Food Laws and Regulations Division
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Food Laws and Regulations Division
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Newsletter - Vol. 10, No. 3 - Summer 2000 Table of Contents
Message from the Chair - Ralph Glover, Chair At the mid-point of the year the Executive Committee has been putting together the roster of nominees to fill the positions within the Division for the coming year. By the time you receive this newsletter you should have also received a ballot with the nominees for Chair Elect, Secretary and Members at Large. We have some outstanding candidates who have volunteered to serve the Division, so please be sure to vote and return your ballots ahead of the deadline. In addition to getting the Division organization put together for next year, the Executive Committee under the leadership of Tom Wilson, has put together several sessions for the annual meeting in Dallas. A summary of this information was detailed in the previous Division newsletter, but I wanted to take an opportunity to again remind you to plan to attend the Division luncheon. Our speaker will be Dr. Susan Alpert, Director of Food Safety at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, FDA. On January 25, 1997, President Clinton announced a new initiative to improve the safety of the food supply in the Nation. Recognizing that food safety is not simply a responsibility of the Federal government and that an effective, comprehensive food safety strategy must involve partners outside the Federal Government, the President established a Council on Food Safety. He directed that it work with consumers, producers, industry, states, tribes, colleges, universities and the public to identify additional ways to improve food safety through Government and private sector action, including public-private partnerships. Dr. Alpert is strongly committed to an open process that includes a full discussion of the wide range of issues that may be raised by our various constituencies. The luncheon is an excellent forum to not only hear from Dr. Alpert, but ask questions and get a more personal understanding of where she is coming from. Be sure to put this on your calendar and include purchasing a ticket when you register. Genetically modified organisms (GMO's) continues to be a controversial and contentious topic. Again as a reminder, the Division will present a symposium on this issue on Sunday afternoon, at the annual meeting. This session, "The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms", will examine the current situation in the U.S. and the E.U... While introducing GMO foods have been challenged by consumer groups in the U.S., they are generally gaining acceptance. In contrast, the sale of such products in the E.U. continues to be heavily contested. This is a session you won't want to miss. I also want to invite anyone who is interested to sit-in on the Executive Committee meeting at 7:00 a.m. Monday morning at the Wyndam Anatole hotel. If you want to become more involved in the Division, this is a good way to meet the members of the committee and get first hand insight into the direction the Division is taking. We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers and your attendance and participation would be welcomed. Even though we are only half way through this year we are also beginning the planning for the annual meeting in 2001. One of the areas we need your input on is symposium topics. If you have ideas on topics you would like to see the Division address in the coming year we would like your input for our Executive Committee to discuss in Dallas. Contact one of the members of the Executive Committee and let us know what topics are most important. The easiest way is via e-mail. Also, we would encourage volunteers to help organize the symposium sessions and help identify speakers. On behalf of the Executive Committee we want to thank all those who have helped manage the Division and organize the programs. We look forward to seeing you in Dallas and getting better acquainted. Annual Meeting Program and Meetings The Division has a number of programs and meetings scheduled for the annual meeting in Dallas in June, and members are encouraged to review the program listings for complete details. There are a number of symposia, forums, hot topics, and technical oral sessions that would be of interest to members of the Division and that more than warrant attendance and participation in this annual meeting. The following is a summary of Division activities: Short Course Friday and Saturday, June 9-10
Division Meetings
Food Laws and Regulations Division Sponsored National Meeting Symposia Sunday Morning, June 11 Symposium - Advancements in the Description/Definition of Dietary Fiber - Sponsored by the Carbohydrate Division - Cosponsored by the Food Laws and Regulations Division
Sunday Afternoon, June 11 Symposium - The Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms - Sponsored by the Food Laws and Regulations Division
Tuesday Morning, June 13 Symposium - International Food Laws and Regulations - Sponsored by the International Division - Cosponsored by the Food Laws and Regulations Division Organized by Tom Wilson, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan and Vincent Hegarty, Institute for Food Laws and Regulations, Michigan State University, Food Safety and Toxicology Center, East Lansing, MI; Juan Silva, Food Process Engineer, Mississippi State University, Miss State, MS; David Jukes, Department of Foo6Scienee Science and Technology, University of Reading, United Kingdom; Antonio M. Martin, Food Science Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Department of Biochemistry., Canada
Tuesday Afternoon, June 13 Food Laws and Regulations Division - Technical Oral Session Moderators: Tom Wilson, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan and Barbara Rascoe, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington See the final IFT program for the titles of the presentations and speakers Luncheon and Division's Annual Meeting The Division will host a ticketed luncheon on Monday, June 12 at the Wyndam Anatole Hotel. This is a "don't miss event" with featured speaker Dr. Susan Alpert. Membership Recruitment, Steve Ziller, Ph.D., Membership Chairman This time of year the IFT Food Laws and Regulations Division begins to look forward to harvesting the fruits of their important labors to produce the most effective and useful symposia at the annual meeting coming up in Dallas June 10-14, 2000. Because our Division members come from all over the world, coming together at the annual meeting for the symposia and Division luncheon is the best way to meet colleagues with similar interests and responsibilities. Reserve these dates on your calendar now; we look forward to seeing you in Dallas. The future strength and potential of the Food Laws and Regulations Division of IFT will not be realized without the active participation of all the membership. While the Division leadership will continue to proactively recruit new members and the IFT staff will continue to respond to expressions of interest in the Division with our new membership brochure, the most effective way to build a stronger organization is for each of the current members to actively recruit new members. The more new members we have, the more input we will have to build our strong future. You don't have to be on the Executive Committee to contribute unique ideas for symposia or to work to obtain relevant benefits for yourself and other Division members. With a nominal annual dues of $7 you should be able to recruit others who can profit from becoming Division members. To help you provide all the background and member benefits information you can check out the web page for the Division (Note: there is an "underline" between "food" and "law" in this web address: http://www.ift.org/divisions/food_law/index.html If you need additional information or help, contact me at zillermi@aol.com. Continuing Education, Jim Vetter, Short Course Coordinator The Food Labeling short course was held with a capacity registration in Orlando on February 28-29. This program continues to attract a full audience and receive top ratings for course content and presentation. It will be offered again in Boston on August 28-29. Anyone interested is encouraged to register promptly since capacity is reached early and a waiting list always develops. It is of value to those who are relatively new to labeling requirements and responsibilities as well as those who are more experienced and are looking for updates on key issues. At IFT's Continuing Education Committee's request, the Food Labeling short course was taped in a special session at IFT's offices in Chicago in early March. The course will be available soon on CD-ROM as part of this expansion of offerings of the IFT and this Committee. The Food Laws and Regulations short course will be offered as one of nine pre-annual meeting programs scheduled by IFT's Continuing Education and Professional Development Group. Separate registration is required. The program will emphasize requirements for exporting food to the United States by foreign producers, but will also be a value to domestic manufacturers and marketers. The last short course scheduled for the year is Food Laws and Regulations which will be held in Chicago on November 6-7 The Division receives a significant portion of its overall income from co-sponsorship of these programs. Members are encouraged to attend - or recommend others to attend - one or both of these courses. Employment News, Mitzi Elkes, Chair, Employment Recruitment The Employment Recruitment Committee continues to post "Positions Available." If you know of a company or person that would like to post a job opening in the field of food- related laws and regulations on the Listserv, please contact Mitzi Likes, Chair of the Committee (mjelkes@aol.com; phone: 914/923-1762). It's a free service to our members and an opportunity that food companies should not miss out on. Editor's Corner, Janine Neils, Newsletter Co-editor As we close in on another Annual Meeting, the Division again, has planned an informative and contemporary symposia schedule. The schedule is printed in other sections of this newsletter GMO's, and international regulations are two of the current topics that will be addressed. These topics should spark lively discussions within the seminars. As the world gets smaller, regulatory specialists will be required to have detailed knowledge of numerous country-specific statutes. The benefits of belonging to the Food Laws and Regulations Division will be even more important. The value of an organization where professionals can network and share common concerns will be ever more apparent. I encourage all of you to visit the Division's web page for updated information on several topics. The luncheon speaker, Dr. Susan Alpert, Director of Food Safety, CFSAN should prove to be a fascinating addition to the Annual Meeting program. Please make plans to attend the symposia and luncheon sponsored by the Division. I am sure you won't be disappointed. As my responsibilities within the Division change, this will be the last newsletter I edit, although probably not my last contribution. I want to thank Jim Vetter for serving as coeditor. He did the hard part of compiling all of the material. It wouldn't have been possible to produce a newsletter of this quality without his input. In addition, I would like to thank the Executive Committee members for their informative additions. I would also like to thank my predecessors, Mary Schmidl, who has moved on to bigger and better things within IFT - congratulations Mary - and Polly Olson. Without their instruction and guidance, we would never have been able to put this newsletter together. On to the future - we are seeking volunteers to serve as newsletter editor(s). It isn't a huge commitment, especially if two of you share the editing duties. Please contact Ralph Glover to volunteer. My future challenge is serving as Chair Elect. I can only hope to be able to construct a symposia program as vital and current as my two predecessors, Ralph Clover and Tom Wilson. Hats off to the FLR programs from the last two years. I'm sure I won't lack for any current topics. The regulatory arena should stay active for the next several years. Stay tuned. The votes are in and have been counted. The new 2000-2001 Executive Committee members are: CHAIR-ELECT:
SECRETARY:
MEMBERS-AT-LARGE :
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE:
Congratulations to the winners. Thanks to all of the members that voted. INSIDE Washington, John Tisler, Member at Large Included in this report are several new items that may be of interest to Food Laws and Regulations Division members that may have missed their release elsewhere. After the brief comments about them, the specific addresses within FDA's web site are given, where more complete information can be found. For those persons without internet access, contact John Tisler, Director, Industry Activities Staff, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at 202-205-4255, for a paper copy of the items. What Does FDA Have Planned for the Food Industry in 2000? FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) has released its 2000 program priorities. He major activities will deal with the food safety initiative, food additives, dietary supplements, and food: biotechnology. It includes a letter for Joseph Levitt, CFSAN's Director discussing past accomplishments and future plans. http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cfsan200.html Food Compliance Programs Available. Compliance programs are documents prepared by FDA=s Centers that provide guidance to the Agency's field offices in carrying out investigations, inspections, sample collections, sample analysis, and regulatory activities in particular program areas. CFSAN has about 25 compliance programs and all will soon be available on FDA's web site. Ten of them can now be found at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/cp-toc.html Seafood HACCP Transition Guidance FDA has provided guidance to industry for requesting the Agency to consider enforcement discretion on certain matters under the seafood HACCP regulations. The guidance addresses the scientific resolution of issues dealing with food safety hazards, specifically whether a hazard is likely to occur and what are appropriate controls for the hazards. The in-depth discussion and recommended procedure is contained in http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/seaguide.html Egg Safety Action Plan Update The Action Plan, developed under the President's Council on Food Safety, identifies the systems and practices to be implemented to reduce and ultimately eliminate eggs as a source of human Salmonella enteritidis (SE) illnesses. This update describes its current activities. http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/fsiupd02.html Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA) and FDA Agreement on Food Additive and Sources of Radiation in Meat and Poultry Products. This memorandum of understanding discusses the cooperative efforts between FSIS and FDA in responding to requests for the sanctioning of food ingredients and sources of radiation subject to FDA=s regulations and intended for use in meat and poultry products under FSIS jurisdiction. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/larc/mou.htm FDA Finalizes Rules for Claims on Dietary Supplements This final rule defines the types of statements that can be made concerning the effect of a dietary supplement on the structure or function of the body under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/tpdsclm.html Send information to the Editors at the addresses below. Please send comments, suggestions concerns and corrections to us, we want to hear from you.
Last modified: June 04, 2000 |
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