Food & Chemical Safety Archives

IAFNS at IAFP 2024

March 19, 2024/in Food Safety /by sgibb

The International Association for Food Protection’s 2024 Annual Meeting to feature three sessions supported by IAFNS.

The Food Microbiology Committee is presenting:

Roundtable on Establishing Clean Breaks- Hygienic Separation of Production in Low Water Activity Foods

Symposium on Dry Cleaning and Sanitation in Dry, Low Moisture Environments

The Food Chemical Safety Committee is presenting:

Symposium on Grounding the Discussion on Toxic Elements in Food: Updates from Production to Regulation

For more information on the IAFP 2024 Annual Meeting, click here.

2023 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

March 18, 2023/in /by wendelyn

Virtual Symposium: Science Gaps for Risk Assessment of PFAS in Food

March 23, 2020/in Food Packaging Safety /by sgibb

Each year, the International Association for Food Protection hosts an Annual Meeting, providing attendees with information on current and emerging food safety issues, the latest science, innovative solutions to new and recurring problems, and the opportunity to network with thousands of food safety professionals from around the globe.

IAFNS is supporting three sessions, a roundtable event and three posters at the 2019 IAFP Annual Meeting.

Scientific Sessions:

Managing Large Multidisciplinary/Multi-Institutional Food Safety Projects - Effectively, Impactfully, and with Integrity

Monday, July 22, 2019 | 1:30 – 5:15 PM | Ballroom D

Watch all Session Videos

Food safety is a complex and multidisciplinary challenge. Therefore, federally-funded food safety projects, and even industry-centered projects, increasingly involve large, multidisciplinary/multiinstitutional collaborative teams. However, very few individuals thrust into these roles have formal education or training in managing such projects. This symposium brings together a unique and diverse cohort of presenters, ranging from an expert on assessing the effectiveness and impact of research collaborations and centers (with experience on multiple food safety project teams) to experienced managers of such projects (in government, academic, and industry) to a representative of the Scientific Integrity Consortium. The speakers will describe measures for evaluating the effectiveness of such largescale collaborations, identify common features of successful collaborations, share best practices for forming and managing such teams, and outline essential foundational principles for ensuring the quality and integrity of the resulting research. A panel discussion is included to maximize opportunities for attendee interaction with the multiple perspectives provided by the speakers. After this session, attendees will have a better appreciation on how to play together well in the research sandbox.

Conveners: Bradley Marks, Michigan State University; Kendra Nightingale, Texas Tech University; and Isabel Walls, USDA NIFA

Speakers:

Scholarly Assessment of Large Scholarly Collaboration: Measures of Effectiveness and Impact
Denis Gray, PhD, North Carolina State University

Managing Government-Academic-Industry Collaborations
Kimberly Cook, PhD, USDA ARS

Lessons Learned from Managing NoroCORE, a Large USDA-CAP Project
Lee-Ann Jaykus, PhD, North Carolina State University

Managing Food Safety Projects Across Multiple Boundaries - Internally and Externally
Edith Wilkin, PhD, Leprino Foods

Report from the Scientific Integrity Consortium: Principles and Best Practices for Scientific Integrity
Linda Harris, PhD, University of California, Davis

This session is supported by the IAFNS Food Microbiology Commitee.

The Mitigation and Regulation of Heat-Formed Substances Produced in Foods During Cooking: What are the Unintended Consequences on Microbial Safety and Public Health?

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 | 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM | M107

A growing field in food safety is the focus on the potential risk of heat-formed substances produced during cooking. Compounds that are known as human health hazards are being increasingly identified as heat-formed substances present in food. Two prominent examples of this are acrylamide and furfuryl alcohol, both of which are present in significant amounts in a wide array of foods. This session will help inform how the risk assessment process of heat-formed substances can incorporate the benefits of cooking and cooked food. It will highlight the genetic changes that allowed humans to consume cooked food. The session will then explore the unintended consequences in mitigating heat formed substances, such as introducing microbial hazards. It will address how to assess and communicate these risks to food processors and consumers. The potential impact and implications on the food industry and, ultimately, the end consumer, of using current approaches to assess the potential public health impact of compounds formed during routine cooking of food will be debated.

Convener: Steven Hermansky, PharmD, PhD, DABT, ConAgra Brands

Speakers:

Genetic Evidence of Human Adaptation to a Cooked Diet and its Role in Human Health and Food Safety - Video not available
Steven Hermansky, PharmD, PhD, DABT, ConAgra Brands

Balancing Microbial Food Safety Risks with Mitigating Heat-Formed Substances in Foods - Video not available
Scott Hood, PhD, General Mills

The Need for a Holistic Toxicological Assessment of Heat-formed Substances within A Food Matrix -Video
Michael Dourson, PhD, DABT, FATS, FSRA, Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment

This session is supported by the IAFNS Food and Chemical Safety Committee.

Let’s Hear from Next Generation Food Safety Scientists on Pathogen Behavior in Ready to Eat Foods

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 | 1:30 – 3:30 PM | Ballroom E

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A current research collaboration between Health Canada, the University of Guelph and North Carolina State University is investigating the survival and inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and foodborne viruses during the storage of low moisture foods. This is a wide-ranging research consortium funded by the IAFNS Food Microbiology Committee and includes a number of developing research scientists who will also present their findings. The IAFNS Food Microbiology Committee is committed to proactively improving the understanding and control of microbial food safety hazards to enable scientifically informed decision making. The Committee achieves its mission by funding research that is conducted at institutions who also train the next generation of food safety scientists.

Ready-to-eat low moisture products such as nuts, dried fruits, cereal products, and chocolate are often ingredients used in the manufacturing of many food products. They carry significant potential for the amplification of outbreaks and recalls over a wide variety of products. The research consortium represented by this next generation of food safety experts is studying several aspects of pathogen behavior in low moisture ready-to-eat foods and goes beyond traditional thermal mitigation strategies.

Conveners: Laurie Post, PhD, Deibel Labs; Edith Wilkin, PhD, Leprino Foods

Speakers:

Survival, Inactivation and Detection of Foodborne Viruses During Long Term Storage in Chocolate, Pistachios and Cornflakes
Neda Nasheri, PhD, Health Canada

Survival and Virulence of L. monocytogenes During Storage on Low Moisture Foods and Characterization of the Low Moisture Foods Microbiome
Vivian Ly, MSc candidate, University of Guelph

Nontraditional Decontamination Methods for Salmonella Reduction in Dried Fruits and Cereals
Kayla Murray, PhD candidate, University of Guelph

Identification of Molecular Mechanisms Mediating Long-Term Survival of Salmonella in Pistachios, Dried Apples, and Cornflakes
Victor Oladimeji Jayeola, PhD candidate, North Carolina State University

This session is supported by the IAFNS Food Microbiology Committee.

Roundtable Event:

Is It Time for Food Safety Performance Standards Since Zero Risk Is Not an Option?

Monday, July 22, 2019 | 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM | Ballroom E

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Food safety systems rely on verification activities to determine if the system is working as designed and validated. Microbiological performance standards can be used to verify if a processing system is adequately controlling a specific hazard. Performance standards should be set to protect public health. Sampling protocols and microbiological testing methods must be appropriate for the food being tested. In the US poultry industry, performance standards have been in place to measure the prevalence of Salmonella. Over time, the performance standards have changed to reflect the improved conditions in the industry. Prevalence based performance standards may work for other product categories, especially in dry products of raw agricultural products such as wheat flours and the produce area especially for frozen fruits and vegetables. This roundtable discussion will explore the current and potential future uses of performance standards in foods where it is not reasonable to expect zero presence of pathogens.

Convener: Christina Stam, PhD, Kraft Heinz

Panelists:
Craig Hedberg, PhD, University of Minnesota
Candace Doepker, PhD, ToxStrategies
Angie Siemens, PhD, Cargill
Scott Hood, PhD, General Mills
Donna Garren, PhD, American Frozen Food Institute

This roundtable event is supported by the IAFNS Food Microbiology Committee.

Poster Presentations:

A Novel Simulation Approach to Improving the Effectiveness of Sampling for Bulk Food Products - Video
Eric Cheng, University of Illinois | P1-124 | Monday, July 22, 8:30am - 6:15pm

Global Gene Expression Analysis of Salmonella Contaminating Low-Moisture Foods - Video
Victor Oladimeji Jayeola, North Carolina State University | P1-201 | Monday, July 22, 8:30am - 6:15pm

Prevalence and Characteristics of Selected Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens in Post-Hurricane Florence Floodwaters - Video
Jeff Niedermeyer, North Carolina State University | P3-161 | Wednesday, July 24, 8:30am - 3:30pm

These projects are supported by the IAFNS Food Microbiology Committee.

Learn more about the IAFP Annual Meeting here.

Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting 2017 & Expo

January 11, 2017/in /by Fiona McCann

Compilation, Curation, and Prioritization of Food-Use Chemicals in ToxCast

September 20, 2016/in /by Fiona McCann

Food-Use Chemicals in ToxCast: Identification, Curation, and Evaluation

September 20, 2016/in /by Fiona McCann

Scientific Advances and Challenges in Safety Evaluation of Food Packaging Materials

September 19, 2016/in /by Fiona McCann

Background Information

Packaging is an indispensable component of the food manufacturing and food supply process. It is a system for preserving the safety and quality of food products throughout the distribution chain to consumer. In addition to containing the food products, food packaging serves the important functions of protecting food products from outside influences and damage, as well as providing consumers with ingredient and nutritional information. Materials that have traditionally been used in food packaging include: glass, metals, paper and paperboards, and plastics. These materials and the other materials (i.e. inks, adhesives, coatings, etc.) used in food packaging have the potential to come in contact with food presenting the possibility of unwanted chemical substances migrating into the food. To ensure safe use of packaging materials and food contact materials, regulatory agencies around the globe have conducted research and developed both guidance and regulations for materials intended to come into contact with food.

As research to improve food packaging continues, the objective of this full-day workshop is to provide a scientific forum to discuss the state of the science on toxicology, exposure and risk assessment as it relates to the safety of food packaging. It will bring together scientists from government, academia and industry to discuss the advances in science which demonstrates the safety of food packaging, identifies research gaps and gains consensus on the path forward on how to fill those research gaps. The opening session of this workshop will focus on scientific challenges in safety assessment of food packaging materials. Experts from this field will present on analytical methods for safety evaluation of packaging materials, nanomaterials in food packaging, migration of contaminant residues from food packaging and use of improved exposure assessment models for food packaging materials. The second half of the workshop will focus on recycled packaging and sustainability. Experts will discuss the application of recycled materials in food packaging, recycling processes, contaminant residues from recycled packaging, challenges in safety assessment of recycled materials and emerging innovations and technologies in food packaging. These presentations will prepare the audience for panel discussions covering the advancements in analytical methodologies and their utilization in safety assessment of packaging materials, the challenges in utilizing recycled packaging materials in food contact applications, and the challenges in identification and safety evaluation of non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in food contact materials with the goal of identifying areas where additional research is needed. IAFNS has invited key members from government, academia, and industry to participate as both speakers and panelists. In an effort to facilitate a productive discussion, the panels will be moderated by IAFNS member scientists of the IAFNS Technical Committee on Food and Chemical Safety. The panel discussions will conclude with generating ideas of how to communicate these complex issues to broader audiences, including the public. This is a unique feature of the workshop and will provide insights into how the scientific community can work to effectively communicate the information resulting from the workshop.

Read the proceedings from this workshop.

Agenda

Welcome
Mansi Krishan, IAFNS

Introduction
Ron Osborn, IAFNS Member Scientist

Challenges in Safety Assessment of Food Packaging Materials- Toxicology -
Jason Aungst, Division of Food Contact Notifications, U.S. FDA - Video

Challenges in Safety Assessment of Food Packaging Materials – Chemistry
Kirk Arvidson, Division of Food Contact Notifications, U.S. FDA - Video

Migration of Contaminant Residues from Food Packaging
Greg Pace, Sun Chemical Corporation - Video

Analytical Methods for Evaluating Components of Food Packaging Materials
Tim Begley, U.S. FDA - Video

Use of New/Improved Tools and Exposure Assessment Models for Food Packaging Materials
Cian O' Mahony, Crème Global - Video

US Regulatory Perspective
Paul Honigfort, Division of Food Contact Notifications, U.S. FDA - Video

Global Regulatory Perspective
Jim Huang, IAFNS Member Scientist - Video

Panel Discussion - Video
Moderator: Ron Osborn, IAFNS Member Scientist
Panelists: Jason Aungst, Kirk Arvidson, Greg Pace, Tim Begley, Cian O’Mahony, Paul Honigfort

In light of advancements in analytical methodologies which are allowing for progressively lower detection limits resulting in unexpected chemicals being detected in air, water, food, etc., how do we access and utilize this information for safety assessment of packaging materials?
How do we evaluate the safety of nanomaterials in food packaging?
In terms of assessing the safety of packaging materials, how much is enough?

Sustainability and Packaging: Process of Recycling Packaging Materials and Recycled Materials in Food Packaging
Susan Selke, Michigan State University - Video

Contaminant Residues in/from Recycled Paper-Paperboard and Plastics: Contaminant Identification, Food Safety Concerns and Regulatory Controls
Vanee Komolprasert, Division of Food Contact Notifications, U.S. FDA - Video

Case Studies:
i. Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSHs) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAHs)
Stephen Klump, Nestle - Video

ii. a) Di-isopropylnapthalene; and b) Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
Paul Honigfort, Division of Food Contact Notifications, U.S. FDA - Video

Emerging Innovations and Technologies in Food Packaging
Young Kim, Virginia Tech University - Video

Panel Discussion - Video
Moderator: Doug Copen, IAFNS Member Scientist
Panelists: Susan Selke, Vanee Komolprasert, Stephen Klump, Paul Honigfort, Jim Huang, Young Kim

What are the challenges in utilizing recycled packaging materials in food contact applications and how do we address these challenges?
What are the challenges in identification and safety evaluation of non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) in food contact materials? What are the potential approaches for considering NIAS in the risk assessment of food contact materials?
The challenges of communicating scientific information to a nonscientific audience, particularly the importance of communicating the entire story (example- what we know, what we don’t know, not just what we want them to know) while making the information as relevant as possible.

Concluding Remarks
Doug Copen, IAFNS Member Scientist

Food-Relevant Chemicals in ToxCast and Potential Integration of High-Throughput Toxicity Testing in Assessing Chemical Safety

June 21, 2016/in /by Fiona McCann

Events

IAFNS at ACS Fall 2024

IAFNS at IAFP 2024

2023 SOT Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Virtual Symposium: Science Gaps for Risk Assessment of PFAS in Food

IAFP 2019 Annual Meeting

Scientific Sessions:

Roundtable Event:

Poster Presentations:

Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting 2017 & Expo

Compilation, Curation, and Prioritization of Food-Use Chemicals in ToxCast

Food-Use Chemicals in ToxCast: Identification, Curation, and Evaluation

Scientific Advances and Challenges in Safety Evaluation of Food Packaging Materials

Agenda

Food-Relevant Chemicals in ToxCast and Potential Integration of High-Throughput Toxicity Testing in Assessing Chemical Safety

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