Food Protection Trends - September/October 2023 - 374

COMMENTARY
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT | Tim Jackson
What a pleasure it was to
see everyone in Toronto at the
Annual Meeting in July.
I always look forward to this
meeting as an opportunity to
connect with old colleagues
and meet new ones, to learn the
latest information on food safety
science and management, to
see the latest developments in technology, methods and
services in the Exhibit Hall, to brainstorm and plan ideas
in the PDG and committee meetings, to meet young and
developing scientists from around the world, and to get
work done with colleagues on the margins of the meeting.
What I've always appreciated is how open everyone is to
meeting and sharing. I find this meeting to be a source
of energy and renewal...a meeting of individuals with a
shared objective of advancing food safety...and I leave it
with a host of new ideas and a sense of what is possible.
The meeting this year was attended by 3,241 professionals
from 53 countries. Sarah Cahill opened the
meeting with the Ivan Parkin Lecture, " Anatomy of a
Food Standard, " a fascinating and relevant understanding
of the origin, need for and development of international
food safety standards. Randy Huffman closed the meeting
with the John H. Silliker Lecture, " Food Safety with
Purpose: Reflection, Execution and Foresight, " an
inspiring discussion of leadership and execution in
food safety. In between there were more than 1,200
presentations, including 71 symposia, 25 roundtables,
16 technical sessions, and more than 800 poster
presentations. The conference was preceded by
six workshops, providing relevant education and
training on food safety processes and tools.
I appreciate the hard work of all those who committed
their time to develop, lead and present in workshops,
symposia, roundtables and technical sessions, and the
scientists who put together posters of their fresh-fromthe-bench,
cutting-edge research. As usual, the Program
Committee did heroic and complex work to review
and provide feedback on submissions, and to sort and
organize them into a coherent program. As usual, the
IAFP staff managed the meeting logistics in a way that
appeared flawless and effortless.
There were 154 exhibitors at the meeting, providing
information on a variety of tools, technologies and
services to support food safety research and management.
Our exhibitors play an important role in keeping us up to
date on what is available, and to give us an opportunity
to discover. Along with our 37 sponsors, our exhibitors
(Continued on page 439)
FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Lisa K. Hovey
Thank you to everyone who
played a role in the success of
IAFP 2023! As Tim summarized
the meeting in his column,
there are many pieces that have
to come together during an
Annual Meeting to make it flow
flawlessly. I hope each of you
who attended took home the
excitement of what IAFP stands for and the impact we
make on the world of food safety!
I was exhausted when I finally got home - after a week
with more than 124,000 steps and a day delay in the
airport, as many of you can relate! But I am so excited
to see where we can take the Association in the future.
Now that the meeting is over, it is not time to forget
about IAFP and the connections you made. Attending
conferences is not just about gaining knowledge; it's
about gaining a network of like-minded individuals who
can help you continue to grow professionally.
The next date you need to mark on your calendars
is Tuesday, October 3. This is the day proposals for
Symposia, Roundtables and Workshops for IAFP
2024 are due! We would love to be able to include all
submissions in our program, but as you know, that is
impossible. So work with your colleagues and focus on
topics that cover current work or the newest findings. If
you have an idea but need help developing a proposal,
reach out to the PDG leadership and collaborate with
them. Food safety is a team sport!
So as I conclude, I hope you are as energized as I am for
the upcoming year. I loved getting to meet so many of you
at the meeting, and I look forward to making many more
connections. For those of you who do not know me, I am
a " people person. " So please reach out to me anytime! It is
together that we will Advance Food Safety Worldwide!
374 Food Protection Trends September/October
Food Protection Trends - September/October 2023

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