With tonight’s opening session, the Worldwide Affiliation for Meals Safety marks a milestone. The group might be below new management for the primary time in 30 years.
Within the spring of this yr, David Tharp introduced his retirement. Lisa Hovey succeeds him as govt director. Hovey has most just lately served as assistant director of IAFP.
“David has performed a transformational position within the affiliation, together with a reputation change, enlargement of worldwide conferences and workshops, elevated deal with pupil scholarships, and establishing a sturdy monetary standing,” mentioned Michelle Danyluk, Professor, Meals Science & Extension Specialist, College of Florida, and IAFP President. “He leaves the Affiliation in a robust place, together with an especially succesful employees, that can serve IAFP nicely into the longer term.”
Additionally new this yr is an effort by the IAFP Basis. The Basis’s “4 for 40” marketing campaign seeks to boost $4 million by the start of the group’s fortieth anniversary in 2024.
The Basis is presently funded by contributions from companies and people. A portion of the assist is offered from the Sustaining Membership of IAFP. The Sustaining Membership Program is a singular method for organizations to accomplice with the Affiliation.
“We dwell in a world financial system and the best way meals is grown, processed and dealt with can influence folks world wide. From a public well being perspective, it usually supplies distinctive challenges to the meals security skilled,” accorging to a press release from the group. “Mix these points with the complexity of defending the meals provide from threats of intentional contamination and the challenges appear overwhelming. Nonetheless, with our assist the Basis could make an influence on these points.”
The Basis’s work helps complement the IAFP mission: “To supply meals security professionals worldwide with a discussion board to alternate info on defending the meals provide.”
Working collectively, IAFP members representing greater than 50 international locations assist the affiliation obtain its mission by networking, academic applications, journals, profession alternatives and quite a few different assets.
The IAFP represents a broad vary of members with a singular focus — defending the worldwide meals provide. Throughout the affiliation, there are educators, authorities officers, meals trade executives and high quality management professionals who’re concerned in all elements of rising, storing, transporting, processing, making ready and regulating all kinds of meals and drinks.
The IAFP Annual Assembly is attended by greater than 3,800 of the highest meals security professionals from six continents. The occasion owes its repute and success to the amount, high quality, and variety of every yr’s program; the standard and relevance of reveals sharing the newest in accessible applied sciences; main consultants talking on quite a lot of well timed matters; and particular recognition of excellent professionals and college students for his or her contributions within the meals security area.
“Meals safety stays a prime precedence in at this time’s interconnected world. Our assembly will show you how to keep in contact with present and rising points, the newest science, and options to new and ongoing issues,” mentioned IAFP President Michelle Danyluk in her welcome message. “Of equal or higher significance is the chance to community with colleagues and growing scientists, usually essentially the most helpful info one can collect is in an impromptu dialog within the hallway.”
The annual occasion opens tonight with the Ivan Parkin Lecture. Delivering the lecture this yr is Sarah Cahill. Her presentation, “Anatomy of a Meals Normal”, is ready for six p.m.
Cahill is from the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations and relies in Rome, Italy. Her expertise consists of:
- Main communications and consciousness actions for the Secretariat of the Codex Alomentarius Fee;
- Accountability for the work of various Codex committees, together with meals hygiene;
- Joined FAO in Rome in 1999 to play a key position within the institution of the Joint FAO/WHO Skilled Conferences on Microbiological Danger Evaluation (JEMRA) within the early 2000s;
- Beforehand led the FAO JEMRA Secretariat, overseeing provision of scientific recommendation on microbiological hazards in a variety of meals to be used in each Codex normal setting processes and FAO member international locations;
- Served as FAO’s meals security focus on antimicrobial resistance, contributing to growth of FAO’s AMR motion plan and serving as technical lead for a world capability growth venture to interact the meals and agriculture sector in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
This yr’s occasion closes on July 19 with the John H. Silliker Lecture, introduced this yr by Michael Brodsky, Brodsky Consultants, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. His lecture, set for 4 p.m., is entitled “No Individual is an Island.”
Brodsky’s expertise consists of:
- Serving as an environmental microbiologist for greater than 50 years, together with varied positions with the federal government of Ontario, AOAC Worldwide, and Silliker Laboratories;
- Established Brodsky Consultants in 2001;
- Served as IAFP president 1997-1998;
- Recipient of IAFP Harry Haverland Quotation award, the President’s Recognition Award, the Fellow Award and the Honorary Life Membership Award.
He has a masters in microbiology from the College of Toronto’s College of Hygiene.
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