Food Protection Trends - November/December 2023 - 519

OUR EXPERIENCES
By the Recipients of the IAFP 2023 Travel Award for State or Provincial Health
or Agricultural Department Employees in North America
Marijke Decuir
Minnesota Department
of Health
St. Paul, Minnesota
I was honored to be selected for a Travel Award for State or Provincial Health or
Agricultural Department Employees in North America this year. This award significantly
simplified the travel process and allowed me to take part in the dynamic and vibrant
conference organized by IAFP, an experience I hope to repeat in the future.
Attending the conference provided me with a new perspective on food safety beyond
what I typically encounter in my government work. Among the diverse range of sessions I
was able to attend, those that stood out the most were ones that highlighted the systemic
changes made by various food industries in response to past outbreaks. Dr. Randy
Huffman's John H. Silliker Lecture touched on this with his work to garner a strong food
safety culture at Maple Leaf Foods following a Listeria outbreak. I also found this cultural
change facet to be exemplified by the presenters in the session titled " Mexican Papaya
Safety: A Case Study in Collaboration, Education and Root Cause Analysis. "
Having worked on a couple of multi-state outbreaks of Salmonella linked to papayas
during my career, I was interested in seeing what changes were made following the
2019 outbreak. As was discussed in the " What could 'sharing data' actually look like
in an outbreak " roundtable, getting back to root causes of contamination is complex
and can take many years. The papaya session shed light on how the industry, through
collaboration and regulatory efforts, addressed the issues identified by past outbreaks
head on. And they did this all during the challenging environment of the early days of the
COVID pandemic.
In addition to attending a wide variety of educational sessions, I was able to meet new mentors who offered valuable
insights and perspectives and reconnect with old colleagues in an atmosphere that promoted collaboration and fostered
a sense of community. Many thanks to the IAFP Foundation and the Selection Committee members for the support
through this award.
Attending IAFP 2023 was a gift that I was honored to receive by means of the IAFP
Foundation. This was my first time attending, and I could not have wished for a better
experience. My favorite experience was meeting people from around the globe and
listening to the knowledge and actions, based on science, and trying to accomplish the
same outcome: safe food for all.
The Travel Award Program provides a multitude of experiences during the event
to get people interacting, discussing, and collaborating for the advancement of
food science. During my walks through the Exhibit Hall, I was able to see the latest
technology and practices used in laboratories, industrial settings, and more. While
perusing the poster sessions, I learned so much about how science-based studies
advance technology and food safe practices. Attending all the symposia, roundtables,
and technical sessions just made me feel so empowered to bring back all that
knowledge to my local health department and put what I have learned into practice.
As a final note, I want to express that I was truly humbled by my experiences at
Casey Gardner
Virginia Department of Health
Newport News, Virginia
IAFP 2023 and wish to thank all the people at IAFP who made this event happen. In the
future, I hope to make a difference by keeping to the adage: " Think globally, act locally! "
November/December Food Protection Trends 519

Food Protection Trends - November/December 2023

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