Food Safety Organizations Team Up to Strengthen Research, Education and Protections

DES MOINES — Preventing foodborne illness is the focus of a new agreement between two food safety organizations that secures ongoing collaborations in research, training and education.

The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) have formalized an agreement to prevent and redress the increasing risks associated with foodborne illness. The agreement focuses on impacting public health, food, nutrition and consumer protection.

In addition to increased cooperation on conferences, seminars, training workshops, webinars, and technical meetings on matters related to food safety and emerging technologies, both organizations seek to address food science at global, regional and country levels.

The agreement includes cross-postings and announcements on fellowships and RFPs on each organization's websites and includes IAFNS' organization and delivery of three food microbial symposia and one chemical food safety symposium for presentation at IAFP's Annual Meeting.

In addition, IAFNS will submit workshop summaries, research articles and other materials to IAFP for inclusion in the organization's publication Food Protection Trends. Both organizations will host the executive director of the other at their annual meetings.

According to IAFNS Executive Director Wendelyn Jones, PhD, "IAFNS is pleased to leverage its food safety research and programming through this exciting new agreement with IAFP which will reduce health risks and promote educational goals for both organizations."