International Food Protection Issues Professional Development Group

Webinars

• Introduction to Toxicology Part II: New Methodologies: Application in Food Safety and International Trade  May 16, 2023

  Organized by: IAFP's The International Food Protection Issues PDG

  Part Two of a Two-Part Series: New Methodologies: Application in Food Safety and International Trade
  Producing safe food requires attention to several aspects of the food during production, harvesting, processing, and distribution. Factors such as microbiological, allergen, foreign material, and chemical management are important parts of the overall food safety picture. With the current interest in toxic elements/heavy metals in infant formula and other foods, as well as the increasing interest in micro and nano plastics in food and the environment, a series of webinars has been created to provide overviews of the major principles of food toxicology; a review of already existing or newly developed methods and how these methods are applied to food toxicology; case studies of relevance to the food safety professional; as well as highlighting available resources.
  This second webinar aims to provide a brief review of newly developed methods and discuss how they are and/or can be applied to food toxicology relevant to food safety and international trade.

  Presenters

  • Suzanne Fitzpatrick, presenter U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • José Vicente Tarazona Lafarga, Presenter PARC
  • Marianne Solomotis, Moderator U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Steven Hermansky, Moderator DABT
• Food Toxicology Webinar-Food Chemical Safety and Current Tools and Methods Mar 28, 2023

  Organized by: The International Food Protection Issues PDG

  Part One of a Two-Part Series:
  Producing safe food requires attention to several aspects of the food during production, harvesting, processing, and distribution. Factors such as microbiological, allergen, foreign material, and chemical management are important parts of the overall food safety picture. With the current interest in toxic elements/heavy metals in infant formula and other foods, as well as the increasing interest in micro and nano plastics in food and the environment, a series of webinars has been created to provide overviews of the major principles of food toxicology; a review of already existing or newly developed methods and how these methods are applied to food toxicology; case studies of relevance to the food safety professional; as well as highlighting available resources.
  This first webinar aims to provide basic overviews of food chemical safety and of current tools and methods that are used in toxicology.

  Part II is scheduled for May 16, 2023

  Presenters

  • Steve Hemansky, Pharm.D., Ph.D., DABT, Presenter U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • George Kass, Ph.D., ERT, Presenter European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
  • Marianne Solomotis, Ph.D., Moderator U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Suzanne Fitzpatrick, PhD, DABT, ERT Moderator U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Cronobacter in the Spotlight: New Insights Into a Known Organism Jul 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

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  Presenters

  • Seamus Fanning , Presenter University of Dublin, Ireland
  • Roy Betts, Presenter Campden BRI Group, UK
  • Marcel Zwietering, Presenter University of Wageningen, The Netherlands
  • Francois Bourdichon, Presenter Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore, France
  • Stephen Forsythe, Presenter Guest lecturer at the University of Hong Kong and Advisor Center for Food Safety, South Africa
  • Anett Winkler, Moderator Cargill, 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.

  Webinar Slides

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  Presenters

  • Arie Hendrik Havelaar Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida
  • Marcel Zwietering, Moderator Wageningen University