Huntington Convention Center, Cleveland, Ohio

How to Join

Involvement in committees and professional development groups (PDGs) offers Members the opportunity to share a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Members of committees and PDGs are the architects of the Association structure. They plan, develop and institute many of the Association's projects, including workshops, publications and educational sessions. Technical challenges facing the food safety industry are discussed, examined and debated. Members may volunteer to serve on any number of committees or PDGs that plan and implement activities to meet the Association's mission.

Membership on a PDG is voluntary (not by appointment) and may vary from year to year.

IAFP Members can manage their PDG involvement by logging in to the IAFP Web site. At the Member Dashboard, click “Edit Profile.” Your profile has two tabs: Contact Info and Professional Info. Select the Professional Info tab and update the PDGs you would like to participate in. We highly recommend that you contact the PDG chairperson for each group to let them know you have joined their PDG.

Non-members can contact Dina Siedenburg, dsiedenburg@foodprotection.org, for more information.

Board Responses

2024 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. 1. Recommend to approve Sarah Kozak Weaver as Vice Chair of the Retail PDG.

    Board Response: Board Response: Agree.

2023 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. The Retail and Foodservice PDG would like to avoid overlapping with Food Safety Culture PDG and Data Management and Analytics PDG.

    Board Response: All efforts will be made to avoid this scheduling conflict.

2022 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Recommend Briana Lorenzo as Vice Chair

    Board Response: Agreed.

2021 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None.
2020 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Recommend approval of Tia Glave as the Retail and Food Service PDG’s new Vice Chair.

    Board Response: Agree.

2019 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None.
2018 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Approve Eric Moore for Vice Chair of this PDG.

    Board Response: Agree.

2016 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Approval of Tom Ford as Vice Chair.

    Board Response: Agree

2015 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None.
2014 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Consider the formation of a separate PDG on Audit and Inspections with a farm to store emphasis.

    Board Response: Members may form a PDG by requesting to the Board to hold an organizational meeting. Once it is shown that there is enough interest, the PDG can be approved.

  2. Develop a Mentoring program for student members of IAFP. The goal would be to connect them with IAFP business professionals that are willing to mentor them. See details in Minutes.

    Board Response: The Board likes this idea but cautions about the amount of staff time needed to coordinate such a program. It is currently being carried out for the Student Travel Scholarship recipients (16 people this past year) and is very time intensive.