Food Protection Trends - May/June 2024 - 150

COMMENTARY
FROM YOUR PRESIDENT | Tim Jackson
" Though no one can go back and
make a brand-new start, anyone can
start from now and make a brandnew
ending. " - Carl Bard
I was recently invited to speak
about IAFP at the University of
Georgia Center for Food Safety's
Annual Research Symposium and
did some digging into the history of the Association and its
contributions to food safety in the years since its inception.
It wasn't difficult. There are two great resources on the IAFP
website: IAFP 100th Anniversary History 1911-2011 in
celebration of the Association's Centennial birthday (www.
foodprotection.org/downloads/history-book.pdf), and
an interactive timeline (https://www.foodprotection.org/
about/history/timeline/) covering key developments in
food safety and the Association's history.
The International Association of Dairy and Milk Inspectors
(IAFP today) began in 1911 as a group that " banded
together because of their conviction that improvements were
needed in the nation's milk supply. " In 1923, the Association
defined pasteurization conditions necessary for proper performance
and endorsed the procedure as " the only adequate
safeguard for milk suppliers. " In 1946, restaurant sanitarians
joined the Association. As it grew, the organization became
a platform for training, networking, and sharing technical
information, as well as the development of tools such as
the Journal of Milk Technology (now the Journal of Food
Protection); development of the 3-A Sanitary Standards;
and publication of both the Procedures for the Investigation
of Foodborne Diseases and Procedures for the Investigation of
Waterborne Diseases.
In the 1930s, the Association proposed that state associations
should form in all states that had 25 or more members.
In 1944, five state associations became Affiliates, and today
there are more than 50 Affiliates across Africa, Asia, Australia,
Europe, North America, and South America. Affiliates
have become an important focus to connect local food safety
professionals, and network, train, identify, and address issues
of importance to the local food industry, furthering the work
envisioned by the founders of our Association. Just as PDGs
are opportunities for professionals to connect and work
on specific topics, Affiliates are a powerful resource for the
regional industry and food safety communities.
Continued on page 251
FROM YOUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Lisa K. Hovey
IAFP is one big family!
Do you ever wonder how many
food safety professionals belong
to the Association? And where do
these Members come from? As of
the end of March, IAFP has 4,396
Members. We are extremely happy
with this number. The impact of the
pandemic on IAFP's Membership-
and membership organizations in general-was a huge setback.
At the end of July 2020, IAFP's Membership dipped down to
3,330 Members. Prior to that, you would have to go back to
2009 to see numbers that low! But we are happy to report that
IAFP is a strong network of food safety professionals, and we
were able to recover (and still working on getting our financial
health back).
If we look back 10 years, our Membership was at 3,926
Members. If we go back 20 years, our Membership was at 2,868.
150 Food Protection Trends May/June
Being a numbers person, I want to break these numbers
down further. Members from North America total 3,563
and outside North America total 833 (approximately 19%).
The proportion of Members outside of North America has
remained consistent as the Association has grown.
The largest sector of membership growth has come from
our Student Members. Currently, we have 622 Student
Members. Student Membership has increased more than 5.6%
in the past five years and more than 36% in the past ten years!
Students are the future of IAFP. At IAFP 2024, we are excited
to offer several opportunities for students to get involved!
Why are you a Member of IAFP? What can you do to help
expand the IAFP family? Spread the word! Reach out to
potential Members and share your IAFP story with them. A
personal invitation is the best marketing effort we can get.
And finally, I want to thank you for your involvement in IAFP.
We value your Membership and dedication to food safety!
http://www.foodprotection.org/downloads/history-book.pdf https://www.foodprotection.org/about/history/timeline) https://www.foodprotection.org/about/history/timeline)
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