 RESEARCH |
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| CONFERENCES |
3rd Annual FDA CFSAN Center of Excellence Directors’ Meeting
Septempber 1, 2009
Oxford, Mississippi
by Michele Jay-Russell
Rob Atwill, Linda Harris, and Michele Jay-Russell attended the annual Center of Excellence Directors’ meeting hosted by The National Center for Natural Product Research (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi. Other participants included leadership from the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition, the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, and FDA Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN). The Western Center for Food Safety at UC Davis is the fourth academic center funded by FDA CFSAN.
These meetings were established as a forum for information exchange regarding best practices in developing and sustaining viable partnerships; and to identify areas of mutual interest and facilitate collaboration between researchers within each group. The Directors from each Center presented updates on their programs. Additionally, there was a research presentation on the tools and methods used for botanical authentication given by Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya from the NCNPR. After the meeting, the group toured the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden.
The primary mission of the Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden is to maintain a diverse, well-documented and accurately identified medicinally important living plant collection that supports and enhances teaching and research on drug discovery for the faculty and students of the School of Pharmacy at the University of Mississippi. The plant collection should be displayed in a well-designed, visually pleasing manner that promotes knowledge and interest in medicinal plants. The Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden should also promote conservation of these valuable species and a better understanding and appreciation of the relationship between humanity and the rest of the natural world.
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Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya holds Hoodia spp., a medicinal plant
Left to right, Michele Jay-Russell, Linda Harris and Rob Atwill at the Michael W. Quimby Plant Garden, National Center for Natural Product Research
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| ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS |
CPS Welcomes U.S. and Canadian Regulators for In-Depth Tours: Two-Day Event Showcased Grower-Shippers’ Investments in Food Safety
September 30, 2009
Davis, CA
The Center for Produce Safety at UC Davis (CPS) announced it collaborated with nine leading grower-shippers to host nearly two dozen federal, state and local regulators for field and facility tours.
Agencies represented at the two-day program included the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates fresh produce nationally, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
With stops in Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Monterey counties, the program offered regulators direct exposure to the methods used to grow, harvest, and pack key California commodities - including tomatoes, lettuce and melons.
Based on positive response to the program, CPS plans to host additional events for regulators to learn about regional- and commodity-specific practices—from cultivation to distribution.
For the full PDF of this article, click here.
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Field Phase of Carcass Composting Research Drawing to a Close
by Mike Payne
WIFSS facilitates the Emergency Animal Disposal Workgroup (EADW), a unique collaboration of academic, industry and regulatory stakeholders addressing the current and long-term needs related to livestock mortality disposal. Part of the EADW's efforts includes examining the potential use of compost to dispose of animal mortalities during emergencies.
The field phase of these studies has taken 2 years to complete at a cost of nearly $300,000, with funding supplied from The California Department of Food and Agriculture, the State’s Integrated Waste Management Board and the dairy industry. On September 15, 16 and 17 the composting piles were “de-constructed” (excavated by hand) to separate the remaining tissue from the compost and determine the extent of decomposition.
Shown at right are Carol Collar, UC Cooperative Extension Dairy Advisor for Kings County and Paul Rossitto from the UC’s Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center demonstrating the almost complete reduction of adult dairy cow carcasses to bone and some hide. Excavation also allowed for sampling of the compost material for nutrient analysis. The pathogen reduction, water quality and air emission data is being reviewed now for publication.
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Carol Collar (left) and Paul Rossitto
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Proceeding from the International Carcass Disposal Symposium Now Available Online
by Mike Payne
Proceedings from the 3rd International Symposium of Animal Carcasses, Tissues and Related Byproducts held at UC Davis, July 21 to 23 are now available online.
At the symposium researchers and regulators from numerous countries shared information on a variety of topics related to the routine and emergency disposal of livestock and poultry carcasses and byproducts. Topics covered included research and public policy, federal and state agency training experiences, emerging technologies for euthanasia and disposal.
Michael Payne from WIFSS described bringing California public and private stakeholders together as the Emergency Animal Disposal Workgroup (EADW) to conduct planning and research and Carol Collar (UCCE, Kings County) summarized some of the things learned during the EADW’s composting research.
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WIFSS Delivers Agroterrorism Courses in Guam
September 15-17, 2009
Agana Heights, Guam
by David Goldenberg
Four WIFSS instructors traveled to the Island of Guam in the North Pacific in mid-September to deliver the first of three Department of Homeland Security Agroterrorism courses. David Goldenberg, WIFSS Preparedness Training Program Coordinator; Peggy Schmidt, DVM; Terry Teeple, DVM and Gene Field all WIFSS Agroterrorism Instructors shared responsibility for teaching the following courses: AWR 151 Understanding the Dangers of Agroterrorism, AWR 152 Principles of Preparedness for Agroterrorism and Food Systems' Disasters, and AWR 153 Principles of Detection and Diagnosis Strategies and Technologies.
Class attendance varied from 50-72 individuals for the three courses. "There was an excellent mix of participants and agencies represented" said David Goldenberg. They included: Guam Customs & Quarantine, USDA, FSIS, APHIS, PPQ, FSA, Forestry Service, Guam Department of Agriculture, Guam Power Authority, Guam International Airport Police, Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, Guam EPA, Transportation Security Administration, Special Assistant Office of the Governor, Farmers Cooperative Association of Guam, G4S Security Services, Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority, University of Guam and enrolled Agricultural students at the University of Guam. Several attendees flew in from surrounding Islands of Micronesia.
The course evaluations were very positive and the Islanders requested that WIFSS return to deliver the three remaining courses in the Agroterrorism Preparedness Training for Frontline Responders curriculum. Plans are under way to return in the winters months which is typically the drier climate in Guam.
For more infomation, contact David Goldenberg.
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David Goldenberg teaching
Guam DHS Course Attendees
Left to Right, Gene Field, Peggy Schmidt, Rolando Delfin (Guam Dept of Agriculture), David Goldenberg, and Terry Teeple
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