Food Protection Trends - October 2008 - 702

“COMMENTARY” from the executive director T oday, I am writing this column as I’m passing over the Atlantic Ocean travelling to the Food Micro 2008 meeting in Aberdeen, Scotland. This year, so far, and as we look to the end of 2008, has been nothing but incredible when we consider the international activities of IAFP. We have reviewed this in previous columns, but I think it is worth another look t o e m p h a s i z e w h a t YO U R Association is doing not only in North America, but around the globe. Since the first of the year, we participated in the Dubai International Food Safety Conference (DIFSC) held last February in Dubai. Then at the end of May, in conjunction with the Brazil Association for Food Protection and the Latin America Subcommittee of ICMSF, we held the first ever, IAFP International Symposium on Food Safety in Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Now, we are participating in the Food Micro 2008 conference as an exhibitor to promote IAFP to the European contingent of food microbiologists (and others since professionals attend this meeting from all continents!). In addition, we are looking to gather potential attendees for our European Food Safety Symposium this coming November. Soon, your President, Stan Bailey and I will travel to Beijing, China for the Second China International Food Safety and Quality (CIFSQ) conference which will be held at the end of September (realizing that you are reading this in October, but I am writing at the beginning of September). On our way to Beijing, we will By DAVID W.THARP, CAE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “This year, so far, and as we look to the end of 2008, has been nothing but incredible when we consider the international activities of IAFP” stop in Korea to meet with the Korean Affiliate leadership to continue and firm up plans for the Second IAFP International Symposium on Food Safety (similar to the May 2008 meeting in Brazil). This symposium in Korea will be held in the fourth quarter of 2009. Then, toward the end of November, IAFP will hold its Fourth European Symposium on Food Safety in Lisbon, Portugal. This meeting promises to be a premier event for IAFP and for Europe. There will be more than 25 leading food safety experts presenting over the 3-day conference. In addition, many social functions are built into the program and during the evenings to allow for the very important interaction between professionals. So, if you happened to be counting, that makes five (five!) international events that IAFP has been or will be associated with during 2008! If you take a moment to look back, it was just four years ago that IAFP held its First European Symposium on Food Safety in Prague, Czech Republic. That is some really fast growth on an international scale for any association! We are proud of the partnerships we have built with World Services and other organizations in China for the CIFSQ Conference and with the Dubai Municipality for the DIFSC. In addition, we have had some avid supporters for the series in Europe. ILSI Europe helped us to get off the ground with our first conference in 2005 and the World Health Organization along with the United Nations–Food and Agricultural Organization has supported us each year. We are happy to include the Society for Applied Microbiology also as our partner in Europe. These partnerships are in addition to the many companies and organizations that have financially supported each of these important conferences. Without their support, it would not be possible to even consider holding events such as these outside 702 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | OCTOBER 2008
Food Protection Trends - October 2008

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