Food Protection Trends - May 2009 - 266

from the executive director “COMMENTARY” T his month, let’s review a number of items including IAFP’s new Web site, Food Protection Trends “flipbook,” the Annual Meeting Program and Abstract Book and the Secretary election. One additional item is a discussion about Timely Topics and Rapid Response Symposia. Ok, here we go! Early last month, IAFP unveiled its new Member friendly Web site. From the ad on the following page, you can see the new look of IAFP’s home page. There have been months of work put into the new design and layout to better organize information and material for your use. The color palate matches with IAFP’s new Membership materials and our exhibit booth. There is now a theme through all of our Association promotional material and the Web site incorporates this same look. The Member login from the home page allows access to all the resources available to IAFP Members. Currently, you can access the Membership Directory, Committee and PDG listings, past articles from both the IAFP Report and Food Protection Trends and the new, “flipbook” style Food Protection Trends. You can also renew your IAFP Membership and change your password once logged in to your “Member Dashboard.” Another nice feature of the home page is that there is an easyto-use events calendar and the latest IAFP news. Users will be able to submit events for inclusion on the calendar. Also new on IAFP’s Web site is the FPT flipbook (mentioned above). If you have not reviewed a copy of FPT in the “flipbook” style, we encourage you to “try it out!” It is By DAVID W. THARP, CAE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR “If you have not reviewed a copy of FPT in the flipbook style, we encourage you to try it out” easy to use – the table of contents is linked to each page, so you can move quickly throughout the journal to the pages that interest you. At the present time, the FPT flipbook is available to all Members as a part of your basic Membership fee. So, take advantage of this great opportunity to view the FPT flipbook while you can. Archived issues in the “flipbook” style are available from July 2008 forward. For IAFP 2009, we will provide attendees with a “flipbook” style Program Book and Abstract Book. This will be in addition to the printed Program Book. Users will be able to link from the Program Book directly to the related abstract. They will also be able to search the Abstract Book by author name or subject matter. Links will be provided from the author listing to the abstract of the author’s presentation. It should make finding information for attendees much easier than in past years. We intend to place these two books on the IAFP Web site prior to Annual Meeting so that you can use them prior to your arrival in Texas. This month, we congratulate Katie Swanson from Ecolab as she received the majority of the votes cast in the recent election of our 2009–2010 Secretary. It is imperative that we thank Mark Moorman from Kellogg Company who was not elected, but was willing to stand for election. Both Katie and Mark are to be commended for their dedication and willingness to serve IAFP in this very important manner. Katie will take office at the conclusion of IAFP 2009 in July. She has committed to a five-year term on the IAFP Executive Board and will serve one-year as President beginning at IAFP 2012. We look forward to Katie’s involvement on the Board and know that she will carry out her responsibilities professionally. The last item to discuss is a question I receive occasionally. It has to do with our Timely Topics Symposium and our Rapid Response Symposium. Sometimes I am asked why we have two names. Originally, IAFP wanted to be poised and ready to provide food safety professionals with current, up-to-date information 266 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | MAY 2009

Food Protection Trends - May 2009

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