Pre Harvest Food Safety Professional Development Group
Mission Statement: To work towards understanding the factors that affect the emergence, persistence, transmission and ecological niches of pathogens that may impact human health at the pre-harvest food safety level.
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.
1. The PDG recommends Dr. Rafael Davila to serve as the PDG vice chair for the next year and the PDG chair for the following two years.
Board Response: Response: Agree.
2023 Board Response to Recommendations
Recommends Dr. Camila Rodrigues (Auburn University) to serve as the PDG Chair for the next 2 years. There is a call for Vice Chair nominations.
Board Response: Approved.
2022 Board Response to Recommendations
None.
2021 Board Response to Recommendations
Meeting not held.
2020 Board Response to Recommendations
Meeting not held.
2019 Board Response to Recommendations
Approval of Dr. Issmat Kassem for the Vice Chair of the PDG.
Board Response: Agree.
2018 Board Response to Recommendations
Recommend approval of Dr. Peyman Fatemi as Vice Chair
of the PDG.
Board Response: Agree.
2017 Board Response to Recommendations
We suggest sending a copy of the finalized symposium topics to the student PDG members so that they also can look at them and have a chance to participate in symposia of interest.
Board Response: Agree, preliminary symposium topics are sent to all PDG Chairs and Vice Chairs (including the Student PDG).
2016 Board Response to Recommendations
Recommend Dr. Walid Alali to the Vice Chair of the PDG
Board Response: Agree
Suggest sending a copy of the finalized symposia topics to the student PDG members so that they also can look at them and have a chance to participate in symposia of interest.
Board Response: All PDG Chairs (or Vice Chairs) participate in a teleconference where the symposium topics are reviewed to inform all PDGs on topics of interest. PDG Chairs (including the Student PDG) should share this list with their members.
2015 Board Response to Recommendations
Recommend having new, upcoming, young scientists as speakers to give them platform for exposure. It will also capture the attention of the program committee.
Board Response: The Board encourages this action.
Suggest having a session on international food safety policies.
Board Response: Agreed and suggest that the International Food Safety PDG consider presentations on this topic.
Suggest sending a copy of the finalized symposia topics to the Student PDGs so that they also can look at them and have a chance to participate in symposia.
Board Response: The Student PDG leaders are on the distribution list of PDG Chairs and Vice Chairs and should receive the proposals and finalized symposium topics.
2014 Board Response to Recommendations
The Pre Harvest PDG committee recommends Dr. Bassam A. Annous as the new Vice Chair for 2014-2016.
Board Response: Approved.
As a solution to getting equal representation by all PDGs on symposia, it was suggested that at least one symposium by each PDG be selected for presentation. Selections are to be made after ranking all presented topics per PDG, and the most popular topic will be picked for presentation. Dr. Paula Cray suggested that the solution proposed may pose to be a difficult model.
Board Response: The Board will encourage the Program Committee to consider this request.
Webinars
A Changing Environment: Impacts on Seafood SafetyOct 16, 2020
The constantly changing environment impacts food safety in many ways, particularly seafood safety and the seafood industry. Documented changes of the ocean's temperatures, pH, and salinity impact the marine and estuarine environments from which we harvest our seafood. In addition to these global trends, storm activity has increased the freshwater influx to certain estuarine areas (e.g, the United States Gulf Coast) in recent years. While some of these changes may be transient, they have the potential to impact the resident bacteria and phytoplankton populations and species, which can affect human health. For example: pathogenic Vibrio species generally favor warm environments, so their areas of residence and levels may shift with changing water temperatures; and phytoplankton species, some responsible for toxic blooms, have the potential to increase in areas where freshwater influxes bring a heavier nutrient load. These environmental changes may be impacting seafood safety, both due to emerging hazards and geographic expansion of known hazards. This presents a challenge for the seafood industry as well as public health risk managers. This session will provide examples of the impacts of the changing environment on seafood safety and include a perspective from industry.
