Food Protection Trends - March/April 2021 - 182

COMMENTARY
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

Roger Cook

I am sitting at my open plan height
adjustable hot-desk (okay, it won't be
mine tomorrow) reflecting on our lives
in 2020 with two days to go before my
long Christmas and summer break; so
long that I will miss the deadline for the
March/April edition of FPT.
So maybe not timely, but what a
roller-coaster ride of a year it has been
for all of us, no matter where we are, no
matter what our culture, religion, skin
color... yes, apparently SARS-CoV-2
does not discriminate.
With IAFP's " Diversity, Equality and Inclusivity Council "
hitting its strides, perhaps we can learn something from this virus.
It does not overthink matters. It goes into the room and just says
" Hi, I am SARS and I want to be your friend. " It does not look,
smell or listen and then decide whether or not it wants to be your
friend - it just bounds on in enthusiastically.
And if we want a friend, it will happily oblige.
Okay - the next bit isn't so good so I won't draw comparisons
there. Just like bouncers at a nightclub or the police at a rowdy
party, our peers have done a great job developing a variety of
unique, innovative vaccines, to allow us to rid our lives of the
" friend " that we actually didn't want. Hats off to these miracle
makers, some of who we may have trained with or know well.

FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
How do you plan for a meeting
that may or may not take place?
Very carefully! You also have to be
flexible and adapt to new conditions
that constantly arise. Planning for
IAFP 2021 moves forward as we
recognize there will be many obstacles
to overcome. Final decisions will be
pending until sometime in May, but
for the present time we continue to plan
for an in-person meeting to some extent.
There are many factors to consider as we look to the future
and whether IAFP 2021 can be held in Phoenix. The first one, and
a major one at that, is whether the Phoenix Convention Center
is open for business in July. And if so, how many people can they
accommodate? Due to COVID-19, the convention center is closed
through at least April 1 this year and this date could be extended.
Beyond that, we need to consider how many people would be
able to travel to Phoenix to attend this meeting. We recognize many
companies, governments and universities have travel bans lasting
into third quarter, fourth quarter and even until January of 2022.
Some people will not travel until they have received the COVID
vaccine and that is understandable. Wide distribution of the vaccine
will allow more people to feel safe travelling, but when will wide
distribution occur?

182

Food Protection Trends March/April

But when that ex-friend has gone, the legacy will be fantastic.
Barriers will be broken down, our human friends will be so
delighted and excited to see us, hugs will be had by all, petty
discriminations will be cast aside, and the joy of just being one
race - human - will allow us to see past our biases and embrace the
diversity in our " oneness. "
I say this from experience here in New Zealand where we have
eliminated the virus, and it has reunited us as a nation of indigenous
Maori, Pacific Island, European, Asian, North American, South
American, and Scandanavian peoples - we are all one and the virus
has made our family stronger. Oops - did I forget the Australians -
sorry!!!
So it is with a heavy heart that I sit here thinking of many,
perhaps most, of you whose Christmas or holiday break will not
be free - you will still be in some form of lockdown and separated
from family and friends. Some of you may have lost family and
friends or know those who have. My thoughts are with you.
Who is it that said " Why look back, you can't change it.
Always look forward. " Okay, I just made that up with Don Henley
singing in my head. C.S. Lewis said it better. " There are far, far
better things ahead than any we leave behind. "
So at this moment I wish you all the best for the holiday break
with family and friends, and as you read this message, I know that
you will have, and your hearts will be warm.
The future will be different, the future will be great, and I am
looking forward to sharing it with you in person.

David W. Tharp
It is also well-known that many of our international
participants will not be able to travel to be with us. For this, we
are truly sorry and we will look forward to the next opportunity to
meet you face-to-face. But on the other hand, many people are able
to travel without restrictions and are eager to attend the Annual
Meeting. If we are able to hold an event in Phoenix, there will
certainly be virtual components included so that those individuals
who are unable to be there in-person can participate in some
manner.
Financial implications enter into the equation, too. There are
contractual agreements with not only the Phoenix Convention
Center, but also with our hotels. If we ignore those obligations, the
Association stands to lose many hundreds of thousands of dollars.
So, as we move forward with IAFP 2021, please know that we
are monitoring many factors related to planning for this meeting.
If we find that it is not safe to hold an in-person meeting with
virtual components or if we are unable to hold the meeting, we will
transition to a fully, virtual Annual Meeting as we did in 2020. Let's
remain optimistic and see what takes place between now and July.
Here's to hoping we can " bump elbows " with our face masks on in
Phoenix!
Food Protection Trends - March/April 2021

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