IAFP Announces 2021 Travel Award Recipients

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Des Moines, Iowa – The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) will present Travel Awards to the following individuals at IAFP 2021, July 18–21, in Phoenix, Arizona. Sponsored by IAFP and the IAFP Foundation, the Travel Award for Health or Agricultural Department Employees in North America and the Travel Award for Food Safety Professionals in a Country with a Developing Economy will provide funding to enable recipients to travel to and participate in IAFP 2021.

The Travel Award for Health or Agricultural Department Employees in North America will be presented to the following individual:

Jennifer Eberly is the State Director of the State of Maine’s Meat and Poultry Inspection Program, overseeing regulation of both state-inspected facilities and facilities operating under the Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program. Dr. Eberly was instrumental in bringing the CIS Program to Maine in 2018 and more recently, expansion of the Maine MPI Program to meet increased demand for local meat and poultry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Travel Award for Food Safety Professionals in a Country with a Developing Economy will be presented to the following individuals:

Kubir Nath Bhattarai is the Deputy Chief Food Safety Officer in Food Safety and Quality Division of the Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA), a competent food safety authority of the Royal Government of Bhutan. Mr. Bhattarai is involved in identification, formulation, and implementation of national capacity building for food safety, quality, and standards, as well as resource mobilization where he develops training tools and materials; conducts training with his subordinates and superiors; and conducts follow-up for workshops, seminars, meetings, consultations, and conferences. Mr. Bhattarai is also responsible for preparing and managing several small projects on strengthening the capacity on plant and animal biosecurity and food safety in Bhutan.

Titilayo D.O. Falade is an Associate Scientist at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Nigeria where she works on food safety-related research in collaboration with researchers at multiple institutions. Dr. Falade’s current research interests are in aflatoxin biocontrol, decontamination of aflatoxins using probiotic bacteria, and rapid detection of food adulterants using near infrared spectroscopy. Additional research includes the development of aflatoxin biocontrol in countries within the Sahel region and gendered studies on aflatoxin management in Nigeria. She also mentors graduate students in mycotoxin and food adulteration research.

Amin N. Olaimat is an Associate Professor of Food Safety and Hygiene at The Hashemite University in Jordan, currently working as Chair of the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics on the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences. Mr. Olaimat’s research is focused on food safety issues of traditional foods common in the Mediterranean area, utilizing medicinal plants and natural preservatives to control foodborne pathogens and bacterial antibiotic resistance. He is also conducting research with investigators in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Canada, the United States, and several other countries.