International Association for Food Protection Holds 2022-2023 Secretary Election

Thursday, January 27, 2022

Des Moines, Iowa - The International Association for Food Protection is proud to announce
Dr. Alejandro “Alex” Castillo and Dr. Manpreet Singh as candidates for the 2022–2023 Secretary. The elected Secretary will assume his position following IAFP 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August and will serve a five-year term of successive positions. Electronic ballots will be provided to all Association Members, and the election will remain open through March 8, 2022. Election results will be announced in May on the IAFP website, in the May IAFP Report, and in the May/June issue of Food Protection Trends. 

Dr. Alejandro Castillo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at Texas A&M University in College Station. He also served as Chair of the Graduate Faculty of Food Science from 2008–2010 and leads a food safety program for Latin America, seeking partnerships with Latin American universities in developing joint teaching programs, industry training, and collaborative research. Within this program, Dr. Castillo taught as invited faculty at various universities in Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Before joining Texas A&M University, Dr. Castillo worked at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico for nearly two decades, holding a faculty position and conducting research and teaching in food microbiology and food safety. He also has an active research program focused on the development and validation of control measures for minimizing and reducing pathogens in fresh and fresh-cut food products; the bacterial reduction on beef and pork products and fresh produce by sanitizing rinses; the ecology of bacterial populations on the surface of raw fruits and vegetables; and the use of non-thermal treatments for food safety purposes. He is a published author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and books (as editor) and has delivered numerous presentations in Latin America, the U.S., Kenya, Armenia, and Australia.

Dr. Castillo joined IAFP in 1995 and has served on several IAFP Standing Committees including the Editorial Board for the Journal of Food Protection (JFP), the JFP Management Committee, the Program Committee, and the Produce Quality & Safety Professional Development Group (PDG), including as Chair. He has also been a member on Special Committees, such as the Audiovisual Committee, Nominating Committee, and several Award Selection Committees. He currently serves on the IAFP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In addition, Dr. Castillo served as Affiliate Council Chair, representing Affiliates on the Executive Board, and is a long-time member of the Texas Association for Food Protection, serving as Delegate and Treasurer. He also helped establish the Mexico Association for Food Protection and served as its first President.

Dr. Castillo received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Guadalajara and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M, where he also completed post-doctoral work conducting research on microbial food safety.

Dr. Manpreet Singh is a Professor and Department Head for the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgia (UGA) on the Athena campus. Dr. Singh’s research over the years has focused on persistence, prevalence, and transmission of foodborne pathogens in food processing environments and processed transmission of foodborne pathogens in food processing environments and processed foods; development and validation of intervention strategies to improve microbial safety of foods; and antimicrobial resistance of foodborne pathogens associated with food animals, specifically poultry. His Extension Program includes teaching processing programs related to FSMA, HACCP, seafood, and validation and verification programs. His current research activities involve international development, specifically in Senegal, focused on the dairy value chain as part of the USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety.

Throughout his academic career, Dr. Singh has served on numerous departmental, college, and university committees. He received the Seeds for Success – Excellence in Research Award at Purdue University and the Bravo Award for Operational Excellence, and served in 2015 as a university fellow for the Scholarship of Engagement and Outreach at Purdue University. In 2017, Dr. Singh received the Project Team Award from Auburn University as part of its farm and consumer environmental safety and security working group. In 2015, he was elected to serve on the USDA-FSIS National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection for one year.

Dr. Singh joined IAFP in 2001 and has organized, convened, and presented IAFP symposia at several Annual Meetings. His Association involvement includes serving on the Food Protection Trends (FPT) Management Committee; the JFP Editorial Board, and the IAFP Program Committee, serving as its Chair for the 2020 virtual IAFP Annual Meeting. He received the President’s Recognition Award in 2013 for his service on the FPT Management Committee. Dr. Singh also served on the Developing Scientists Award Committee and is currently Chair of the Webinar Committee. He is a member of several IAFP PDGs and has been a Member of many IAFP Affiliates throughout his career, including the Indian Association for Food Protection in North America (IAFPNA), which he co-founded and served as Treasurer for two years.

Dr. Singh holds a bachelor’s in Agricultural Sciences with a specialization in Food Technology from Punjab Agricultural University in India. He has a master’s from Kansas State University and a Ph.D. from Iowa State University.