News

ALLERGEN MANAGEMENT SURVEY

As a follow-up to our previous 2022 Fall Hybrid Speaker's Evening event, we would like to know if you are interested in attending a follow-up Q&A webinar on allergen management guidelines with Beatrice Povolo of Food Allergy Canada. Beatrice has offered to set up a Q&A webinar to help answer any questions you may have on allergen management guidelines. This follow-up webinar will occur some time in Q1 or Q2 of 2023.

To gather your feedback, please take a few minutes to fill out this allergens survey - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd9Qfz1t1Xi-t2OPTVv9PKVPMBs3taqr2rRKwqji1CEf76eFw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Please let us know below if you are interested in attending this free webinar! We will close this survey on March 3, 2023.

BCFPA VIRTUAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Date: February 28, 2023
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 pm PT (7:05-7:30 pm Networking Optional)
Virtual Location: via Zoom - registrants will be sent a Zoom link 1-3 days before the actual event
Cost: FREE for BCFPA Members

Register here - https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca/event-5128774

Our AGM event will be a jam-packed evening! We will be covering last year's (2022) AGM business, announcing scholarship award recipients, bringing in an IAFP speaker to speak on produce safety, and lastly inviting last year's scholarship winner to speak about his research. Register today!

Managing Risk in a Field of Uncertainty: Foodborne Pathogens on Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
Michelle Danyluk, Professor and Extension Specialist of Food Safety and Microbiology, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida

Bacteriophage-Mediated Antimicrobial Sensitization in Salmonella Enterica
Thomas Guy, MSc Candidate, UBC, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada

Interested in sponsoring our events? We have sponsorship packages available, click here to find out more information! https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca/Sponsorship

Schedule:

5:00-5:05 pm - Opening Remarks
5:05-5:20 pm - IAFP Presentation
5:20-6:00 pm - Speaker #1: Michelle Danyluk - Managing Risk in a Field of Uncertainty: Foodborne Pathogens on Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
6:00-6:10 pm - Q&A
6:10-6:25 pm - AGM Business + Announcing Scholarship Awards
6:25-6:50 pm - Speaker #2: Thomas Guy - Bacteriophage-Mediated Antimicrobial Sensitization in Salmonella Enterica
6:50-7:00 pm - Q&A
7:00-7:05 pm - Closing Remarks
7:05-7:30 pm - Networking (Optional)

Hi all,

The IAFP's newsletter, The Affiliate View, is now out! And if you browse through to page 7, you will notice your fellow BCFPA executive board posing next to the IAFP Affiliate Communication Materials Award which they won this year!

IAFP Affiliate View - Fall 2022

Our Fall/Winter edition of our newsletter, The Grapevine, is now out!

Click below to check it out! It features a message from our BCFPA President, David Mahoney, upcoming events, photos, past event summaries, the 2021 BCFPA Scholarship Award winning essay, and much more!

BCFPA Newsletter Vol 5 Issue 08 Nov 1 2022

The BC Food Protection Association is thrilled to finally host a hybrid in-person and virtual seminar on Nov 22, 2022 at the Fraserview Clubhouse (Golf Course) in Vancouver, BC.

Register today! https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca/event-5005449

Topic: Enhancing Guidance for Food Allergen Management in Canada including a Risk-based Approach for the Application of Precautionary Allergen Labelling

We have an all-star food allergen speaker list, featuring:
BEATRICE POVOLO, Director, Advocacy & Media Relations, Food Allergy Canada
SILVIA DOMINGUEZ, Research Associate, Université Laval
& SAMUEL GODEFROY, Full Professor, Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Policies, Department of Food Science, Université Laval

Summary: A multi-stakeholder collaboration in Canada, involving food manufacturers, Université Laval, Canadian Allergists, and Canada’s national patient organization, Food Allergy Canada, has led to the development of new proposed Allergen Management Guidelines for Food Manufacturers. These guidelines aim to help to support food manufacturers in their implementation of effective allergen control plans including the responsible use of Precautionary Allergen Labelling, to better meet the needs of Canadians managing food allergy. Join us to hear from Food Allergy Canada and Université Laval on the launch of the new guidelines and related resources for the food industry.

Hello all,

Our scholarship topic and details on submission are now posted in our students page - https://www.bcfoodprotection.ca/Scholarships

This year's hot topic is on: Emerging Risks in Low Moisture Foods

Deadline: Nov 30, 2022

Alberta Association for Food Protection - 1st Virtual Seminar

Topic: Emerging Foodborne Pathogens and Emerging Food Safety Issues in General

Speaker: Jeff Farber, Senior Corporate Scientist, Food Safety & Public Health Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety and head of the University of Guelph's Food Safety and Quality Assurance M.Sc. program

Date: Thursday, September 29th, 2022
Place: Zoom Meeting
https://ualberta-ca.zoom.us/j/93996126198?pwd=ajVBb3JwQzlOeGFicG1ueUNTRmRRUT09
Time: 12:30-1:50 PM MT
Click here to view poster and event details

There is NO cost for this event but you must RSVP and attend to be entered in the draw for a $100 Amazon gift card and Hygiena swag bag.
RSVP by: September 28th to lynn.mcmullen@ualberta.ca

3M Food Safety Symposium 2022

How Big Data can enhance food integrity - presented by industry expert speaker
How to establish a robust hygiene monitoring program - presented by 3M technical expert
Optimize sanitation and cleaning in your facility - presented Sani Marc technical expert
Implementing a risk based a pproach to food safety - presented by 3M technical expert
A chance to network with like minded food safety and quality assurance professionals

Sep 27, 2022
Delta Hotels Burnaby Conference Centre
4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC V5G 1C7
Click here to view poster and to register

Hello everyone,

In our continued effort to improve upon and shape the way we bring future seminars and events to you, we ask that you take a few minutes to complete our survey with your thoughts and preferences.

The survey should take 2-5 min to complete. We will leave the survey up from now until July 28, 2022. We thank you for your time!

Click here: https://forms.gle/d3xRcxx26PGp4ZNTA

Thank you,
BCFPA Executive Board

The British Columbia Food Protection Association held its 2021 Annual Meeting as a virtual event on February 1, 2022.

The event started off with AGM Business, with David Mahoney leading the meeting minutes and agenda. David presented a summary of events from 2021, with an honourable mention of the BCFPA receiving the 2021 IAFP Communications Award, followed by board member nominations.

The BCFPA and Scholarship Awards were also presented to the following recipients:

2021 BCFPA Food Safety Award - Pascal Delaquis
Pascal was awarded the BCFPA Food Safety Award for his outstanding work, expertise and mentorship that he has contributed in BC with respect to the food microbiology of fresh fruits and vegetables, and is nothing short of instrumental to the success of this field of work. He has also published articles on this topic, and the guidance that he has provided to technicians and graduate students has led them to go on to successful careers. His contributions to expert panels from a regional, national and international scale, as well as his devotion as an exceptional mentor to his students and peers, has demonstrated his long history of outstanding commitment and contributions to food safety.

and

2021 BCFPA Scholarship Award Recipient - Bailey Morin
Essay topic: "Food Safety and Food Systems in Indigenous Communities"

A variety of speakers and topics were included throughout the event, including the presentation, “Commissary Kitchens: The Fraser Health Experience.” Fraser Health Authority’s Stephanie Szeto, Environmental Health Officer, and Connie Banting, Practice Consultant, were presenters.

Justin Falardeau, Past President and Ph.D. candidate at the University of British Columbia, presented his findings on “Investigation of cheese microbiome for the inhibition of L. monocytogenes growth in soft-ripened cheeses."