IAFP Invites Annual Meeting Attendees to New Late Breaking Session

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Des Moines, Iowa - On Wednesday, August 6, 2008, IAFP will host the Late Breaking Session -Tomatoes, Peppers, Cilantro? The Consequences of the Salmonella Saintpaul Produce-related Outbreak at the IAFP 2008 Annual Meeting.

The roundtable will focus on the recent outbreak of Salmonella Saintpaul. The outbreak has dealt another economic blow to the produce industry and again challenged consumers' confidence in the safety of the supply of fresh vegetables. With over 1,000 cases in most of the US states, this incident is one of the largest produce-related outbreaks in history.

The program will feature Ian Williams, Centers of Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia and Sherri McGarry, Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland, who will report outbreak investigation details. Keith Schneider, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida will share valuable insight from US and Mexico research. Cristobal Chaidez-Quiroz, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico, will describe how Mexico managed the incident that affected their exports, leading to significant economic losses for the tomato industry of both Mexico and the US. The session will wrap up with a response from Dave Gombas, United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, D.C. followed by a roundtable discussion with all the speakers and Patty Lovera, Food & Water Watch, Washington, D.C.

This roundtable is an excellent opportunity to hear first-hand about the latest progress of this investigation and the proposed response from the regulatory agencies and industry.

For more information on the Late Breaking Session or other program topics please, contact the Association office at 800.369.6337 or 515.276.3344; fax: 515.276.8655, E-mail: info@foodprotection.org; or visit the Web site: www.foodprotection.org.