Data Management and Analytics Professional Development Group

Mission Statement: To provide a multidisciplinary forum for advancing the application of data management and analytics in food safety and quality.

Meeting Information

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.

Membership on a PDG is voluntary (not by appointment) and may vary from year to year.

IAFP Members can manage their PDG involvement by logging in to the IAFP Web site. At the Member Dashboard, click “Edit Profile.” Your profile has two tabs: Contact Info and Professional Info. Select the Professional Info tab and update the PDGs you would like to participate in. We highly recommend that you contact the PDG chairperson for each group to let them know you have joined their PDG.

Non-members can contact Dina Siedenburg, dsiedenburg@foodprotection.org for more information.

Minutes

Board Responses

2024 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. 1. To provide clear recommendations on aspects they are looking for proposal sessions. Give additional guidance and feedback on the proposals.

    Board Response: Board Response: The Board will work with the Program Committee to provide guidance.

  2. 2. Better communicate feedback from the Board, which can help upcoming proposals.

    Board Response: Board Response: The Board will work with the Program Committee to improve the feedback provided.

2023 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. None.
2022 Board Response to Recommendations
  1. Would it be possible to ensure that the time for this PDG meeting does not overlap the time of several related PDGs, such as the Advanced Molecular Analytics, Food Safety Assessment and Audit, Microbial Modelling and Risk Analysis.

    Board Response: This will be taken into consideration when scheduling PDG meetings at IAFP 2023.

  2. Would it be possible for PDG Chairs to meet several times throughout the year (e.g., quarterly)?

    Board Response: Agreed. PDG Chairs should meet 2 or 3 times per year in addition to meeting at the Annual Meeting.

Webinars

  • Diversify Your Food Safety and Quality Data: Where Are My Results and What Are They Telling Me? Nov 15, 2023

    Organized by: Applied Laboratory Methods PDG, Data Management & Analytics PDG, and Hygiena

    In today's food industry, data collection is widespread, but often, this data remains in raw forms like numbers and symbols due to departmental silos and profitability concerns. Companies struggle to create a comprehensive narrative about product safety and quality despite investing time and effort in sample collection and lab tests. Modern tools leverage internet connectivity and advanced algorithms to unlock the true potential of this data, revolutionizing the food industry. However, challenges lie in effectively implementing these technologies. This session aims to encourage the sharing of industry practices related to environmental monitoring, indicator testing, pathogen detection, and quality analysis. By uniting these facets, collaborative problem-solving can address issues without inadvertently creating new ones.

    Learning Objectives:

    •Data Digitization for Holistic Food Safety and Quality Management
    •Maximizing Your Testing Budget for Actionable Data-Driven Decision-Making
    •Utilization of Indicators and Pathogens to Manage from Live Production, Process Control and Final Product

    Download Slides

    Presenters
    • Mindy Brashears, Presenter Director of ICFIE at Texas Tech University
    • Karen Beers, Presenter Pilgrim's, Director – Lab Services
    • Matt Hahs, Moderator Hygiena, Sr Global Product Manager