Food Protection Trends - November/December 2021 - 637

Minutes Recording Secretary: Katheryn Parraga.
Welcome and introduction by Kevin Edwards and Jessica Jones.
Katheryn Parraga provided an update regarding the Student PDG needs
and announcements. Reading of the Rules of Order and Antitrust Guidelines
by Jessica Jones and Katheryn Parraga.
Old Business: A motion was made by the audience to approve the 2020
Minutes. Jessica Jones was approved by the Board to take over as Chair
of the Seafood Safety and Quality PDG. Jessica Jones announced that
no sessions sponsored by the Seafood PDG at the 2021 Annual Meeting.
However, a Webinar took placed during April 14, 2021 entitled " Surviving
and Thriving in the Seafood Sector. " Tori Stivers mentioned that there will
be one session related to seafood on marine biotoxins.
New Business: Discussion about the program development for the 2022
Annual Meeting Symposia. Submissions due on October 5, 2021.
2022 Topic Nominations: Reviewing Food Safety Concerns Regarding
Food Fraud and Traceability, Proposed by Doug Marshall, Collaborating
PDGs: Food Fraud, Food Law, and Retail and Foodservice; Food
Safety Resiliency in Imported Food, Proposed by Kevin Edwards, Collaborating
PDGs: Food Safety Culture, Retail and Foodservice, International
Food Protection Issues; Seafood Decomposition Proposed by Kristin
Butler Collaborating PDGs: Fruit and Vegetable Safety, International
Food Protection Issues, Food Hygiene and Sanitation; Remote Auditing,
Proposed by David Baker Collaborating PDGs: Food Safety Assessment,
Audit and Inspection; Food Safety Prevention Strategies for SARS Effects
on Other Enteric Pathogens,
Proposed by Jackie Woods Collaborating PDGs: Viral and Parasitic
Foodborne Disease, Retail and Foodservice, Fruit and Vegetable Safety;
Import Refusal Categories-Workshop, Proposed by David Baker Contributor:
Kevin Edwards; Traceability Rule-Webinar, Proposed by Tory
Stivers Contributor: Jessica Jones.
Guest Speaker: Kevin Edwards, provided a presentation regarding
" FDA Import Refusals: Pre-Pandemic 2019 vs. Year-to-Date April 30,
2021. " Highlights covered: Comparing regulatory markets and import
refusals by market. Reasons for refusals comparing all regions (AU, EU,
JP, and the U.S.). Total U.S. refusals by the exporting country. Reasons
of the U.S. for import refusals. Reasons for refusals by pathogens in all
regions.
Kevin talked about the import refusals and the patterns based on
different values of shipments. It is expected that the EU lead in import
refusals due to the high volume. However, the U.S. leads the import
refusals. There are several categories of import refusal that can vary by
import market. He mentioned that FDA has the resources to look only
at the 2% of seafood imports, implying that the EU looks even less than
that. However, their research is not completed yet. Fewer refusals are
expected for 2021 compared to 2019. This could be because of the
budget and personnel allocated to COVID prevention measures and/or
the increased use of software to filter incoming shipments.
Some statistics showed that as YTD 2021 U.S. has 33% fewer
refusals than 2019 (four-month average); and for the EU, refusals are
down 27%. Regarding the reasons for the refusals, the principal four
are pathogens, decomposition and filth, drug residues, and Histamine.
However, based on the graph U.S. is not checking for additives, chemical
contaminants, mercury, and toxins. Is it because the U.S. stop testing
after the four principal reasons? Kevin mentioned his concern about the
lack of year-after-year assessment of heavy metals and other chemical
contaminants.
Also, Kevin showed data of the U.S. refusals. For example, every
country has different reasons for import refusals. India: Salmonella,
decomposition, Vet drugs, filth, HACCP specifically in shrimp. Bangladesh:
vet Drugs, Salmonella, filth, and economic integrity. Some of the products
that are imported are shrimp, carp, and Fish nec. Vietnam: drug
residue, Salmonella, filth, Histamine, HACCP when importing tuna. Brazil:
Salmonella, and decomposition in Snapper. Indonesia: Histamine, filthy,
Salmonella in products like tuna, shellfish, and kingfish.
China: vet drugs, filthy, Salmonella, Histamine, and additives in a
wide variety of fish, eel, frog legs, and shrimp.
Kevin summarized that based on U.S. imports, the principal reason
for rejection is pathogens; being Salmonella and Listeria the main pathogens
related to all cases. Also, observing the reasons for refusals from
Brazil, in snapper, shrimp, and fish nec, what were the producers thinking
when shipping products decomposed, filth, and in unsanitary conditions?
Also, Kevin mentioned that Norovirus primarily found in live shellfish is
reported only by the EU but not by other countries. Kevin concluded that
based on the findings of the regulatory authorities, there is evidence that
they are trying to educate and guide the industry through publications
such as Seafood HACCP, preventive controls and food safety plans, and
regulations addressing seafood hazards. However, the best way to mitigate
risk is to implement the recommended steps to control adulteration
during the incoming, processing, storage, and distribution chain.
Recommendations to the Executive Board:
1. Recommend approval of Jacquelina Woods as Vice Chairperson for
the Seafood Safety and Quality PDG.
2. Recommend the Board provide a mechanism to include calendar
reminders with meeting/webinar announcements.
Next Meeting Date: July 31-August 3, 2022, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Meeting Adjourned: 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Chairperson: Jessica Jones.
Student PDG
Attendees: Alexis Hamilton, Anna Townsend, Annette Kenney, Blessing
Chukwuaja, Carmen Cano Roca, Catherine Gensler, Chao Liao, Claire
Marik Murphy, Dianna Wilson, Emily Forauer, Erika Kadas, Erika Mariana
Estrada, Francis (Gillian) Muchaamba, Grace Dewi, Haknyeong Hong,
Hope Eseose, Janny Mendoza Mencia, Jared, Jiyoon Yi, José Eduardo
Lucero, Juan Moreira, Jyoti Aryal, Karuna Kharel, Katheryn Parraga
Estrada, Lang Sun, Leslie Pearl Cancio, Luke Shawn Thomas, Manish
Thapaliya (Neelam Sharma), Matt, Minh Duong, Minji Hur, Minji Kim,
Olivia Haley, Rawan Raad, Rawane Raad, Sarah Jones, Savana Everhart
Nunn, Seulgi Lee, Sloane Stoufer, Susanna Aiyedun, Tengfei Li, Thiago
Santos, Urvi Shah, Veeramani Karuppuchamy, Weifan Wu, Yadwinder,
and Singh Rana
Number of Attendees: 48.
Board/ Staff Present: Ruth Petran.
Meeting Called to Order: 3:01 p.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday, June 22,
2021.
Minutes Recording Secretary: Karuna Kharel.
Old Business: All student members were encouraged and reminded to
renew membership and register in IAFP Connect, if not done already, as
we are transitioning and will be primarily using IAFP Connect. We went
over the IAFP Antitrust guidelines with all student members. The outgoing
and incoming Board members introduced themselves. All the student
focused activities in 2020-2021 were successful including, mentor-mentee
program, student liaisons program, affiliate connection, trivia nights,
coffee hours, and 3 MT competition; there were new sponsorship and
partnership with industry and local affiliates-Smithfield, Tyson, Arkansas
association for Food Protection, Tyson, Cargill, Chobani and New Jersey
Association for Food Protection. Approximately 12.9% of participants in
the mentor-mentee program were based outside of the U.S.; mentors
were from academia, extension, industry, government, and the program
emphasized the value of network building. For the liaison program, 19
student liaisons are serving IAFP PDGs and committees. Majority of this
work occurred during the virtual PDGs and committee meeting in June
2021. For the affiliate connection program, the new IAFP PDG LinkedIn
group page has been opened and affiliate student highlights were posted.
We encouraged everyone to join the local affiliates and LinkedIn page for
updates.
" Meet your favorite food scientist " was a new activity developed last
year. It allowed students to connect with 9 world class scientists from
academia, government and industry. Around 45 students all over the
world came to at least one of these meetings. Received good feedback
from students so moving forward we're planning to continue this activity.
We won't be able to sell t-shirts or stickers this year, it will probably start
from next year. However, everyone was encouraged to consider donating
money to the foundation as it funds a lot of PDG activities and student
travel scholarships. We would also like to extend our thanks to IAFP staff
for their guidance and help during past and future activities.
November/December Food Protection Trends 637
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