September 2011

AAFP Conference Covers Local, Global Food Supply

Members of the Arkansas Association for Food Protection gathered for two days at the Tyson Foods auditorium in Springdale to hear speakers on a variety of food safety topics.

A lineup of speakers from around the nation covered a range of topics centering on the theme of “Enhancing the Safety of the Food Supply From Global to Local” during the third annual education conference of the Arkansas Association for Food Protection. The conference, which was held Sept. 13-14, 2011, at Tyson Foods corporate headquarters in Springdale, attracted about 100 participants.
           
Natalie Dyenson, senior director supplier for food safety at Walmart Stores, led the speakers' lineup with an explanation of the significance of the Global Food Safety Initiative, which was founded several years ago by several European food company executives in a collaborative effort to reduce risks and manage costs.
           
Walmart has adopted GFSI standards, which Dyenson said are a perfect fit with the company's business philosophy to reduce risk, audits and costs. She noted that a consumer study conducted by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture evaluated GFSI's cost effectiveness based on survey responses from 174 suppliers. The suppliers reported that implementation of GFSI resulted in a more thorough documentation of food safety risk assessment and noted that using GFSI standards improved the safety of their products. Dyenson said Walmart supports a broader acceptance of GFSI standards in industry.
           
The conference opened with a welcome from Mark Cochran, University of Arkansas vice president for agriculture, who quoted studies that indicate the world will need to increase its food supply by 70 percent in coming years. That poses challenges to research faculties at the UA and other institutions that will need to find more funding sources to pursue solutions to those challenges, Cochran said.
           
The conference included a dinner at Grub's Uptown Bar and Grille in Fayetteville and breakfast and lunch catered by Jason's Deli. Corporate sponsors of the conference were Tyson Foods, SGS, Sunsweet Ingredients and Safe Foods Corp., all at the gold level; Sensitech at the silver level, and Presto-X, Mocon and Alchemy at the bronze level.
           
New officers for 2011-12 were installed at the conference. They are:          

AAFP Immediate Past President Steven Ricke passed the gavel to Hillary Hagan, president for 2011-12.

Hillary Hagan, Tyson Foods, President
Jerri Lynn Pickett, Tyson Foods, President-elect
Brian Umberson, Litmus Rapid B, Vice President
Dave Edmark, University of Arkansas, Secretary
Jennifer Ford, Tyson Foods, Treasurer

Poster Award Winners Announced
           
The conference featured a poster session that included an awards competition. The judges were Karen Beers of Safe Foods Corp., Steve Foley of the National Center for Toxicological Research and Betty Martin of the University of Arkansas. The winners, all from the University of Arkansas food science department, are as follows:
           
Award for Food Safety Research Sponsored by SGS: Dinesh Babu, “Are There All-Natural Antimicrobials that are Effective Against Listeria monocytogenes.”
 
Award for Food Safety Research Sponsored by Safe Foods Corp.: Sabelo Masuku, “An Assessment of the Efficiency of Three Cloth Types and One Sanitizer on Hard Surface Areas in a Deli Environment.”
           
Award for Food Safety Research Sponsored by Sunsweet Ingredients: Nathan Jarvis, “Using Dried Plum Products to Replace Phosphates in Chicken Marinades.”
                 
Certificate of Merit: Kristen Gibson, “Removal and Transfer of Viruses from Stainless Steel and Formica Food Contact Surfaces Using Various Cleaning Cloths.”
           
Certificate of Merit: Arun Muthaiyan, “Hydrolyzed Casein Macropeptide Conjugated Galactooligosaccharides as Prebiotics to Lactobacillus Strains.”

Sabelo Masuku is congratulated by Jerri Lynn Pickett for his award-winning poster.		Jerri Lynn Pickett congratulates Nathan Jarvis for his winning poster entry.		Jerri Lynn Pickett presents a certificate of merit to Kristen Gibson for her poster.

Speakers at 2011 AAFP Conference (Click on boldface titles to view presentations)

Below is the list of who delivered remarks and presentations at the 2011 AAFP conference.

Natalie Dyenson, Senior Director Supplier Food Safety for Walmart Stores – Why should I embrace Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)?

Dave Sargent, owner and operations manager of Sargent Farms — The GFSI path: a small producer’s perspective

Curtis Earls, vice president for sales, CCF Brands — GFSI approved once, accepted everywhere

Kristen Gibson, postdoctoral associate, University of Arkansas Center for Food Safety — Food safety for small and developing farms: what is missing and how can we improve?

Rob Scharff, assistant professor of consumer sciences, The Ohio State University – New estimates of the health-related costs from foodborne illness

Scott Stillwell, vice president for food safety and quality assurance, Tyson Foods – How is Tyson applying what we've learned

Matt Taylor, assistant professor of food science, Texas A&M University —Using nanotechnology in foods

Jim Dickson, professor of animal science, Iowa State University – MRSA

Scott Hurd, associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, Iowa State University – Outcomes model to evaluate the risk and benefits of E. coli O157:H7 vaccination in beef cattle

Jim Degen, Sunsweet Ingredients – Dried plum ingredients for animal protein products

Jeff LeJeune, professor of food safety, The Ohio State University – Alfred Hitchcock, the price of gas and the incidence of foodborne disease in the United States 

Larry Goodridge, assistant professor of animal sciences, Colorado State University – Integrating detection of multiple pathogens in food

Katie Swanson, Ecolab and International Association for Food Protection — Useful testing in food safety management

Elliot Ryser, professor of food science and human nutrition, Michigan State University – Listeria monocytogenes transfer during slicing of delicatessen meats

Kelly Getty, associate professor of animal sciences and industry, Kansas State University – Controlling Listeria monocytogenes

Zeb Blanton, SGS – Auditor competency: how do you know you're getting what you pay for?

Dave Sargent of Sargent Farms informed and entertained the audience with his explanations of how small producers manage their businesses.		Several vendors from throughout the nation set up exhibits for both days of the conference.

See archive for 2010 AAFP news.
See archive for 2009 AAFP news.