Food Protection Trends - May/June 2021 - 264

COMMENTARY
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

Roger Cook

I wrote my last column before a long
and relaxing Christmas (summer) holiday;
sailing, catching fish, and drinking wine
with family and friends in New Zealand's
beautiful Marlborough Sounds.
I reflected in that column on the
roller-coaster ride of a year we had just
completed and proclaimed that the future
will be different, the future will be great,
and that I was looking forward to sharing it
with you in person.
And so three months later, for those of you where COVID-19 was
then still rampant, it has come to pass that the light at the end of the
tunnel is on and becomes brighter by the day. Three words come to
mind " vaccination, vaccination, vaccination. "
Wow - what a huge difference vaccination has made to the severity
and incidence of COVID-19, and did we ever imagine that its effects,
both physically and emotionally, would be so immediate and
pronounced. A huge pat on the back to our fellow immunologists
and scientists for providing the tool to get our lives back.
I want to specifically call out IAFP's Secretary, Emilio Esteban,
who for the last few months, has forgone the comfort of his Washington
office to travel the U.S. doing what he does so well - needling people.
Emilio - a heartfelt thanks to you and to any of our members or
acquaintances who have similarly and selflessly assisted with the
vaccination program.
Vaccination has also enabled IAFP to start planning for what we
all crave - a face-to-face Annual Meeting in Phoenix this coming July.
Okay, many of us still won't be able to attend, but David and the team
are in full flight negotiating, organizing, and preparing to deliver a
great hybrid meeting where we can see " family " again. Sorry, activities
that contravene social distancing rules such as a greeting hug may be
frowned upon, but won't it be fantastic to see each other in 3D, feel the
vibe, and offer a hearty " cheers " in social events? Don't forget to register
early so we know if you will be attending in person.

FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The month of May brings hope each
year for an exciting summer for the
northern hemisphere. This year, May
brings additional hope to the United
States through the promise of enough
vaccine for all adults to be immunized
against the COVID-19 virus. Even
with some of the setbacks in vaccine
production, optimism still reigns through.
Hopefully, by July and beyond, we will see
a vast improvement in the health of the
          USA and in other regions of the world.
May also brings many new hopes and excitement to IAFP. This issue
is our Annual Meeting preview issue; the Award Recipients for 2021
are revealed, our Incoming Secretary is announced and our Diversity,
Inclusion and Equity Council completed its formation. Let's take a
closer look at each of these.
The Annual Meeting preview begins on page 343 and shows our
Ivan Parkin and John H. Silliker Lecturers along with the many program
topics for IAFP 2021. A list of sponsors and exhibitors along with
registration information is included. Two items of note are that the
Committee and PDG meetings will be held virtually this year during
the month of June and that we will now offer both in-person and virtual
attendance for IAFP 2021. Both changes to our " normal " Annual
Meeting are made in order to accommodate our Members who won't be
able to travel to Phoenix but still want to participate in the food safety
event of the year. We will continue to plan responsibly for the in-person
Annual Meeting.

264

Food Protection Trends May/June

I was in a meeting last week
where research from 2011 was
described as out of date just
because it was 10 years old, and
the speaker was not much older.
That may be true for cutting edge
technical developments but so
much of our " historical science "
is as equally valid now as it was
then and we should embrace it,
not ignore it, and make sure that
it is freely available for all to
peruse and learn from.
It is therefore terrific to see
that all the historical JFP and
FPT scientific articles are online and that this great science is now
readily available to enrich our minds. Please enjoy and share, and join
me in thanking all those that brought our history back to life.
March and April also saw great progress with the IAFP Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion Council. There are often expectations that
solutions will come thick and fast from such groups. But haste is often
your enemy, and in this case Claudia Schabel and the Schabel Solutions
team have expertly reined us in and carefully guided us to develop a
Vision, Mission, and Purpose(s). Those will be shortly shared with all
IAFP Members.
The next task is to define what success looks like, and that is not
always easy. But once the Council has done that, and the Phase 3
rubber hits the road, I am confident that this amazing group will ensure
that we will all feel that the motto from Alexander Dumas of " All for
One, and One for All " doesn't just apply to three musketeers.
Before signing off for this month, I want to recognize our incoming
Secretary, Mark Carter, who will join the IAFP Executive Board at the
conclusion of IAFP 2021 - congratulations Mark! Also, we appreciate
Leon Gorris' willingness to stand for election this past February. Both
Mark and Leon are active IAFP Members and will continue to lead us
into our great future.

David W. Tharp
This year, there were more than 130 nominations or applications
for IAFP's 20 Awards and Travel Scholarship. Each nomination or
application is reviewed by our Award Selection Committees, discussed
and decisions are made by the Committee on who will receive the
Award or Scholarship. The list of recipients for 2021 is shown on
page 351 in this issue.
On page 342, the announcement of Mark Carter's successful
election to become IAFP's next Secretary is presented. At the
conclusion of IAFP 2021, Mark will become Secretary and will begin
his five year term serving on the Executive Board. Leon Gorris is
recognized and given sincere thanks for standing for election. Leon
and Mark both will continue to be actively involved in IAFP for years
to come.
You may recall from last summer; IAFP formed a Diversity,
Inclusion and Equity Council. In April, the Council completed their
Charter, approved a nomination process for joining the Council and
finalized the description of leadership roles. During their April meeting,
the Council recommended that IAFP issue a statement in support of
Asian and Pacific Island communities. This was sent to IAFP Members
on April 9th. As we go forward, the Council will serve in an advisory
role to the Executive Board.
So as I said, May brings hope and excitement each year; to families,
friends, and your IAFP colleagues! Remember to treat each other with
kindness and respect. Working together, we can change the world while
Advancing Food Safety Worldwide®.
Food Protection Trends - May/June 2021

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