Food Protection Trends Management Committee
Mission Statement: To provide guidance to the Executive Board on matters concerning Food Protection Trends.
Next Meeting
Virtual: TBD
In Person: IAFP 2025
July 27, 2025, Huntington Convention Center, Cleveland, Ohio
How to Join
Involvement in committees and professional development groups (PDGs) offers Members the opportunity to share a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Members of committees and PDGs are the architects of the Association structure. They plan, develop and institute many of the Association's projects, including workshops, publications and educational sessions. Technical challenges facing the food safety industry are discussed, examined and debated. Members may volunteer to serve on any number of committees or PDGs that plan and implement activities to meet the Association's mission.
Standing Committees provide operational or functional support to IAFP. Individuals are appointed by the President-Elect and confirmed by the Executive Board. Membership appointments are for 3-year terms on a rotating basis with balanced representation from education, government and industry. All appointments may be renewed for one additional term. Requests for membership on a Standing Committee should be directed to the President-Elect.
Minutes
Board Responses
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1. We recommend that the Executive Board allow FPT to have a special issue on the IAFP Annual Meeting which would consist of FPT being able to develop a set of instructions or call for articles from the IAFP symposia, roundtables, technical talks, posters, etc. from members/PDGs (call target Fall 2024; target issue Spring 2025). All approved, Cathy abstained.
Board Response: Board Response: The Board likes this proposed idea asks that the FPT Management Committee develop a timeline for publishing, taking into consideration the timeframe for symposia acceptance, and develop instructions for a special issue.
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2. Make FPT open-access six months after the publication date.
Board Response: Board Response: This was implemented per the 2023 recommendation.
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3. We recommend that the Executive Board provide input on how to proceed with the Industry Products section of FPT, specifically, can FPT charge for these product placements/advertisements/promos? All approved, Cathy abstained.
Board Response: Board Response: The Board discussed and decided to eliminate the Industry Products section of the FPT beginning with the January/February 2025 issue.
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4. We recommend that the Executive Board remove the President’s and Executive Director columns from FPT. Instead use any preferred format chosen by the President and Executive Director to provide their IAFP updates, announcements and activity happenings to the membership. This will allow real-time updates. All approved, Cathy abstained.
Board Response: Board Response: According to the most recent FPT survey, these columns were valuable to readers. We will expand our communications beyond the columns to other formats, including short video clips, updates via email, and other communications.
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5. We recommend that the Executive Board allow FPT to use and support multi-media options (such as videos) to promote FPT articles. Maybe a trial period. All approved, Cathy abstained.
Board Response: Board Response: The Board supports this idea and asks for the Committee to develop a plan which should include the multimedia options.
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Appoint Connie Fisk as Vice Chair.
Board Response: Approved.
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Make FPT open-access six months after the publication date.
Board Response: Approved. Board recommends considering a shorter “embargo” period for articles published in FPT and encourages the committee to re-evaluate this at their next meeting to align with JFP and make fully open access from date of publication.
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Appoint an Associate Editor for FPT.
Board Response: The Board is in favor of this idea and asks for more detailed information about a timeline, responsibilities, and job description for the proposed associate editor position.
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Appoint a consultant to support FPT in its strategic planning initiative.
Board Response: The Board approves this idea and will contact Judy Luther of Informed Strategies LLC to take on this role.
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Honor outstanding reviewer(s); selected by the Scientific Editor/IAFP team to highlight at the Editorial Board Reception.
Board Response: The Board approves this idea and would suggest establishing criteria and rubric for review by the Board.
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Modify and adopt a similar policy to Elsevier’s language for the AI policy in FPT (that is used by JFP).
Board Response: The Board approves this idea and will work with the Editor to update the FPT Instructions for Authors.
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Allow book reviews in FPT under the general interest category: with approval by the Scientific Editor in advance.
Board Response: The Board approves this idea and would like to see the criteria established for submitting book reviews (open invitation, Editor-assigned, etc.)
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1. Because of ethics review and clearance, federal employees may not be able to serve their entire 3 years on the committee. Therefore, it is recommended that the term begins when the ethics review is clear. Potentially move up committee invitations to the beginning of the year rather than the current invitation which is in October.
Board Response: Committee terms begin at the committee meeting taking place at the Annual Meeting. Invitations to join committees have typically been issued in March. We will adjust the schedule in an attempt to issue invitations earlier.
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2. Recommendation to adopt the same formatting as JFP once the switch to Elsevier begins so the same style guide can be used for both journals.
Board Response: Agreed
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3. Make a call for Case Studies where we could open up or reach out to specific people based on things that have happened recently in the food industry.
Board Response: This is an interesting idea. Please explore this further and provide additional information and details.
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4. Call to papers: approach and refine later but reach out to commodity boards/trades, symposium, industry, affiliates, and government partners and see how we can get authors from those organizations.
Board Response: Agreed. The Board is supportive of new ways to find authors for articles.
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5. Make a recommendation to include a blank where authors or editorial board members can suggest reviewers. Create an invitation email if the person is not on the editorial board.
Board Response: This will be explored and added to the submission system, if possible.
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1. Prepare a checklist for authors preparing a paper to assist in
paper preparation and submission. Add the checklist form to
the end of the author guide.
Board Response: Agree, please work with staff to prepare the checklist.
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2. Recommend mimicking for FPT the adoption of the current
ASM style guide in a manner similar to that implemented by
the Journal of Food Protection, with specific reference to the
formatting of references and other bibliographic material.
Board Response: Agree.
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3. Recommend approval of Laura Strawn as Vice-Chair of the
FPT Management Committee.
Board Response: Agree.
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4. Move forward to add DOIs to all FPT papers published starting
in 2022.
Board Response: Agree.
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Make FPT articles free access 5 years post-publication, provided that no publication fees will be required.
Board Response: IAFP staff will look into what is involved and the associated costs to accomplish this request and report to the Board.
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Give authors the option of making FPT research and general interest papers open access with a fee model like JFP’s.
Board Response: IAFP staff will look into how this might be able to be accomplished and will report to the Board.
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Provide authors with listing of editing firms for copy editing similar to JFP.
Board Response: IAFP staff will add the list of those services that can help with English language transitions to the FPT Instructions for Authors.
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Affirm scientific editors’ decision-making authority to request and assign ad-hoc reviewers for articles as needed.
Board Response: Agree that the Scientific Editor has authority to request and assign ad-hoc reviewers for articles while also considering the Editorial Board experience.
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Consider implementing DOI for FPT research and general interest papers.
Board Response: IAFP staff will look into adding DOIs for FPT papers.
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Appointment of Byron Chaves as Vice Chair for Food Protection Trends.
Board Response: Agree.
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Reappointment of Cathy Cutter to another 5-year term as Scientific Editor of Food Protection Trends.
Board Response: Agree. Reappointment will be for a 4-year term, as per the IAFP Bylaws.
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Articles published in FPT will become open access immediately upon publication.
Board Response: The Board will review Membership benefits and overall offering to Members in considering this recommendation.
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Editing FPT Instructions for Authors to include a paragraph in the instructions for authors to remove bibliographic field codes to alleviate issues in editing.
Board Response: Agree. FPT Management Committee leaders and FPT Scientific Editor to make author instruction revisions.
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Food Protection Trends should share a booth on expo floor alongside Journal of Food Protection to promote journal to membership at 2020 IAFP Annual Meeting in Cleveland, OH.
Board Response: Agree.
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It is recommended that Matt Taylor be recognized as Vice Chair and will ascend to Chair on July 21, 2019.
Board Response: Agree
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It is recommended that five awards be developed to recognize publications in FPT and be awarded during the 2018 meeting:
1. Most-cited peer-reviewed publication. This award will recognize the most-cited publication based upon citations over the past five calendar years. Metrics will be determined from Web of Science based upon Clarivate Analytics.
2. Most-viewed peer-reviewed publication. This award will recognize the most viewed publication published over the past 2 calendar years. The 2018 award will be compiled from articles published from Jan–Feb of 2016 until Nov–Dec 2017. Donna Bahun will obtain data based upon views in the prior calendar year.
3. Most viewed general interest publication. This award will recognize the most viewed publication published over the past 2 calendar years. The 2018 award will be compiled from articles published from Jan–Feb of 2016 until Nov–Dec 2017. Donna Bahun will obtain data based upon views in the prior calendar year.
4. Most downloaded peer-reviewed publication. This award will recognize the most downloaded publication published over the past 2 calendar years. The 2018 award will be compiled from articles published from Jan–Feb of 2016 until Nov–Dec 2017. Donna Bahun will obtain data based upon downloads in the prior calendar year.
5. Most downloaded general interest publication. This award will recognize the most downloaded publication published over the past 2 calendar years.
The 2018 award will be compiled from articles published from Jan–Feb of 2016 until Nov–Dec 2017. Donna Bahun will obtain data based upon downloads in the prior calendar year.
Board Response: Agree if the metrics can be obtained.
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It is recommended that the final survey be delivered by a web-based survey platform that will allow for integrated logic to be established within the survey (direct next question based upon response). Cathy Cutter, Faith Critzer, and Donna Bahun will work to craft preamble to the survey and test the instrument once available prior to release to all IAFP members. It is also recommended that a $100 gift card be awarded randomly to one participant in order to incentivize participation.
Board Response: Agree
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It is recommended that a new online viewing platform be considered by the Executive Board for FPT. The current platform makes it difficult for the IAFP membership to access and view content. Consider allowing for hyperlinked table of contents so readers don’t have to advance through all content to get to an article they are interested in reading and improve the ability to view content (ex. font is too small and zoom is too close).
Board Response: Agree, IAFP staff will look into options of a new platform. The current table of contents is linked to the article page for ease of navigation.
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FPT Management Committee would like to recognize one publication from Food Protection Trends at the Annual Meeting Editorial Board Reception in 2017. It is recommended that data be collected with respect to 1) most viewed, 2) most downloaded, and 3) most cited manuscripts in order for the FPT Management Committee to determine what the appropriate metric(s) are to recognize one publication in Food Protection Trends. It is recommended that this data be collected for six months and reported back to FPT Management Committee during a mid-year conference call, at which time they will determine the appropriate course of action for creating an award to be given during the Editorial Board Reception
at IAFP 2017.
Board Response: Staff will collect the data and provide to the Committee for their teleconference.
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It is recommended that a survey tool be developed for the IAFP membership with the broad goal of obtaining feedback with regard to Food Protection Trends. FPT Management Committee has created a subcommittee tasked with creating this tool and presenting it for approval to the FPT Management Committee during a mid-year conference call, and, if approved, to the IAFP Executive Board.
Board Response: Staff will contract with a third-party vendor to conduct a publications survey. The subcommittee should provide suggested questions that can be included related to FPT.
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Recommend to the Board to appoint Faith Critzer as the Vice Chair of Food Protection Trends Management Committee.
Board Response: Approve.
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Recommend to the Board to reappoint Catherine (Cathy) Cutter as the FPT Scientific Editor a 4-year term.
Board Response: Approve.
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Recommend to the Board to check with Allen Pre-publication Reference Checker to check references in journal articles submitted for publication.
Board Response: IAFP staff to research the cost and see if it can be used for both JFP and FPT. Use of the correct “EndNote” template can also help.
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Recommend to the Board to redefine in the IAFP Bylaws Section V, Part C the definition of FPT to include words such as applied research, information, and member news.
Board Response: FPT Editor and staff to look into redefining this section of the Bylaws. Then a recommendation would be made to the Constitution & Bylaws Committee to consider the change.
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Recommend to the Board to develop a survey to determine if FPT and JFP are meeting the needs of the membership.
Board Response: IAFP staff will look into the cost and determine if the survey should be jointly conducted for both journals or if a separate survey for each is needed. It will need to be determined if the survey has a readership or publishing focus.
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Recommend to the Board to determine the numbers and usage of articles downloaded from IAFP website by users.
Board Response: IAFP staff will work with the Web developer to obtain additional statistics.
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Recommend to the Board to make all back issues of FPT and DFES available online so can be searchable as budget permits.
Board Response: Articles that were readily available have already been posted. For older articles, staff will investigate cost and time needed to post.
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Recommend to the Board that if repeated formatting issues arise in submissions, authors will be charged fees/penalty for extra time spent. The fees will be based on staff time.
Board Response: The Board approved charging $300 to authors whose papers require excessive formatting.
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Recommend to the Board to develop a one-pager/flyer that will be included in package material for international and Affiliate meetings on what type of articles, how to submit articles and the process for review of articles in FPT.
Board Response: Staff will create a flyer to attract submissions to FPT.
