Food Protection Trends - November/December 2022 - 502

OUR EXPERIENCES
By the Recipients of the IAFP 2022 Travel Award for a Food Safety
Professional in a Country with a Developing Economy
Being a first-time attendee of IAFP's Annual Meeting and also a recipient of the Travel Award
for a Food Safety Professional in a Country with a Developing Economy, I was indeed immensely
overwhelmed with every aspect of the meeting. Nothing could have been better than having the
privilege to see more than 3,000 food safety professionals across different specialties coming from
industry, government, and academia with the sole aim of fostering global food safety. The diversity,
exchange, heterogeneity, and nexus across this broad audience are interesting and mind-blowing!
The open discussion on emerging and trending food safety issues and future perspectives was
incredible.
The Ivan Parkin Lecture, " Out of Africa, " delivered by Dr. Lucia Anelich, further endears me
Rine Reuben
Lagos, Nigeria
to IAFP. Her lecture showcased not only the rich African heritage but Africa's leading role in food
production and global food security. She highlighted major food safety issues within Africa and the
various mechanisms adopted (or being proposed) by the African Union as well as other sub-regional
organizations in legislation, policymaking, and implementation of food safety and food-related
programs. This undoubtedly shows IAFP's interest in extending its horizons the world over for the
achievement of its corporate mandate of enhancing global food safety.
The technical sessions during IAFP 2022 were encompassing, covering a broad range of
food safety areas. I was able to attend multiple sessions within my core areas of research interest,
including the sessions on Meat, Poultry and Eggs; Food Safety; Food Processing Technologies; Seafood; Food Toxicology; Food
Chemical Hazards and Food Allergens; Dairy; and Antimicrobials, among others. During the Technical Session 11 (T11), I had
the opportunity to present my recent research findings in a talk, Global Meta-Analysis of Cheese Microbiomes. Furthermore, the
poster sessions were doubly interesting, especially Poster Session 1 covering areas of Animal and Pet Food Safety, Dairy, Data
Management and Analytics, Epidemiology, Food Defense, Pre-Harvest Food Safety, Viruses and Parasites, Water, Meat, Poultry
and Eggs, and also, Poster Sessions 2 involving Antimicrobials, Food Processing Technologies, Food Safety Systems, Laboratory
and Detection Methods, Retail and Food Service Safety, and Sanitation and Hygiene, respectively.
The Exhibit Hall was crowded with various companies and their representatives, showcasing different brands of the latest
technologies, products, and emerging catalogs of equipment relevant to food-associated research and laboratories. Every break
was greeted with food, drinks, and snacks. IAFP 2022 was indeed a food conference with so much eating and drinking!
To better involve myself with the organization and activities of IAFP during the conference, I briefly volunteered at the IAFP
Foundation Booth. I was able to help in the collection of donations from participants and also informed them about the generosity
of the Foundation in giving me the opportunity to attend the 2022 Annual Meeting through the Travel Award. Additionally, I served
as a Technical Session Monitor, helping organize a Technical Session and also supporting the convenors.
IAFP 2022 provided a unique ecosystem and breeding ground for me to network, cross-date, and form collaborations with
great and highly-esteemed food safety professionals from different countries, research backgrounds, and sectors. As an offshoot
of my interactions with experts within my areas of interest, I received an invitation to give a seminar at a leading Food Research
Institute.
As a leading global food safety organization that brings together thousands of food safety professionals annually, IAFP's
Annual Meeting is indeed a 'must attend' event for anyone aspiring to do exploits and soar high in the food safety industry,
research, and legislation/policy-making.
Finally, I'll forever be grateful to the IAFP Foundation for the Travel Award that enabled me to attend the IAFP Annual Meeting,
my first ever! I earnestly encourage students as well as food safety professionals in academia, industry, and government to explore
the opportunities provided by the IAFP Foundation in supporting highly-spirited individuals in attending IAFP meetings. I sincerely
look forward to having another memorable experience at IAFP 2023.
Sponsored by
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Food Protection Trends - November/December 2022

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