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.
1. Recommend approval of Marcel Zwietering as Vice Chair of the International Food Protection Issues PDG.
Board Response: Agree.
2. Keep the hybrid option open for future conferences (including the regional conferences such as the EU symposium).
Board Response: IAFP will continue to evaluate meeting formats going forward. Presently, we plan to return to in-person speakers and attendees for 2022. Presentations are available (and have been since 2012) for viewing after completion of the Annual Meeting.
2020 Board Response to Recommendations
None
2019 Board Response to Recommendations
That DeAnn Benesh be approved as Vice Chair of the PDG beginning at IAFP 2019.
Board Response: Agree.
2018 Board Response to Recommendations
In view of the high attendance at the International Food
Protection Issues PDG and the enthusiastic contributions
of members, the PDG requests that the time allowed for the
meeting be extended to 2–5 p.m. on the Saturday preceding
the Annual Meeting.
Board Response: Agree.
2017 Board Response to Recommendations
To approve the election of Ian Jenson to Vice Chair of the PDG.
Board Response: Agree.
To provide written summaries of IAFP international meetings to be printed in Food Protection Trends.
Board Response: Agree, currently, IAFP international meetings are reviewed in Food Protection Trends.
2016 Board Response to Recommendations
PDG members commented they may not be able to attend anymore because of difficulty budgeting extra time and financial resources as it is held on Saturday. The PDG requests the Board to consider providing audio-
visual access to the meeting for members to attend and contribute from a distance.
Board Response: This PDG was originally scheduled on Saturday to accommodate international members who arrive early to the Annual Meeting. If the meeting agenda were circulated early (6 weeks or more prior to the meeting), members could set their travel plans to accommodate attending the PDG meeting.
2015 Board Response to Recommendations
Approve Leon Gorris as the new Vice Chair, with the term of Chair to begin in 2017.
Board Response: Approve.
2014 Board Response to Recommendations
Approve Bobby Krishna as the new Vice Chair, with the term of Chair to begin in 2015.
Board Response: Approved.
Investigate the potential for partnership with the World Bank on the Global Food Safety Partnership.
Board Response: IAFP is already participating with the World Bank on the Global Food Safety Partnership.
Consider inviting a speaker to give the Ivan Parkin lecture on the topic of the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Organization.
Board Response: This recommendation will be forwarded to the selection committee.
Webinars
Cronobacter in the Spotlight: New Insights Into a Known OrganismJul 13, 2022
Organized by: ILSI Europe, the Low Water Activity Foods PDG, Microbial Modelling and Risk Analysis PDG, and the International Food Protection Issues PDG
Description: Cronobacter spp. is generally known to survive for long times in dry environments and can also form biofilms. Due to these characteristics the genus is ubiquitous in the environment, and has been isolated from different sources: water, soil, dust, cereals, animal products, herbs, spices and others. Cronobacter spp. (formerly known as Enterobacter sakazakii) was also identified as causative agent in foodborne outbreaks, esp. leading to severe infections, and even death, in infants. Since the majority of cases are in neonates and even premature neonates, the main food product involved is powdered infant formula for babies of 0-6 months. The organism is very robust in surviving dry conditions and is even more difficult to control in dry factory environments than Salmonella. The persistence of these organisms also led to re-occurring outbreaks, fortunately not frequently, but consistent. In this webinar, we will start with a short introduction to the organism and then discuss more details, which are relevant for Cronobacter spp. controls, with an expert panel on subjects like: epidemiology, ecology, persistence, sampling, detection and identification methods, microbiological criteria, and preventive measures. The audience is invited to send in questions beforehand.
Learning Objectives:
Epidemiology, Ecology, Persistence, Sampling, Detection and Identification Methods
Microbiological Criteria
Preventive measures
Presenters
Seamus Fanning , PresenterUniversity of Dublin, Ireland
Roy Betts, PresenterCampden BRI Group, UK
Marcel Zwietering, PresenterUniversity of Wageningen, The Netherlands
Francois Bourdichon, PresenterUniversità Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, France
Stephen Forsythe, PresenterGuest lecturer at the University of Hong Kong and Advisor Center for Food Safety, South Africa
Anett Winkler, ModeratorCargill, Germany
The Global Burden of Foodborne Disease - Results and perspectives of WHO’s Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group (FERG)Feb 9, 2016
The WHO Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group is providing estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases, according to age, sex and region, for a defined list of causative agents of microbial, parasitic, and chemical origin, thereby strengthening the capacity of countries to assess the burden of foodborne disease and increasing awareness and commitment for the implementation of food safety standards. These estimates provide valuable information for food safety professionals.
This webinar is sponsored by Wageningen University, Marcel Zwietering, Leon Gorris, Arie Havelaar and an anonymous MMRA PDG Member.
