JIFSAN’s work doesn’t only apply to professionals already in their career fields; JIFSAN also supports students working towards a future in food safety. Sarah Allard, a University of Maryland PhD student in the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, is one of the students that JIFSAN helps support with career goals and research.
News
Whole genome sequencing is a technology that can be used to detect and track foodborne pathogens. Whenever there is an outbreak of a foodborne illness, the technology can be used to find out which pathogen caused the outbreak and where it originated.
The videos and slide presentations from the two-day “FDA-JIFSAN Dietetics and Nutrition Webinar” held last month are now available for the public to view online. The posted information includes most of the updates and proposals presented during the webinar.
The International Food Safety Training Laboratory (IFSTL) trained six participants in the “Methods of Determination for Drug Residues in Fish, Meat, and Poultry”. The course focused on regulations regarding veterinary drugs and fit-for-purpose laboratory methods.
Dr. Jianghong Meng, Director of JIFSAN, attended the 2014 Plenary Meeting of the International Scientific Committee of China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, and the International Symposium on Food Safety Emergency Response in Kunming, China on October 13 and 14.
JIFSAN and U.S. FDA trainers conducted a Train-the-Trainer program on Good Aquacultural Practices (GAqP) this September in Jakarta, Indonesia. JIFSAN partnered with the Republic of Indonesia Fish Quarantine and Inspection Agency to train 32 participants on improved aquacultural practices.
JIFSAN partnered with the U.S. FDA and the Indonesia Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Fish Quarantine and Inspection Agency (FQIA) to conduct a Train-the-Trainer program on Good Fishing Vessel Practices (GFvP). The five-day program took place in Jakarta, Indonesia and was successful in training 26 Indonesian participants. Most of the trainees are members of the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and/or the FQIA.
JIFSAN’s Clare Narrod, Research Scientist and Manager for the Risk Analysis Program, served on a panel capacity building at the two-day expert meeting on “Food Safety for Nutrition Security” this month.
Presentation PDFs and videos posted.
The International Food Safety Training Laboratory (IFSTL) hosted eight participants as they learned methods of pesticide residue analysis. The training course, which began on September 22, 2014, lasted for eight days and brought participants all the way from Jamaica, Bangladesh and South Korea to JIFSAN’s Washington D.C. area location. The team of instructors included experts from the FDA, the UDSA and the U.S. EPA.
The “Methods of Identification for Shiga-toxin Producing E. coli” course offered by the International Food Safety Training Laboratory at JIFSAN concluded its five days of training on Friday, October 3. The course taught students the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommended methods for the analysis of E.coli.
Last week, the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) updated its “What We Eat In America-Food Commodity Intake Database" (WWEIA-FCID). JIFSAN used the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest updates to include more relevant and recent food consumption data on its FoodRisk.org website.
Dr. Rushing delivered presentations at the plenary session of the forum on September 10, 2014.
JIFSAN will be sending a team of instructors to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Students interested in food safety had the opportunity to take part in the new “Introduction to Global Food Law and Regulation” course that started on September 29, 2014. The Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Risk Analysis Program launched the three-day course to educate students on food safety regulations related to the production and importation/exportation of food.
JIFSAN’s International Food Safety Training Laboratory has received a grant from the USDA Emerging Markets Program that will support the participation of analysts from select countries in a workshop of mycotoxins analysis. We will offer two opportunities to participate, one in November 2014 and one in March 2015. Each participant will attend a single one of these workshops.
JIFSAN's International Food Safety Training Laboratory held key events for the laboratory capacity building program in the APEC region in 2013. Pilot work with China and Chile paved the way to broad deployment of laboratory methods training in APEC and beyond.
Position open until filled. For best consideration, apply by September 5, 2014.