AOAC announces 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), as this year’s Annual Meeting keynote speaker. His address, “The Changing Landscape of Food Safety,” will be delivered on September 27, 2010 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

In recent years, food safety has gained a much higher national profile than it had in the past. Many high-profile outbreaks in 2006 onwards resulted in greater scrutiny by Congress, new actions by the Administration, heightened media attention, and diminished consumer confidence. There is greater focus on the safety of imported foods and a push for requirements for strong preventive controls. At the Congressional level, new food legislation has passed the House and a key Senate committee. When the new legislation is enacted, it is likely going to be the most sweeping reform of food safety legislation since the FD&C Act was created in 1938. Further, improved detection and epidemiological tools will likely link more outbreaks to specific foods in the coming years, adding to the ever-increasing list of "high-risk" food.

This time of change and greater oversight poses challenges to the food industry but also creates opportunities. Whether directly involved in the food supply chain or in an associated industry such as food testing, food tracking, or assessing risk, the opportunity for companies to be leaders--and thereby enhance and protect their brand--has never been so great. In a time when brands can sink overnight in the court of public opinion, it has never been more important than right now to stay informed, stay ahead of the curve, identify and manage risks, and build a food safety culture in one’s industry.

More on Acheson and the keynote address is scheduled for the July/August 2010 issue of Inside Laboratory Management.

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