Food Protection Trends - November/December 2017 - 448

($100); and Travis Morrissey ($100). Thank
you to all who took part in this fun event
while learning more about our participating
exhibitors!
At Tuesday's Business Meeting,
President Harris provided an overview of
IAFP's goals and accomplishments over
the past year. Standing Committee Chairs
delivered brief reports on their activities, and
Affiliate Council Chair Neil Bogart reviewed
the growth and efforts of the Affiliate group,
including the 2017 addition of one new
Affiliate and those Affiliates receiving awards.
Minutes of the Annual Business Meeting can
be found on page 481. Official business was
interrupted by the Florida Association for Food
Protection. A jury of her "nutty" peers put
IAFP President Harris on "trial" for being "nuts
or no nuts." A guilty verdict was determined,
and President Harris was "sentenced" to
accept a generous Foundation donation from
the Affiliate. Meeting attendees were also
invited to pose for a photo with the 'court room
characters' after the Business Meeting for a
$5 Foundation donation, resulting in more than
$200 in additional contributions. In addition,
more than $300 in tips was donated by FAFP
musicians Peter Hibbard, Ron Schmidt,
and Tim Westbrook, with guest players
Bob Buchanan and Conor McGauran, who
provided entertainment for several hours near
the Foundation Booth! Thanks once again,
FAFP, for your generous contributions and
for the entertaining antics that always amuse
audience members!
IAFP's Silent Auction has become
one of the most popular events featured at
each Annual Meeting. Unique and desirable
items are donated by our Members, Affiliates,
sponsors, and attendees from across the
country and around the world for attendees to
bid on. The lively auction generates valuable
revenue for the Foundation while providing
entertainment and competitive bidding up until
the final minutes. More than 150 items were
displayed this year, giving potential buyers
a wide selection from which to choose as
their take-home souvenir, including designer
handbags; wines and edibles; scientific books
and journals; African artwork and shirts;
gift baskets; and dozens of treasures to be
enjoyed long after completion of the meeting.
We are pleased to announce that more
than $9,200 in contributions was received
from this year's Silent Auction! Thank you to
everyone who donated items and to those who
successfully bid on their desired purchases!
Wednesday afternoon's Closing
Session featured the John H. Silliker Lecture,
presented by Dr. Steve Taylor, Professor in the
Department of Food Science and Technology,

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Food Protection Trends November/December

and Founder and Co-Director of the Food
Allergy Research and Resource Program
(FARRP) at the University of Nebraska -
Lincoln. Dr. Taylor spoke on "Food Allergies:
A Public Health Dilemma - How Did We Get
Here? Where are We Going?" A summary of
Dr. Taylor's presentation appears on page 462.
IAFP gratefully acknowledges the generous
contribution made by Merieux NutriSciences
toward funding this key lecture series.
More than 650 attendees celebrated
the end of three days of non-stop meetings
by attending Wednesday evening's Awards
Banquet, where business casual turned
into evening attire and meals on the run
were replaced with formal place settings.
Throughout the evening, deserving honors
were bestowed upon more than two dozen
awardees for outstanding contributions to
the food safety profession. This year's award
recipients are listed on page 449. President
Harris closed the evening, the 2017 Annual
Meeting, and her term in office by extending
her thanks and appreciation to all who helped
and supported her during her presidency,
before officially passing the gavel to her
successor, Mickey Parish.
Over the past decade, IAFP has grown to
be its strongest in history. The record-breaking
numbers reflected in this year's Annual
Meeting - Members, attendance, sponsors,
exhibitors - are proof that food safety is and
will continue to be a high priority worldwide
in preventing foodborne outbreaks and
saving lives. Content of symposia, roundtable
discussions, and workshops remained timely
and topical.
And Foundation contributions were "blown
out of the water" as donations during IAFP
2017 topped all other Annual Meetings. It goes
without saying that we owe this year's success
to our loyal Members, including long-time,
new and Student Members; and to the nonMembers who gained value from this meeting.
It's impossible to produce this ever-growing
event without the tireless efforts of our session
organizers and convenors, along with the
presenters; the Program Committee; this year's
Local Arrangements Committee and all other
volunteers; our sponsors and exhibitors; our
Executive Board Members; and our dedicated
IAFP Staff.
Once again, we navigated an endless
sea of food safety, diving deep into all that was
offered, making waves with other food safety
professionals, and casting a wide food safety
net to pursue, capture, and share the bounty
of information presented. We invite you to
continue our journey at IAFP 2018 in Salt
Lake City, Utah, July 8-11.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - November/December 2017
