Food Protection Trends - January/February 2020 - 48

InternatIonal MeetIngs - october - noveMber

IAFP was proud to support and/or participate in two key food safety conferences during October and
November 2019. In its global efforts to spread the food safety message, the Association was well represented
in the programs by many Members, along with past and current Executive Board Members who invested much
time traveling to Beijing and Dubai to speak on various topics and issues addressing food safety. We are pleased
that the strong presence of IAFP at each of these conferences was beneficial in gaining many new Members
to continue our goal of Advancing Food Safety Worldwide®.

China International Food Safety & Quality Conference

IAFP is proud to be the global host for the annual China
International Food Safety & Quality (CIFSQ) Conference.
This top-level event brings together food safety professionals
from across China and around the world. This year, the
13th CIFSQ took place October 30-31, 2019, at the Crowne
Plaza Beijing Sun Palace Hotel in Beijing under the theme,
"Safer Food Through Better Science & Policy." The two-day
conference featured a wide range of topics organized around
two Regulatory Sessions and 16 distinct sessions delivered
to audiences totaling more than 800 participants from around
the world. The two-day educational program featured 137
distinguished speakers and panelists, including ministerial
level officials, renowned scientists, and C-level executives from
the world's largest food companies and producers. Thirtyeight sponsors and exhibitors displayed the latest food safety
technologies and innovations.
The decision-makers at the CIFSQ Conference are
responsible for food testing, inspection, QC/QA, audit,
certification, compliance, hygiene and sanitation, research,
science, regulatory affairs, enforcement, policymaking,
legislation, litigation, standardization, and training. Each year,
the Conference's educational program features a distinguished
faculty of regulatory, scientific, academic and industry leaders
who are putting food safety into action.
Highlights of the 2019 program included Regulatory
Sessions and panel discussions held on Day One, and a variety
of Breakout Sessions on Day Two that served as a framework
and overview of food safety for the in-depth technical, analytical
and scientific discussions that took place. The sessions
included critical and diverse categories covering topics on
Risk-based Management; Sustainability; Food Analysis;
Communications; Food Integrity and Digitization; Capacity
Building; Next Generation and Whole Genome Sequencing;
Current Issues; Infant Formula Safety; Microbiological Food
Testing; Rapid Alert; and Antimicrobial Resistance.
Yves Rey, Conference Ambassador and former Danone
Corporate General Manager, opened the event. Among this
year's speakers for the Welcome Address were David Tharp,
IAFP Executive Director; Ge Zhirong, Honorary Conference
Chair, Former Counselor of the State Council, Former Deputy
Director AQSIQ, and Deputy Director of the Expert Committee,
CCPBD; Chen Junshi, Senior Research Professor and

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Food Protection Trends January/February

Chief Advisor for the China National Centre for Food Safety
Risk Assessment; Leon Gorris, Food Safety Expert, The
Netherlands; and Alfred Almanza, Global Head of Food Safety
& Quality Assurance, JBS.
Opening Day's morning sessions featured two Regulatory
Sessions, which included Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner
for Food Policy and Response, U.S. FDA, who spoke on
the "New Era of Smarter Food Safety;" Mindy Brashears,
Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. Department
of Agriculture, who presented "Merging Science with Policy
to Ensure Food Safety;" and a panel discussion on "Food
Safety Capacity/Capability Building: Achieving the Required
Scale and Competency through Public Private Partnerships."
Three panel discussions took place in the afternoon, including
"Current and Future Trends in Food Safety Monitoring
Technology;" and "Empowering Consumers on Food Safety
Matters: Role of Consumer Communications, Social Media
and Various Stakeholders" with input from Ruth Petran, IAFP
Vice President, and Carmen Rottenberg, Administrator, Food
Safety and Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"Creative Ways to Achieving a Sustainable Future for Food"
was covered in part by Mark Fryling, Vice President, Global
Food Safety and Quality, General Mills.
Sixteen Breakout Sessions and several panel discussions
took place on Day Two. Speakers included Patrick Wall,
Professor of Public Health, University College Dublin; Jan
Baele, European Commission, DG Health & Food Safety;
Barbara Gallani, Head of Communication, Engagement and
Cooperation Department, European Food Safety Authority;
Christopher Elliott, Professor of Food Safety, Institute for Global
Food Security, Queens University Belfast; Seamus Fanning,
Professor, Food Safety and Zoonoses, School of Public Health,
Physiotherapy & Population Science, University College Dublin;
Doug Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Microbiology
Laboratories, Inc.; Keith Refsnider, Director of Food Safety
Systems and Research, Driscoll's; Samim Saner, Corporate
Scientific Director, Mérieux NutriSciences; Zhinong Yan,
Executive Director, Walmart Food Safety Collaboration Center;
Liu Xiumei, Scientific Advisor, China National Center for Food
Safety Risk Assessment and Professor at the Institute of Nutrition
and Health, China CDC; Donald Prater, Associate Commissioner,
Imported Food Safety, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Junshi
Chen, Senior Research Professor and Chief Adviser, China
National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment; Sultan Ali Al
Taher, Head of Food Inspection Section, Dubai Municipality Food
Safety Department, Dubai, U.A.E.; Christophe Dufour, Scientific
Director, Europe, Mérieux NutriSciences; and Moez Sanaa,
Head of Unit, French Agency for Food, Environmental and
Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).
IAFP's strong partnership with this conference and its
continuing focus on food safety enforces the international
outreach that is necessary in the fight to protect the world's
food supply.
Food Protection Trends - January/February 2020

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