<FONT color=blue>[QA on the Road]</FONT> WFE Takes Attendees on Food Technology Journey

CHICAGO — Food safety is a journey, not a destination. These words from presenter Gail Prince, retiree of Kroger Foods and self-described “dean of recalls,” provide an apt description of the jointly sponsored American Meat Institute/International Dairy Foods Association (AMI/IDFA) Worldwide Food Expo in Chicago.

The biennial food technology event featured nearly 40 educational sessions, three “super sessions” and 900 exhibiting companies during four days in October.

Attracting nearly standing-room only attendance, the day 1 super session presenter, former White House Economic Policy Director and author Todd Buchholtz, discussed the challenges of today’s global “hyper competition” which, he said, has not only made the U.S. economic outlook difficult to predict but has changed the entire way of succeeding in business.  

Additional seminars and sessions focused on meat- and dairy-specific issues and solutions as well as big-picture topics such as the global market, trends and challenges; production issues and solutions; crisis communication; sustainability; sanitation; HACCP; and federal agencies and regulatory updates.

One session was led by FDA/CFSAN Director, Office of Regulations, Policy and Social Science, Leslye M. Fraser, who discussed the center’s priority-setting plans in this era of decreasing budges and increasing responsibilities, along with its mission to focus resources to meet the challenge of “accomplishing our mission in light of the growing number of public health issues.”

According to figures from event organizers, this year’s event hosted thousands of attendees from 100 countries, with the number of qualified buyers up slightly from the 2005 event. The next Worldwide Food Expo will take place in Chicago in 2009.