Food Protection Trends - March 2010 - 157

Bacon: You are a member of at least one PDG, usually more. You attend meetings and actively participate, you volunteer to complete tasks off-line, and you agree to be the chair or vice chair of your PDG. Hashbrown: You agree with this quote, “A committee is a cul-de-sac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled.” (Sir Barnett Cocks, former Clerk of the House of Commons in the U.K.) Are you Committed to a Committee? We also need members to volunteer to serve on the Standing and/or Special Committees and Task Forces. IAFP has three Standing Committees (Food Protection Trends Management Committee, Journal of Food Protection® Management Committee, and the Program Committee) and 13 Special Committees (please visit www.foodprotection.org for more detail). Membership on these committees is by a p p o i n t m e n t o n l y. I f y o u are interested, please let any member of the Executive Board or Executive Director David Tharp know. A list of members who have expressed interest is maintained at the IAFP office and is passed on each year to the appropriate people making the appointments that year. Egg: You have made it known that you would like to be on one of the Standing or Special Committees; your name is on the list or you sit on one of the committees. Bacon: You have relentlessly pursued assignment to one of the Standing or Special Committees. You are on one of the Standing or Special Committees. You attend meetings and actively participate; you volunteer to complete tasks off-line, and you agree to be the chair or vice chair of a Standing or Special Committee. Hashbrown: You think, “Someone else will volunteer.” You told somebody once that you want to be on one of those Special Committees but never followed up. you are Rocking the Vote. A great example of involvement and commitment is that of members who agree to stand for nomination to the IAFP Executive Board, which is a five-year commitment. We are currently in the middle of the election for IAFP Secretary, and once again, we have two dedicated members who have agreed to take on this duty, if elected, and to keep the organization moving forward. This year, as in years past, our membership will choose between two outstanding food safety professionals: Dr. Maria Teresa Destro and Dr. Donald Schaffner. Both candidates are experienced, talented and strong leaders. Maria Teresa and Don are both committed-involved IAFP members, as evidenced in their biographies. The election is open now through March 16, 2010. One of the easiest ways to increase your participation in IAFP is to go to www.foodprotection. org, read Maria Teresa’s and Don’s biographies, and vote! Our organization has more than 3,000 members, and yet each year fewer than 1,000 votes are cast. This is an extremely disappointing statistic. A new electronic voting system was put into place a few years ago, which is incredibly easy and fast to use. With the implementation of electronic voting we expected to see an increase in the number of members voting; however, we have yet to observe that increase. As a member of this great organization, this is your opportunity to have a say in who is on the Executive Board guiding, shaping and leading the organization. Let’s turn it around this year. Vote and encourage all of your member friends, colleagues and coworkers to do the same. Egg: You read the biographies and vote. Bacon: You read the biographies and vote.You encourage, direct or demand that friends, colleagues and coworkers who are members do the same! You consider or agree to stand for nomination (being asked to stand for nomination is usually the direct result of being a committedinvolved member!). Hashbrown: You don’t vote. You think that both candidates are great, so you can’t decide who to vote for. You forgot or procrastinated and missed the deadline, even though the election was open for 45 days and you received three or more reminders.You think, “The other members will vote.” What did you determine: Are you egg or bacon? You can choose to be involved (egg) or you can choose to be committed (bacon), but if you found that you’re a hashbrown, please take a moment to consider how you can contribute more. The current and future success of IAFP depends on our members’ involvement and commitment. As always, feel free to contact me at anytime (even during breakfast!) at VLewandowski@kraft.com. MARCH 2010 | FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS

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Food Protection Trends - March 2010

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