Top Stories: Early detection system helps FDA identify food safety problems; Most Americans worry about safety of food supply; Danone sells stake in China’s Huiyuan Juice
August 4, 2010
Early detection system helps FDA identify food safety problems
More than 100 food safety reports were submitted by industry to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new electronic portal in its first months of operation, the agency said July 28. Mandated by Congress, the Reportable Food Registry (the Registry) is a new system that requires manufacturers, processors, packers, and distributors to immediately report to the government safety problems with food and animal feed, including pet food, that are likely to result in serious health consequences.
“The FDA’s new reporting system has already proven itself an invaluable tool to help prevent contaminated food from reaching the public,” said FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael R. Taylor.
A report summarizing the Registry’s first seven months of operation (September 2009–March 2010) finds that it logged 125 primary reports—initial reports about a safety concern with a food or animal feed (including food ingredients)—and 1,638 subsequent reports from suppliers or recipients of a food or feed for which a primary report had been submitted, from both domestic and foreign sources. These reports help the FDA and the food industry locate hazardous foods in the supply chain and prevent them from reaching consumers.
Among the 125 primary reports, Salmonella accounted for 37% of hazards, undeclared allergens or intolerances accounted for 35%, and Listeria monocytogenes accounted for 13%. Among the 11 different commodity categories involved were: 14 animal feed or pet food, 12 seafood, 11 spices and seasonings, and 10 dairy products. Because the Registry has been operational for only a short period, it is too early to draw inferences concerning patterns of food and feed adulteration.
“Industry is increasingly detecting contamination incidents through its own testing, and FDA access to this information permits us to better target our inspection resources and verify that appropriate corrective measures have been taken,” Taylor said. “Ensuring that the American food supply is safe is a top priority of the FDA, and the Reportable Food Registry strengthens our ability to help prevent foodborne illness.”
Press release
Most Americans worry about safety of food supply
According to a national survey conducted for NPR by Thomson Reuters and released July 27, 61% of Americans are concerned about contamination of the food supply. Most of them—51%—worry most about meat.
That doesn’t stop us from consuming about 63 lbs of beef per person per year, mind you. But meat safety is a big concern compared with the 25% of people who worry most about seafood and the 23% who fret most about produce. Dairy got a pretty low 4%response.
More than a third of the 3,000 survey respondents said their fear of seafood contamination has increased over the last three months—roughly the same amount of time the oil has been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP disaster.
But not everyone agrees on what to do to fix the problems.
In NPR’s Thomson Reuters survey, more people said food companies should improve their quality control systems, rather than calling for more inspections, oversight, or stiffer penalties. Consumers Union, which did its own survey recently, took it a step further.
The group asked 1,000 people whether Congress should pass a law to give the Food and Drug Administration the power to force food companies to recall tainted products. It's one of the key provisions in a bipartisan food safety bill that passed the House last year but is languishing in the Senate. Eighty percent said yes.
NPR article
Survey (pdf)
Danone sells stake in China’s Huiyuan Juice
According to Reuters, Danone is selling its 22.98% stake in Chinese fruit juice company Huiyuan Juice Group for around €200 million ($258 million) to Hong Kong-based private equity group SAIF partners.
The sale is in line with the French food group’s strategy to focus its water division on natural mineral and spring water-based beverages, it said in a statement on July 28.
Coca-Cola Co. had proposed a $2.4 billion all cash bid for Huiyuan in what would have been the largest ever foreign takeover of a Chinese company, but the deal collapsed in 2009 after China ruled that the proposed transaction would have been bad for industry competition.
“Danone wanted to sell its stake since the aborted Coca-Cola takeover. The Coca-Cola offer valued Danone’s stake at €460 million,” Oddo analyst Pierre Tegner said. “This is good news that the French company found a buyer even if it is two times less than what it would have obtained from Coca-Cola.”
Danone operates 20 factories and employs 9,000 people in China across its four divisions—fresh dairy products, waters, baby nutrition, and medical nutrition.
“Danone will continue to focus on the growth opportunities of its four categories in China,” Danone said. China contributed 4% of total 2009 group sales of €14.98 billion, according to the group’s annual report.
Reuters article
Junk food linked to intestinal disease and allergies
According to The Money Times, a new study shows that junk food and high-fat diets may have something to do with the rise in allergies in modern developed countries. According to researchers, a Western diet high in sugar, animal fats, and calorie-dense foods lowers the numbers of healthy bacteria in the human gut which help in food digestion, protect against pathogens, and reduce the risk of inflammation.
The researchers conducted a study to determine whether decreased microbe exposure is responsible for autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, and allergies. They studied the gut microbes of 30 healthy children aged one to six from a village in Burkina Faso, in western Africa, and compared that with Italian children. The staple diet of the African children was high fiber and low fat, mainly consisting of vegetables, cereals, beans, and nuts, whereas the Italian kids had a typical Western diet, low in fiber but high in animal protein, sugar, starch, and fat.
Scientists found striking differences in the composition of bacteria inhabiting the digestive systems of the kids from the two regions. It was observed that the African kids had more of the good bacterial strains which were absent in European children. The African kids had high concentrates of bacteria that help in the digestion of plant foods. These microbes generate fatty acids that give energy and help stave off illnesses such as allergies and inflammatory bowel disease. They also had lesser bacteria that cause common stomach upsets and diarrhea, such as Shigella and Escherichia, the E. coli bug.
Study co-author Duccio Cavalieri, a Microbiologist at the University of Florence in Italy said, “This discovery is very important because it bears on how we should feed our children to make them healthy. We should move our habits toward a diet more heavy in fiber, with the same amount of calories.”
The results are published online August 2 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Money Times article
Study
Researchers study benefits of white button mushrooms
Mushrooms are among the many foods thought to play an important role in keeping the immune system healthy. Now, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have conducted an animal-model and cell-culture study showing that white button mushrooms enhanced the activity of critical cells in the body’s immune system. In the United States, white button mushrooms represent 90% of the total mushrooms consumed.
The study was conducted at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University by Center Director Simin Meydani, colleague Dayong Wu, and others. The results suggest that white button mushrooms may promote immune function by increasing production of antiviral and other proteins that are released by cells while seeking to protect and repair tissue.
The study’s cell-culture phase showed that white button mushrooms enhanced the maturity of immune system cells called “dendritic cells,” from bone marrow. Dendritic cells can make T cells-important white blood cells that can recognize and eventually deactivate or destroy antigens on invading microbes.
When immune system cells are exposed to disease-causing pathogens, such as bacteria, the body begins to increase the number and function of immune system cells, according to Meydani. People need an adequate supply of nutrients to produce an adequate defense against the pathogen. The key is to prevent deficiencies that can compromise the immune system.
The study appears in The Journal of Nutrition.
Press release
Abstract
Consumers turning to store brands in new categories
New consumer research shows that many shoppers are now buying store brands in categories where they were once loyal to national brands. Moreover, this trend is likely to persist, according to PLMA’s latest nationwide poll of main household grocery shoppers conducted by GfK Custom Research North America.
The data—contained in PLMA’s report, “Store Brands & The Economy: Are Shoppers Ready to Start Spending Again?”—found that by a solid majority (63%), shoppers have changed their food buying habits as a result of economic conditions. Of these shoppers, fully two-thirds report that they are purchasing private label products in categories where they used to buy only national brand items.
Looking ahead, the data indicates this trend will continue. Eight of 10 respondents say they will be buying more store brand products in categories where they previously only purchased the national brand product once the economy returns to normal. The growing popularity of private label extends to all categories, as 76% of shoppers say they will be buying store brands more often.
The study, the latest of PLMA’s series of consumer opinion polls, also documented a number of other ways food buying habits are changing: 91% of shoppers are cutting back on money spent on restaurants, fast food, and takeout; nearly nine of 10 shoppers are keeping to a shopping list and avoid buying on impulse; and 81% of respondents are cutting back on purchasing more expensive items such as fish, meat, prepared meals, and convenience products.
Apart from economic matters, shoppers are now indisputably assigning importance to nutrition and health-related issues when making choices about which food products to buy. Topping their list of concerns are nutritional values. Fully 82% of those surveyed say calories and fat intake are important (51% say these are “very important” to them). Sugar content is important to 78% of shoppers, while salt content is important to 73%.
PLMA report (pdf)
Do soy isoflavones boost bone health?
Scientists already know much about the more than 200 bones that make up your body. But mysteries remain regarding the exact role that many natural compounds in foods might play in strengthening our skeletons. Those compounds include estrogen-like substances known as soybean isoflavones.
USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Physiologist Marta D. Van Loan and other researchers learned more about these compounds in a 3-year study—the longest of its kind—reported earlier this year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Because of its potential as a possible substitute for conventional steroid hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women, soy has been the subject of more than two dozen studies conducted here and abroad during the past decade. According to Van Loan, some of those investigations suggest that soy enhances bone health.
Van Loan teamed up with Iowa State University researcher D. Lee Alekel and others for the 3-year investigation to determine whether isoflavones extracted from soy protein would protect postmenopausal volunteers against bone loss. Participants in the study took either a placebo tablet or a tablet containing one of two moderate amounts of the isoflavones—80 mg or 120 mg—for the duration of the investigation.
Overall, the isoflavones had no significant positive effect on preventing bone loss. However, the 120-mg treatment showed a modest benefit when evaluated in conjunction with lifestyle factors.
The researchers suggest that the body’s response to isoflavones extracted from soy proteins may be different from responses to isoflavones in their natural matrix of soy protein or soy foods, or in a soy-protein supplement. Or, some soy-protein compound other than the extracted isoflavones may have been responsible for the bone-protecting effects seen in some previous studies. Finally, the isoflavone doses used in the 2010 study may not have been high enough to produce a bone-sparing effect.
Agricultural Research magazine article
PepsiCo to create Agricultural Development Center in Peru
Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Inc., visited Peru to announce that the company is investing $3 million over the next three years to create the Agricultural Development Center of Peru (CEDAP). The Center, which is the first of its kind in Latin America, will focus on the development of new varieties of potatoes and other tubers and roots.
This is only the third PepsiCo facility of this kind in the world. In the United States, the company’s Center for Agricultural Research and Development of Potatoes—located in Rhinelander, Wis.—is focused on developing potato varieties that are adaptable to temperate zones. In Europe, PepsiCo has a partnership with the University of Cambridge for agricultural research.
The creation of the CEDAP is part of PepsiCo’s commitment to “Performance with Purpose,” which means delivering sustainable business growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet. The Center will focus on researching the current Peruvian varieties of roots and tubers with an ultimate goal of developing new varieties that can be used to improve the company’s product portfolio. The knowledge and experience gained will be shared with other PepsiCo businesses around the world, especially those in tropical and subtropical zones similar to Peru. The CEDAP will also create programs of research on other roots and tubers, such as sweet potatoes, to develop new and healthier products and to encourage commercial cultivation of these species in ways that preserve biodiversity.
The 300 Peruvian potato farmers from throughout the country who supply PepsiCo will also enjoy the benefits of the CEDAP. For these farmers, the CEDAP will be a center of innovative technical support to: optimize resource use and increase agricultural production; improve plant performance and nutritional quality; maintain soil fertility, water and air quality, and biodiversity in agricultural activities; and empower rural communities. The goal is to improve not only the quality of the harvest, but above all, the well-being and quality of life in the areas of production.
Press release
Nestlé acquires Vitaflo
Nestlé has announced that it has completed the acquisition of Vitaflo, a Liverpool-based global provider of clinical nutritional products which has enjoyed double-digit growth in the order of 30% over the last three years. This strategic transaction allows Nestlé to enter the fast-growing global market for clinical nutrition products tailor-made for people with inherited metabolic disorders. This sector is growing rapidly as improved diagnosis and screening enable increasing numbers of cases to be detected, and new advances in science demonstrate the benefits of specialised nutrition as an integral part of clinical management. Vitaflo has approximate annual sales of CHF 40 million. The acquisition price is not disclosed.
Vitaflo’s products are developed for infants, children, and adults with genetic disorders that affect how food is processed by the body. These include phenylketonuria (PKU), maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), and homocystinuria (HCU). Inborn errors of metabolism are infrequent at an estimated 1 in 2,500–50,000 births depending on the disorder but persist from birth to adulthood. They constitute a significant proportion of genetic disorders detected in newborn babies.
“This acquisition is an excellent strategic fit, reinforcing our position in a rapidly growing segment of specialized nutrition. Vitaflo’s science-based products complement and support our business in the area of high-technology personalized nutrition. Additionally, Vitaflo will benefit from Nestlé’s commitment to innovation in nutrition, health, and wellness. Our strong geographic presence will enable Vitaflo to enter into a global market,” said Paul Bulcke, CEO of Nestlé.
Press release
Intertek opens food testing lab in India
Intertek, a provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world, has announced the opening of a center of excellence food testing laboratory in Dehli, India’s NCR Gurgaon region to provide enhanced testing services to its customers in an area experiencing exponential growth due to the increasing global interest of raw materials and ready-to-eat products produced there.
With more than 300 food processors, the region is a hub of primary production and further processing for food raw materials, intermediate products, and finished food products, making the centralized location of Gurgaon a prime choice for the new laboratory. Intertek’s Gurgaon laboratory brings an established independent food testing laboratory to a region that has seen an increased demand for testing as a result of growth in the food processing sector and potential for food exports.
“From the farm to the fork, the entire Indian food industry has evolved into a diverse network of multiple channels that Intertek’s new laboratory will support in producing and supplying better, more sustainable and safer food to citizens in the region and worldwide,” said Jochen Zoller, President of Intertek Food Services.
The Gurgaon laboratory will offer testing and analysis on a range of fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared and ready-to-eat foods, bakery and confections, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, drinking water, oils and fats, honey, dairy products, sugar, and meat products. The facilities are equipped to perform testing and analysis services for pesticides, antibiotics, heavy metals, aflatoxins, organic and GMO, nutritional labeling, organic compound residues, pathogens, allergens, and shelf life studies, as well as other elements related to food production.
Press release
Silliker Chairman receives IAFP honors
Russell S. Flowers, Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Silliker Group Corp., was named the 2010 recipient of the Maurice Weber Laboratorian Award by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). IAFP cited his “outstanding contributions in the laboratory and commitment to the development of innovative and practical analytical approaches in support of food safety” in honoring him with the prestigious award. Flowers was also named an IAFP Fellow at the association’s annual meeting, August 1–4 in Anaheim, Calif. In addition, Flowers is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists.
Silliker
PureCircle processes African, S. American stevia
PureCircle, a producer and marketer of high purity stevia products, has announced two milestones in its global quality leaf sourcing strategy. First, the company has started successfully processing leaf sourced from both Kenya and Paraguay in its stevia extract facilities in China. PureCircle’s proprietary high quality leaf planted in Africa and South America is protected through Plant Breeders Rights. The high quality proprietary leaf is performing well, and is providing actual production yields significantly above those of the prevailing China market, further reducing cost of SG95 and Reb A.
The processing of protected varietal leaf from Africa and South America is an important milestone in PureCircle’s successful expansion and diversification of their supply chain. The early results are encouraging and underpin the company’s intentions to start constructing stevia extract facilities in both Africa and South America as soon as current capacities are beyond 50% utilization.
Secondly, the company has announced that it has entered into a five-year agreement to source stevia leaf from S&W Seed Company Inc. and its subsidiary, based in Five Points, Calif. This brings large scale stevia cultivation to the United States and is another milestone in PureCircle’s worldwide expansion of stevia as a large volume commodity crop.
In the United States, the newly signed contract with S&W contains strong commercial incentives toward growing stevia in the continental United States on the scale required to support major North American-based food and beverage manufacturers. The relationship with S&W will also provide support for PureCircle’s recently announced research and varietal development project, in conjunction with Michigan State University, focused on the next generation of steviol glycosides beyond Reb A.
Press release
ABI expands Iowa plant to meet demand
Allied Blending & Ingredients (ABI), which supplies the dairy and bakery markets with ingredients to make a wide variety of consumer food staples, has announced that it is expanding its Keokuk, Iowa, manufacturing facility. ABI’s Keokuk plant will increase by over 3,900 sq ft to accommodate expansion of its research and development department and full-service bake lab. The company’s volume growth, which tripled over the last decade, has spurred the need. ABI’s heartland facility has jumped from 20 workers to more than 100 during the same period.
“The company is growing,” said Matt Stelzer, Vice President of Operations for ABI. “Typically, we put our resources towards upgrading equipment and don’t usually invest in brick and mortar, but more space was needed at the Keokuk plant to support our expanding dairy and bakery businesses.”
Keokuk’s operations focus on the manufacture of Free Flow, ABI’s fourth generation anti-caking agent for shredded cheeses. The Iowa-based plant also produces all-natural Bake-Mor blend enzyme technology, which reduces the use of chemical emulsifiers and simplifies product labels in bakery applications, as well as BatchPak and preservative systems that provide low-cost formulation solutions for tortillas and process cheeses.
ABI
Extra Credit Reading
Jif calls for entries in creative peanut butter sandwich contest
Jif is now accepting entries in the Ninth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest. Parents can help their kids age six to 12 submit their creative sandwich recipes showcasing the fresh-roasted peanut taste of Jif for the chance to win a $25,000 scholarship.
SensoryEffects acquires Cargill’s liquid vitamin ingredient business
SensoryEffects has announced the acquisition of the liquid vitamin ingredient business for the fortification of dairy products from Cargill Inc
Ms. Green is America’s favorite M&M’s character
Mars Chocolate North America announced that Ms. Green is officially America’s favorite M&M’s character. Ms. Green bested her fellow M&M’s characters—Red, Yellow, Blue, and Orange—by nabbing more than 23% of the 3.4 million votes cast by fans on www.mms.com.
Pierre Foods to merge with Advance Food Co., Advance Brands
Senior management from Pierre Foods Inc., Advance Food Company Inc., and Advance Brands LLC, have announced that the Boards of Directors of all three companies have unanimously approved and entered into a definitive merger agreement. The combined company will be called Advance Pierre Foods and creates a leading supplier of value-added protein and handheld convenience food products to the foodservice, school, retail, club, vending, and convenience store channels.
USDA, DuPont collaborate on test for E. coli
DuPont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have agreed to collaborate on the development of a new test for detecting hard-to-identify strains of toxin-producing E. coli that are not currently regulated and have been causing increased instances of food contamination and illness.
DuPont was among the first to develop tests for E. coli O157:H7, the type of shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC)most frequently associated with global food contamination outbreaks.The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service uses the DuPont BAX System to monitor for this pathogen.
In recent years, other types of STEC have been identified as agents of foodborne illness, and these are a growing concern in the United States, Europe, Japan, and food safety agencies worldwide. The Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA ARS) will collaborate with DuPont Qualicon to develop an effective test for the “Big 6” non-O157 STEC pathogens in food, and will also expand the diagnostic tools offered for use in the DuPont BAX System.
“The USDA continually looks for opportunities to collaborate in ways that will expedite research to assist regulatory agencies and move technologies into the marketplace. This collaborative project to develop a discriminating STEC test is a good fit with our mission,” said Pina Fratamico, USDA ARS Research Microbiologist.
Press release
U.S. seeks permanent injunction against N.Y. food processor
The U.S. Department of Justice, in an action initiated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is seeking a permanent injunction against NY Gourmet Salads Inc., a processor of ready-to-eat deli salads, seafood salads, and cream cheeses in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Leonard F. Spada, the company’s President.
The complaint, filed July 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, charges the defendants with violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by introducing into interstate commerce food that was prepared, packed, or held under insanitary (unsanitary) conditions and that may have become contaminated with filth or may have been rendered injurious to health.
FDA inspections have documented insanitary conditions at NY Gourmet’s facility and a failure to follow applicable FDA regulations concerning the production of food and seafood products. Although the company promised to address and correct deficiencies following inspections in 2006, 2007, and 2009, the FDA’s most recent inspection in March 2010 confirmed that the company continued to operate without adequate controls.
The complaint notes that recent FDA testing has found Listeria monocytogenes throughout the defendants’ facility and in a sample of finished product. The complaint also says that the strain of L. monocytogenes found in a sample of the defendants’ chickpea salad in 2010 was indistinguishable from the strain of L. monocytogenes found in the defendants’ facility during a 2009 inspection, indicating that the L. monocytogenes had likely formed a lasting presence in the defendants’ facility.
“The continued presence of L. monocytogenes in a food processing facility is a particularly significant public health risk,” said Michael A. Chappell, Acting Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. “In this case, the L. monocytogenes was not only found in the facility, but later turned up in a sample of the firm’s food. We will not allow food producers to put consumers at risk by repeatedly breaking promises to clean up their facilities.”
The company sells its products to customers in New York and New Jersey, including a New Jersey gourmet supermarket with locations in Brick and Freehold, and an airline caterer in Jamaica, N.Y.
Press release
Rutgers recognizes McEntire
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, presented Jennifer Cleveland McEntire with the Distinguished Communicator Award at the IFT Annual Meeting & Food Expo® on July 19. McEntire, IFT Research Scientist and Manager of Science and Technology Projects, received the award in recognition of her outstanding communication in the field of food science and technology.
An IFT member for 14 years, McEntire’s staff role over the past seven years has evolved from scientific writing and assisting with FDA contracted task orders to managing IFT’s technical grant and contract work. She serves as the project director on tasks related to food defense, food safety, and related issues. McEntire serves as a technical expert on the Risk Communication team of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and is one of IFT’s liaisons to the Partnership for Food Safety Education. At IFT, she also promotes food science as a career and co-led IFT’s partnership with Discovery Education in 2006.
McEntire received her B.S. with Distinction in Agriculture (majoring in Food Science) from the University of Delaware. She conducted her doctoral work in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University as a USDA National Needs Fellow in Food Safety, which provided the opportunity to complete internships at the National Food Processors Association (now GMA), and Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA.
She has authored or co-authored several peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, has presented her work nationally and internationally, and speaks to the media on food safety issues.
Webcast: Global Regulatory Approval for Food Ingredients
Aug. 11, 4:00–5:30 p.m. CDT
Learn how to obtain regulatory approval for food ingredients, food additives, functional foods, and dietary supplements within the global market. This webcast offers an overview of the key technical, legal, and regulatory requirements. You will also examine the regulatory requirements for product approval in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia. Learn more and register.
Online course: The Science Behind Food & Health
Beginning Aug. 23
This online course with live “Ask the Expert” sessions will strengthen your grasp of bioactives and nutraceuticals, and help you to better understand the impact that nutraceuticals may have on cognitive, cardiovascular, and bone/joint health. You will also learn about pertinent legal and regulatory requirements, and the role that recent developments such as Section 912 play in food and drugs. You’ll gain a deeper appreciation for the differences between foods and pharmaceuticals, the interplay between food and drugs, and the regulatory approval process. Learn more and register.
Free webcast for IFT members
Predicting Shelf Life Using Water Activity and Isotherms
Aug. 25, 10:00–11:30 a.m. CDT
Sponsored by Decagon Devices Inc.
The ability to accurately and consistently predict a product’s shelf life can be an invaluable tool in product development. This webcast will focus on how to predict shelf life using water activity and isotherm data.
This live webcast is free to IFT members and has a capacity of 1,000 attendees, first-come, first-served. Learn more and register.
Webcast: Formulation and Utilization of Supplementary Foods in Developing Countries
Sept. 15, 9:00–10:30 a.m. CDT
This webcast offers an opportunity to explore the formulation, production, and impact of ready-to-use therapeutic, recovery, and supplementary foods. You’ll learn about the need, strategies, and challenges related to development of such foods for developing countries such as Africa and the Caribbean. Learn more and register.
Wellness 11 Conference: Call for proposals
March 23–24, 2011
InterContinental Chicago O’Hare
Rosemont, Ill.
Showcase your latest research, findings, and insights by submitting a proposal for Wellness 11. It’s a great way to gain visibility for both yourself and your organization. Proposals are due by Aug. 13, 2010, at 4:00 p.m. CDT. Submit your proposal online today.