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124th Annual Meeting Highlights The 124th AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition (September 26-29, 2010) boasted 810 attendees and featured 244 poster presentations; 66 booths; 57 exhibiting companies; 27 scientific sessions; 13 exhibitor/partner presentations; and four preconference training courses, as well as committee, task force, community, and Section meetings. During the Opening Session, AOAC Executive Director James Bradford set the tone of the meeting, saying “AOAC has an opportunity to invest in the future by strengthening our brand.” Throughout the week, from seafood contaminants and infant formula to dietary supplements and disinfectants, AOAC showed that it is well on its way to “stand for newer, faster, and more relevant.” New President Gayle Lancette, then-president, kicked off the week by welcoming attendees to Orlando for the 124th AOAC Annual Meeting and thanked members for their support. “AOAC’s success lies in the strength and quality of its members and volunteers, who contribute on many levels.” In the President’s Address, Lancette reflected on AOAC’s proactive year to validate more innovative analytical methods, setting the foundation for a promising future. During her term, Lancette aimed to maintain the Association’s relevance by strengthening AOAC’s partnership with government agencies, analytical communities, and Organizational Affiliates. In meeting these goals, she outlined the many AOAC activities—biothreat detection, dietary supplements, disinfectants, endocrine disruptors, infant formula and adult nutritionals, veterinary drug residues, 10-method project, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in seafood—that add value for its members and customers and help to ensure AOAC’s relevance. Bradford outlined AOAC’s 10-method initiative in which the most valuable and relevant community-based methods deemed priority by technology providers are being supported to move through AOAC’s validation process. “If we produce more Official MethodsSM, we can strengthen our brand and be recognized as newer, faster, and more relevant.” The pilot project is proving to be successful and generating much enthusiasm among AOAC analytical communities. As this year’s keynote speaker, David Acheson, managing director, food and import safety, Leavitt Partners, and former associate commissioner of foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), provided an expert perspective on the changing landscape of food safety on September 27, 2010. During his keynote speech, Acheson highlighted the factors driving change, new legislation and its impact, and opportunities to stay ahead. Barbano Examines 30 Years of Advances in Milk Payment TestingIn his Wiley Award Address, “Validated Reference Methods, Proficiency Testing, and Reference Materials Reduce Uncertainty in Milk Payment Testing,” David Barbano, Cornell University, took a look at the past three decades in performing analyses in milk, which determines payment of dairy farmers. The advent of validated reference methods, proficiency testing, and reference materials, has significantly reduced uncertainty in results. AOAC Kicks Off Infant Formula Initiative The first Stakeholder Panel on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN), chaired by Darryl Sullivan of Covance Laboratories, met during the AOAC Annual Meeting on September 25, 2010, to work toward consensus on fitness-for-purpose statements for the first five (of at least 20) priority nutrients. Stakeholders came to consensus on draft fitness-for-purpose statements for vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folic acid, and inositol. See You in New Orleans Mark your calendars for next year’s AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, September 18-21, 2011. For more information on the 125th AOAC Annual Meeting, contact Lauren Chelf, director, Meetings and Expositions, at lchelf@aoac.org. Full coverage of the 124th AOAC Annual Meeting is scheduled for the November/December issue of Inside Laboratory Management.
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