It's not just another AFDO conference -- it is the 125th Annual Educational Conference and we're planning to make the event not just educational and valuable but celebratory as well.
Here is what you will need to know about the 125th AFDO Annual Educational Conference and how to join the conference.
Want your whole team to attend? AFDO is offering group discounts for every size organization.
To take advantage of Group Registrations, you need to do the following:
- One person should register and pay for the group registration based on the number in your group.
- That person will receive an email with a unique group code.
- Each individual attendee will need to register using this unique group code.
- The unique group code will allow the max amount of attendees in the group tier that was purchased.
Are you a first-time attendee? Or even if you are not, here is what you need to know about this year’s event:
- AFDO Committee Meetings are being held virtually prior to conference on a different schedule. Please check out the Committees page to get involved or the Events page to attend a committee’s meeting of interest to you at the beginning of June. The committee meetings are always educational and informative.
- Don’t miss the party! We are having a party 125 years in the making. Get your ticket now for the AFDO 125th Birthday Bash. This event benefits the AFDO Endowment Foundation and is not included in your registration. Join us for a fun-filled virtual event that celebrates AFDO’s place in history. On tap is the premiere of the AFDO 125th history video, a test of your own AFDO history and of course, there is cheese. Learn more about this great event by clicking here.
Just click "Join Us" to be taken to the registration page. Please contact the AFDO office with any questions or concerns, (717) 757-2888 or afdo@afdo.org.
4/12/21
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There is still time to register!
Latest Trends Shared at Free Drug and Medical Products AFDO Conference Starting Tuesday
2021 continues to be a year of change and innovation on the heels of a year that required it. This year, AFDO and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will co-sponsor the Drug and Medical Products Virtual Educational Conference as it returns to the learning and networking event calendar. The conference will be the premier place to get updates from key regulatory leaders from the FDA, Health Canada, and industry in the Drug and Medical Products arena in this time of change.
The information-packed virtual event will take place in two three-hour sessions you can join at your computer on April 13 and 14 from 1:00 to 4 p.m. EDT each day. All you need to invest is your time to get the full benefit of this opportunity because the event is free.
The AFDO membership and stakeholders play a critical role in formulating laws, regulations and best practices related to drugs and medical products. The annual conference is just one of the ways you can be involved. To learn more about the AFDO Drug and Medical Products committee or to join click here.
Registration is required. Additional support for the event comes from Ceutical Labs and BioTeknia.
Posted 3/1/2021
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Today:
Food Safety for Packaging Manufacturers
Packaging? What does packaging have to do with food safety? Turns out, quite a bit. Judi Lazaro, Sr. Category Director, Food Safety, AIB International will address this and other food safety issues for packaging manufacturers.
Date: Monday, April 12
Time: 1 p.m. Central/ 2:00pm Eastern
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Deadline May 1
Salute Someone in the Regulatory World with the Corby Award
Do you know a person who has gone above and beyond in their regulatory position during this unusual year? Maybe a field person who has made inspections in person or virtually as a significant portion of their working time.
Nominate them now for the Jacob Joseph Corby Achievement Award. It is the perfect way for you to recognize their performance. The application is easy to fill out and the deadline is May 1, 2021.
The Jacob Joseph Corby Achievement Award is awarded for one or more specific achievements, or for a documented sustained high level of performance. The scope of what counts as an “achievement” is very wide. A few examples of achievements that would be considered are: developing evidence in a difficult case that results in an indictment, conviction, or administrative action; bringing about a measurable improvement in general conditions, e.g., raising test scores on dairy farms or average scores in a group of food establishments; teaching courses that result in more food manager certifications; removing dangerous consumer products from the marketplace; or developing new techniques such as more effective use of computers.
To be eligible for the award, one must be in their first ten years of service as a sanitarian, inspector, investigator, milk specialist, food specialist, radiological health inspector, consumer product safety inspector, laboratory analyst or similar regulatory position. They must be a field person; that is, one who goes out of the office or works virtually to make inspections a significant portion of his or her working time. The winner may not be a supervisor unless the work for which they were nominated was done as a field person and it played a role in the promotion to supervisor. The winner must be employed by a federal, state, county, or municipal regulatory agency, which has at least one employee as a member of AFDO.
The winner will be presented with a framed certificate of achievement and have a choice of receiving a check for $500.00 or a future full conference funding. Conference attendance is not mandatory for receiving the award.
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FDA Takes Important Steps to Advance the Safety of Leafy Greens
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is taking two important steps to advance the safety of leafy greens. The first is the release of a report on the investigation into the Fall 2020 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 illnesses linked to the consumption of leafy greens. The report describes findings from the investigation, as well as trends key to understanding leafy greens outbreaks linked to the California Central Coast growing region (encompassing the Salinas Valley and Santa Maria growing areas) that have occurred every fall since 2017. In addition, the FDA is also releasing an updated version of the Leafy Green Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (STEC) Action Plan, reaffirming the need for collaborative action to improve the safety of leafy greens, and building on the work accomplished in 2020.
More information about both of these actions can be accessed at each of the links above. For More Information E. coli and Foodborne Illness
4/12/21
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FDA Releases Action Plan for Reducing Toxic Elements from Foods for Babies, Young Children
On April 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced “Closer to Zero”— the agency’s action plan for reducing exposure to toxic elements, including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, from foods for babies and young children. The plan describes the approach FDA will take to help continually reduce toxic elements to the lowest levels possible in foods eaten by babies and young children.
Reducing exposure to toxic elements—especially for babies and children—is one of the FDA’s highest priorities.The goal of moving closer to zero exposure to toxic elements from foods reflects the FDA's commitment to take significant steps to help reduce contamination. However, because fruits, vegetables, and grains can ‘take up’ toxic elements in the environment from the water, soil, and air, there are limits to how low the levels can be reduced. Exposure to toxic elements depends on the levels of the elements found in foods as well as the amount of the food consumed.
You can find the FDA News Release here.
Additional related materials include the following:
• The Closer to Zero Action Plan can be found here.
• FDA’s Infographic is available here.
• The Agency’s Metals Page can be found here.
• The Constituent Update is located here.
4/12/21
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Webinar Rescheduled:
Best Practices for Hemp Programs
Currently, there are no standardized manufacturing regulations for hemp or hemp products to help guide businesses or regulatory officials in the US. There is also a lack of peer-reviewed literature identifying how the compounds in hemp affect, or are affected by, different food products.
Association of Food and Drug Officials and FOCUS - Foundation Of Cannabis Unified Standards, along with regulatory subject matter experts, have developed a Model Hemp Code to safeguard public health. The goal is to provide a technical document as a guide for regulating the manufacture of orally consumed hemp products
When: Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. EST
Presenters:
- Lezli Engelking, Founder FOCUS, The Cannabis Health and Safety Organization
- Yvonne Salfinger, Project Manager, Association of Food and Drug Officials
- Kyle Baker, Ecobuds
4/12/21
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The coverage of regulations and Delta-8 THC in the cannabis industry is on the rise. You may be discussing it in your organizations. AFDO is sharing the following information to help you and your teams make decisions around the regulation of this seeming loophole in federal law that is allowing people to buy products designed to get them high.
AFDO's cannabis regulation partner, the Foundation of Cannabis Unified Standards (FOCUS), has examined the issue and formulated a position paper based on their extensive knowledge of the cannabis industry and this issue.
The debate over Delta-8 THC’s legal status has divided the industry. Contrary to what we hear from the media, see in the stores, or learn from cannabis operators; and despite the incredible amount of Delta-8 THC products being sold across the country today, there is absolutely no grey area around the legality of Delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC is NOT federally legal. Yet Delta-8 products are flooding the US market more and more every day, and the companies producing them continue to grow at exponential rates.
This information can be found by visiting this page on the FOCUS website.
4/4/21
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Program Standards Network Input Wanted! Share Your Views
Calling all state, local, tribal, and territorial programs! Do you work with other jurisdictions as part of a network to achieve understanding of and conformance with the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards? @NACCHOHQ and the Conference for Food Protection are looking to understand how participation in a network may help jurisdictions so they can compile best practices and policies that will be shared widely across the United States. Learn more through this blog or contact foodsafetyinfo@naccho.org today.
Posted 4/4/21
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Applications due Thursday!
AFDO Continuing Education Tuition Reimbursement Awards
In 2017, AFDO established a non-traditional continuing education tuition reimbursement fund to be awarded annually to worthy officials who are currently employed at a state, local, tribal, or territorial government agency and are returning to college or continuing their education to seek better career and work opportunities. Each award amount is not to exceed $1500 and is not renewable. This scholarship is coordinated for AFDO by the Professional Development Committee.
All applications must be received by April 15 of the current year to be considered for the current year’s award.
4/5/21
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Update on the AOAC Emergency Response Validation Study for TYMC in Cannabis Flower
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In late 2020, the AOAC Research Institute launched an Emergency Response Validation study to evaluate proprietary methods for the enumeration of total yeast and molds in cannabis flower. Results from that study have impacted the operations of laboratories in the state of Michigan and provided state regulators additional information in establishing or revising regulations. This presentation will provide details on the results of the ERV study and highlight the role of AOAC's Cannabis Analytical Science Program (CASP) in developing guidance for the cannabis industry.
Key Learning Objectives
• Updated results on the certification of rapid methods for the enumeration of TYMC in cannabis flower
• Development of a Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR) for TYMC in cannabis flower
• Impact of the AOAC certification process on state regulatory decisions
Date: April 13, 2021
Time: 11:00AM ET
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2021 Integrated Foodborne Outbreak Response and Management (InFORM) Regional Meetings Announced
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL), and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) have announced the dates for the 2021 Integrated Foodborne Outbreak Response and Management (InFORM) Regional Meetings. For the first time, this event will be a virtual experience!
April 26–30, 2021 | 1:00-5:00 pm ET each day
| Monday, April 26 |
Plenary sessions (all regions) |
| Tuesday, April 27 |
East Coast Region discipline-specific sessions |
| Wednesday, April 28 |
Central Region discipline-specific sessions |
| Thursday, April 29 |
West Coast Region discipline-specific sessions |
| Friday, April 30 |
Plenary sessions and closing (all regions) |
The virtual InFORM 2021 Regional Meeting will encompass plenary and region-specific sessions for environmental health specialists, epidemiologists, and laboratory scientists. There is no fee to attend but registration is required.
More information regarding registration and the program will be forthcoming in early March. For questions related to this event, please contact foodsafety@aphl.org or OPSCI@cdc.gov.
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It's Time to Start Thinking About AFDO Awards...
Do you know of someone that deserves recognition? AFDO's awards are presented annually at the Annual Educational Conference during the Wiley Award banquet. The awards are administered by the Awards Committee Chair, with subcommittees for the Wiley and Associate Member that are chaired by the immediate past recipient.
Posted: 12/14/2020
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Food Scientist – Advanced (Produce emphasis) - Wisconsin
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)'s Division of Food and Recreational Safety (DFRS) is seeking a project Food Scientist - Advanced position that has an emphasis in Produce. The Agency works hard to serve the people of Wisconsin assuring: safe, wholesome food; consumer protection and fair business practices; animal and plant health; a clean environment; and strong agriculture and commerce - and you can become a part of it! This project position has been authorized through January 2025. Project positions are eligible for paid leave and benefits, including health insurance, but the incumbent does not attain permanent civil service status. Project positions have a Wisconsin residency requirement, so candidates must be Wisconsin residents at the time an offer is made. Read more and/or apply....
- Posted:3/29/21
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Food Safety Specialist - Virginia
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is seeking a self-motivated person to become part of our Food Safety team. This position is responsible for the evaluation of food processes and the enforcement of the Virginia Food Laws and related federal and state regulations. Duties include evaluating the condition of food processing facilities relative to food safety and food defense; assisting new and existing food processing technologies and food labeling at manufacturing operations and retail food establishments; investigating complaints; conducting food borne illness investigations; collecting official samples of food and food related products; reviewing new food business proposals and assisting in the development of safe food processes; and evaluating and interpreting nutritional related claims for foods and dietary supplements.
The selected individual will establish and work from a home office under the guidance and direction of a regional field office and will be required to live in or convenient to the assigned territory. The home office must have reliable access to a network for mobile communications. The work territory includes Fairfax, Fairfax County, Manassas, and Manassas Park. The use of a state vehicle will be provided for business use only. Read more and/or apply....
- Posted:4/5/21
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Other Training Opportunities
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Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Virtual Training
FSMA Compliance Courses - Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT)
Information Page – https://www.pastertraining.com/pastertraining/food-beverage-training/upcoming-classes.aspx?id=1001
Intentional Adulteration Conducting Vulnerability Assessments (IAVA) Pilot vILT (1 or 2-Day)
Registration Page - https://www.pastertraining.com/pastertraining/food-beverage-training/class-list.aspx?id=1020
- 13-May-2021 – 10:00am-2:00pm ET (2-Day)
- 23-June-2021 – 10:00am-6:00pm ET (1-Day)
Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCQI) Blended Course Part 2 vILT (1 or 2-Day)
Registration Page - https://www.pastertraining.com/pastertraining/food-beverage-training/class-list.aspx?id=1018
- 20-Apr-2021 – 10:00am-7:00pm ET (1-Day)
- 25-May-2021 – 9:00am-6:00pm ET (1-Day)
Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) Blended Course Part 2 vILT (1-Day)
Registration Page - https://www.pastertraining.com/pastertraining/food-beverage-training/class-list.aspx?id=1019
- 11-May-2021 – 9:00am-6:00pm ET
- 15-Jun-2021 – 9:00am-6:00pm ET
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The Food Safety Doctor LLC
Promoting Public Health and Food Safety through Training and FSMA Awareness
While sheltering in place, The Food Safety Doctor LLC is offering
FSMA Compliance Courses - Virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT)
Information Page
ONLINE Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCQI) Courses
- April 20-22, 2021
- May 4-6, 2021
- May 18-20, 2021
- June 8-10, 2021
- June 22-24,2021
Click here to access the schedule of PCQI courses
ONLINE Foreign Supplier Verification Courses (FSVP-QI) Courses
- April 27-28, 2021
- May 12-13, 2021
- June 16-17, 2021
Click here to access the schedule of FSVP-QI courses
Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Qualified Individuals (IAVA-QI) Courses
- Online: May 11-12, 2021
- Online: June 15, 2021
- Online: February 23, 2021
- Face to Face: Singapore: November, 9 2021
Click here to access the schedule of IAVA-QI courses
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Laws and Regulations Committee Updates
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Laws and Regulations Committee Update
A collection of current food, drug, device, and consumer product regulatory issues and news
April 5 - 7, 2021
April 8 - 9, 2021
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