S1 The Diverse and Discrepant Non-O157 STEC: Data, Differences and Discernment RAJAL MODY, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA LOTHAR BEUTIN, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany NANCY STROCKBINE, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA TIMOTHY A. FREIER, Cargill, Inc., Wayzata, MN, USA DANIEL L. ENGELJOHN, U.S. Department of Agriculture-FSIS, Washington, D.C., USA Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is a diverse group of zoonotic bacteria, which contain some of the most serious bacterial foodborne pathogens, e.g. the well known E. coli O157 associated with bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Other non-O157 serogroups are associated with the full range of enteric illness: some have never been associated with human illness, others only with fairly mild disease, and some with disease equally Symposium as severe as that caused by the serogroup O157 strains. The non-O157 STEC have been isolated from animals and some foods. This symposium aims to provide an update on knowledge about non-O157 STEC — What disease manifestations do they cause in humans? What makes an STEC virulent? What are the risk factors for acquiring an STEC infection? What are its reservoirs? How are they detected in human illness? Can the pathogenic ones be distinguished among a mixed population of STECs, i.e. from the gut of an animal? What can be done to protect the food supply from non-O157 STEC? Should non-O157 STEC be considered an adulterant? S2 Global Food Safety: What Should We Focus on Today for Results Tomorrow? MICHAEL C. ROBACH, Cargill, Wayzata, MN, USA PENSRI RODMA, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand QUINCY LISSAUR, BSI Standard Solutions, London, United Kingdom PATRICK WALL, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Much attention has been given to the challenges of microbial food safety, particularly on the global scene. This symposium will address two issues: to illuminate the problem of food safety from the perspective of the international players, and to bring forth a ‘tool-box’ of ideas to put into motion solutions for this critical area. At the conclusion of the talks, a panel discussion, composed of all the speakers will follow. This will provide an opportunity for those in attendance to either question the speakers on particular points or infuse other ideas and ‘tool-box’ suggestions to address the issue of improving global food safety. Speakers from different international agencies, such as The World Bank, WHO and FAO, as well as other global players, will give an annual update on the current state of affairs in global food safety. IAFP members will be exposed to different levels of international efforts to meet the challenges of food safety. This symposium reaches out to IAFP members with an international interest in food safety and provides a forum for participants with interest, expertise and knowledge to participate in discussions revolving around global food safety. It is the intent of this symposium to educate and motivate IAFP members to become engaged and think beyond the U.S. borders, particularly since much of our food today is imported. The speakers were selected to provide a global perspective on food safety and present current activities by international agencies to move all players toward a more uniformed approach to meet the standards necessary to ensure a safe food supply for all. In essence, this symposium is a clarion, a call to action, for IAFP members to be part of the solution. S3 To Tell or Not to Tell, That is the Question! Environmental Testing and Mandatory Reporting — An Industry, Regulatory and Public Relations Nightmare SHAWN K. STEVENS, Gass Weber Mullins, Milwaukee, WI, USA TIM JACKSON, Néstle, Glendale, CA, USA SCOTT J. GOLTRY, American Meat Institute, Washington, D.C., USA KATHY GOMBAS, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Washington, D.C., USA JOSEPH MEYER, Covance Laboratories, Inc., Battle Creek, MI, USA GALE PRINCE, SAGE Food Safety, Cincinnati, OH, USA Environmental monitoring is key to an adequate Food Safety Program. Recalls are occuring in plants where environmental testing is taking place. Reaction to the tests or lack of understanding of results and effective follow-up protocol are not adequate to stop microbial contamination of food products. Regulatory agencies are under increased pressure to respond with increased inspection and product retention authority. The Reportable Food Registry requires reporting of any known food contamination as a result of a positive test. The news agencies report on findings that are released in regulatory reports. In this no-win environment for food processors, what can be done to ensure that additional environmental and product testing results will be used properly by processing plants, regulators and consumers? Are additional efforts needed to educate all of these groups on the significance of testing and subsequent results? This symposium will address, in a practical approach, proper environmental testing. The speakers will propose solutions to the cost, value, purpose, use and misuse of this information. Efforts needed in all food sectors will be addressed. 1 S4 The Science of Thresholds: Their Potential Use in Risk Assessment and Labeling Decisions ALLEN STILLERMAN, Allergy and Asthma Specialists, Minneapolis, MN, USA STEVEN GENDEL, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, MD, USA AUDREY DUNN-GALVIN, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland STEVE L. TAYLOR, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA CRAIG LLEWELLYN, Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, USA MARIANNE SMITH EDGE, International Food Information Council, Washington, D.C., USA In 2011, the International Association for Food Protection will celebrate its 100th Anniversary. Likewise, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Symposium Protection Act (FALCPA) will reach an important milestone - celebrating 5 years since it was founded in 2006. FALCPA was born out of the need to provide sensitive consumers with simple, plain English information on package labels to identify the presence of allergens in packaged food products. Food allergy is a serious and potentially life threatening response of the immune system to the consumption of specific foods. FALCPA identified the eight major food allergens that cause over 90% of reactions in affected individuals (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, Crustacean shellfish, soy and wheat) and specified how the presence of these major food allergens should be declared. This milestone in the history of FALCPA and allergen labeling provides an opportunity to ask how the food industry and consumers have responded, and what unexpected issues have emerged. It also provides a platform for the advancement of issues such as allergen thresholds. Research regarding allergen thresholds has and is evolving and could expand our current knowledge of FALCPA and allergen labeling, as well as have an impact on the consumer. This panel of experts from industry, government and consumer organizations will review FALCPA, past and present, and set the stage for enhanced knowledge, understanding communications regarding allergen thresholds. S5 The Molecular Mechanism and Scientific Advancements for Norovirus Gastroenteritis ROBERT ATMAR, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA ERIC DONALDSON, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA LEE-ANN JAYKUS, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA LEEN BAERT, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium WILLIAM BURKHARDT, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dauphin Island, AL, USA ERWIN DUIZER, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands Human noroviruses have emerged as the leading cause of foodborne disease. Recent advancements in our understanding of norovirus molecular biology, epidemiology, surveillance, detection and control will be discussed in this symposium. Specifically addressed will be the molecular and structural mechanisms that govern norovirus persistence in human populations and the stability of noroviruses in foods and the environment. The outcomes of epidemiologic surveillance of norovirus in fresh fruits, vegetables and shellfish, and new initiatives for enhancing norovirus detection and control instigated by FERN-FDA and the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene will also be discussed. The symposium is designed to inform the audience of current issues in food virology and serves as a primer for an IAFP roundtable discussion of the technologic challenges in detecting noroviruses in foods. S6 100 Years of Dairymen Speak - A Look Back and a Look Forward VIRGIL METZGER, Kraft Foods, Glenview, IL, USA MARK E. JOHNSON, Center for Dairy Research, Madison, WI, USA ALLAN VER VOORT, Ecolab, Madison, WI, USA This mini-symposium will celebrate the rich history of food safety in the dairy industry that was the basis of the formation of IAMFES (now IAFP) 100 years ago. Speakers with an accumulation of 100 years of dairy experience will reflect on the foundations of dairy food safety, the evolution of the dairy industry and visions for the future of dairy food safety. S7 Bacteriophage: Friends, Foes or a Little of Both? DANIEL O’SULLIVAN, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA RODOLPHE BARRANGOU, Danisco USA, Inc., Madison, WI, USA LAWRENCE D. GOODRIDGE, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA The purpose of this symposium will be to provide attendees with a timely review of the major impacts that bacteriophage have had on the manufacture of processed and fermented dairy products,