[Viewpoint]

The recent weeks have been an exciting time for the QA Advisory Board, or, perhaps more particularly, for QA’s editorial staff as beneficiaries of the experience and expertise of these industry leaders.

In late 2007, we impaneled our Board, and since that time have gradually increased in membership and the role these experts play in QA’s print and Web editorial. It is, in fact, through their avid interest in being an integral part of the QA team, that we are realizing the depth of value these experts hold not simply for us, but for you, our readers.

As you can see from the Board’s titles and associations below, we have an extensive range of resources at our fingertips. If you’ve read through this list in the past, you will have noticed that this issue adds a new name to the list. As such we’d like to welcome former FDA Commissioner of Foods David Acheson, M.D., to our team. Now Managing Director, Food and Import Safety at Leavitt Partners, Dr. Acheson’s passion for sharing his government expertise is particularly relevant in the current regulatory environment.

On accepting the invitation to join the Board, Dr. Acheson noted the collaboration needed to solve the increasing challenges to protect the food supply. “Having spent the last seven years with the U.S. FDA, I feel very strongly about sharing my experiences with those who hold the responsibility of keeping our foods safe. Being a Board member of QA offers me one more important avenue for achieving that goal and working directly with the industry in the critical areas of food protection.”

Along with Dr. Acheson’s contribution to QA as a source in Global Food Supply (page 39), this issue includes expertise from our Board in the column by Research Entomologist Jim Campbell (page 50); in Economic Strategies, with input from Tampa Maid Vice President of Foodservice Distribution Jeff Hayman (page 37); and information in Bird Contamination (page 42) from Copesan, of which Deni Naumann is president. And this does not touch on the behind-the-scenes expertise derived from this varied group of industry leaders.

As we, of QA, live out our mission to continuously raise the bar on the quality of the print publications and electronic media serving this industry, we look forward to the continuing evolution of our Advisory Board and the furthering of such QA collaboration across the industry. 

The author is Managing Editor of QA magazine.