Food Protection Trends - January 2009 - 14

“COMMENTARY” from the executive director eadlines, Secretary Election, the Dubai International Food Safety Conference and the IAFP Member Guide – these are things that are on the immediate horizon for IAFP! First off, let’s cover some deadlines. It is almost inconceivable, but time has passed so quickly that it is now six months until IAFP 2009, the 96th Annual Meeting, takes place in Grapevine, Texas. For those who might not be familiar with Grapevine, it is a city just north and west of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The resort we will use is the Gaylord Texan Resort and Conference Center, a beautiful domed facility that will keep the Texas heat away (at least while we are indoors!). Just a short transfer from the airport of ten to fifteen minutes and you will arrive at the site of IAFP 2009. Housing is now open and reservations can be made through the IAFP Web site. With mention of IAFP 2009, that brings a few things to the front and center. First on the list is the deadline for technical abstract submission. All abstracts are due by January 21, 2009 at which time they will be turned over to the Program Committee Members for review and determination of acceptance. Abstracts are accepted in a number of subject areas and you are not limited by the number of abstracts you can submit, so review the information available at the IAFP Web site for details. Notification of acceptance will be provided by March 9. Another Annual Meeting related deadline is that of the Awards Nominations. This year, Awards Nominations are due to the IAFP office not later than February 3, 2009. There are thirteen specific Awards recog- D By DAVID W.THARP, CAE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “Remember the deadlines mentioned for abstracts and Award nominations” nizing excellence in food science and food safety. The list of Awards and nominating criteria are available through the IAFP Web site. There are many IAFP Members who are worthy of receiving these awards, so consider nominating a colleague today! It is a rewarding experience to call attention to the accomplishments of someone you respect. We will be watching for your nomination of a deserving colleague. Something of interest to the long-term operations of IAFP is the Secretary Election which begins at the end of January. Be sure to watch your E-mail for notification of the electronic election ballot. The election is open from January 30 until March 17, so don’t delay when your notification arrives! Our candidates this year are Mark Moorman from Kellogg Company in Battle Creek, Michigan and Katie Swanson from Ecolab in St. Paul, Minnesota. Both are excellent candidates and would serve the Association very well if elected. If you have an opportunity, pass your thanks to both Katie and Mark for their willingness to stand for election. By standing for election, they both committed that they are willing to dedicate five years of time and effort to directing IAFP’s future course. There are two additional things that I want to bring to your attention. One is the upcoming, Dubai International Food Safety Conference (DIFSC) that will be held on February 24–26. This is the second year for IAFP to be involved and the fourth conference organized by the Dubai Municipality. There will be many topics of interest to food safety professionals in the region and a good number of the speakers are IAFP Members! This is one way in which IAFP continues to “Advance Food Safety Worldwide” by sharing information among food safety professionals. We encourage you to review the DIFSC program information available through the link on IAFP’s home page. The last item to discuss is the IAFP Member Guide for 2009. This year, to provide instant access to the information presented in IAFP’s Member Guide, we have made the Member Guide available Online in 14 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | JANUARY 2009

Food Protection Trends - January 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - January 2009