Viral and Parasitic Foodborne Disease Professional Development Group

Mission Statement: To promote awareness of non-bacterial causes of foodborne disease by encouraging Food Safety Professionals and others to seek education and training that will enable them to contribute to preventing non-bacterial foodborne infections and outbreaks.

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. None.
2023 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Sonia Almeria was elected Vice Chair of the Viral and Parasitic Foodborne Disease PDG on April 19, 2023. We recommend that this is approved by the Executive Board.

    Board Response: Approved.

2022 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None.
2021 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. 1. Recommend approval of Kristen Gibson for Vice Chair of the Viral and Parasitic Foodborne Disease PDG.

    Board Response: Agree.

2020 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None
2019 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Approve Julie Jean as Vice Chair.

    Board Response: Agree.

2018 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Assist the PDGs to strengthen communication and collaborations to avoid overlap/duplication of proposals. If possible promote conference calls among PDG’s Chairs prior to submission of proposals.

    Board Response: Agree. Submission ideas will be circulated to PDG Chairs and Vice Chairs along with a list of contact information for other PDG Chairs and Vice Chairs.

2017 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Recommend approval of Alexandre Da Silva as Vice Chair.

    Board Response: Agree.

2016 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None
2015 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Efi Papafragkou recommended as Vice-Chair of the PDG.

    Board Response: Agree.

Webinars

  • Foodborne Viruses: Detection, Risk Assessment, and Control Options in Food Processing

    Sponsored by: The IAFP Foundation

    Organized by: ILSI Europe and the IAFP Viral and Parasitic Foodborne Disease Professional Development Group

    Description: This webinar will be a presentation of the current science on epidemiology, public health burden and risk assessment for viruses in food processing environments. Current technologies for viral detection and control as well future perspectives on the application, along with suggestions on how the food industry could implement effective control strategies and management options for viruses in foods will be introduced.

    Download Slides

    Presenters
    • Elissavet Gkogka, Presenter Arla Foods, Denmark
    • Fabienne Hamon, Presenter bioMérieux, France
    • Sophie Zuber, Presenter Nestlé Research Center, Switzerland
    • Alvin Lee, Moderator Institute for Food Safety and Health, Illinois Institute of Technology, United States
  • The Global Burden of Foodborne Disease - Results and perspectives of WHO’s Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG)

    The WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group is providing estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases, according to age, sex and region, for a defined list of causative agents of microbial, parasitic, and chemical origin, thereby strengthening the capacity of countries to assess the burden of foodborne disease and increasing awareness and commitment for the implementation of food safety standards. These estimates provide valuable information for food safety professionals.

    This webinar is sponsored by Wageningen University, Marcel Zwietering, Leon Gorris, Arie Havelaar and an anonymous MMRA PDG Member.

    Webinar Slides

    View Webinar

    Presenters
    • Arie Hendrik Havelaar Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida
    • Marcel Zwietering, Moderator Wageningen University