2016 European Symposium
May 11 – May 13
IAFP’s European Symposium on Food Safety took place 11–13 May in Athens, Greece at the Megaron Athens International Conference Center, with more than 320 delegates participating. The meeting is held in collaboration with the International Life Sciences Institute Europe and with the technical cooperation of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
Eleni Myrivillis from the University of the Aegean welcomed the delegates to the Symposium on behalf of the Mayor of the City of Athens. IAFP President Alejandro Mazzotta, Chobani, LLC, spoke on “Food Safety Management Systems.” Eirini (Rena) Tsigarida, Hellenic Food Authority, concluded the Opening Session with her presentation on “Risk-based Approaches to Food Safety.” Twenty-four symposia and eight technical sessions, along with a Closing Plenary Session, compiled the three-day program.
More than 120 oral presentations and more than 100 poster presentations were given throughout the meeting. Several students competed in the Student Competition, with Cristina Rodriguez, University of Liège, and Ifigeneia Makariti, Agricultural University of Athens, receiving honors for their poster presentations during the conference.
The Closing Session included “The Fallacious Fecal Coliform,” presented by Michael Brodsky, Brodsky Consultants; “Tree Nuts: Food Safety Risk and Intervention,” presented by IAFP President-Elect Linda J. Harris, University of California – Davis; and “Beyond Food Safety Management Systems – Food Safety Culture,” presented by Frank Yiannas, Walmart. The session concluded with the Awards Presentation by Alejandro Mazzotta, followed by closing remarks.
The deserving recipient of the 2016 Europe Student Travel Scholarship Award, sponsored by the IAFP Foundation, was Amanda Demeter, a Ph.D. candidate at Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary, and a visiting student at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich, UK. Amanda is a member of a Network Biology group in the Department of Genetics at ELTE, where she uses computational techniques to investigate the role of different Salmonella Typhimurium proteins in modifying the authophagy. While earning her M.Sc. and throughout her Ph.D. studies, her research has focused on the complex mechanism behind autophagy during infection. Amanda is currently receiving laboratory training from the Institute of Food Research, where she regularly spends short-term internships.
This year’s symposium was supported in part by our exhibitors and sponsors through their financial contributions. Seventeen companies shared their food safety equipment, products and services with attendees through displays in the Exhibit Hall. We appreciate each of these companies for the support they provided to the symposium.
Other groups to be recognized include the Organizing Committee, chaired by Patrice Arbault, and the Local Organizing Committee, chaired by George-John Nychas. IAFP extends its sincere appreciation to the hard work and extensive time provided by the committee members, as well as by the symposium organizers and convenors. The combined efforts from all who helped plan and organize the European Symposium in Athens resulted in another highly successful conference.