BCFPA 2023 Virtual Annual General Meeting

Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Time: 5:00-6:35 pm
Location: Zoom (Virtual)*
Registration: Free for members

*A Zoom link will sent to all registrants between 1 to 3 days before the event.



We highly encourage you to register and participate at our AGM and listen to your BCFPA board members as they go through last year's 2023 AGM Report and other business.

We will also be announcing the 2023 BCFPA Scholarship Award Recipient.

We are accepting nominations to run in our 2024 Executive Board. If you are interested in volunteering, please talk send us an email! We are always looking for volunteers!

2023 AGM Report - click here to view

Interventions to Control Foodborne Pathogens in Meat

Meat Safety - What Can We Expect in 2024?

James Dickson (Jim), Morrison Chair in Meat Science and Professor, Department of Animal Science, Inter-Departmental Program in Microbiology; Courtesy appointment in: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition & Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa

Speaker Bio: Dr. Dickson is currently the Morrison Endowed Chair in Meat Science and a Professor in the Department of Animal Science and the Inter-Departmental Program in Microbiology at Iowa State University.  Dr. Dickson's research focuses on the control of bacteria of public health significance in foods of animal origin.  Prior to his appointment at Iowa State University in 1993, he was employed by USDA-ARS as a Research Food Technologist and lead scientist of the Meat Safety Assurance Program, located at the Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE. Dr. Dickson was employed in the food industry for three years before joining USDA-ARS. He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology and is a Past President of the International Association for Food Protection. He is also active in the American Society for Microbiology and a Certified Food Technologist with the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Dickson formerly served on the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria for Foods and is a member of the U.S. mirror committees for the International Standards Organization that addresses food safety standards and microbiological methods. He has served on two FAO/WHO Joint Expert Microbial Risk Assessment panels. Dr. Dickson chairs the Institute of Food Technologists’ delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Committee on Food Hygiene. Dr. Dickson has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has authored or co-authored 16 book chapters on topics relevant to food safety.

Talk Summary: The safety of meat and poultry products has improved dramatically over the last several decades and it is important as an industry that we not forget the improvements that have happened. But it is also important to remember that we still have additional improvements to make.  There are several food safety issues with both fresh and processed meats, and in the immediate future these will focus on poultry and pork. With processed meats, the implementation of the regulatory guidance on heating and cooling (lethality and stabilization) is proving challenging for some in the industry with specific products. Products such as whole roast beef or bone in hams are problematic when trying to implement the new guidelines. Finally, one of the rapidly growing segments of the industry, charcuterie, has recently been involved in a foodborne disease outbreak. The industry will need to learn from this outbreak to minimize the chances of a similar outbreak in the future.

Schedule:

5:00-5:05 pm - Opening Remarks
5:05-5:20 pm - IAFP Presentation
5:20-6:00 pm - Speaker: James (Jim) Dickson - Interventions to Control Foodborne Pathogens in Meat - "Meat Safety - What Can We Expect in 2024?"
6:00-6:10 pm - Q&A
6:10-6:30 pm - AGM Business + Announcing Scholarship Awards
6:30-6:35 pm - Closing Remarks


For more information and to register, visit our website: https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca

For any questions, please contact us at info@bcfoodprotection.ca