1. Call to Order & Welcome

New this year Badge scanners outside PDG meeting rooms.  Attendees without badges will need to manually sign in.  Circulate roster for sign in and any corrections needed.  Members can now directly update their PDG affiliations.   Log into the IAFP Web site, click Edit Profile on the Member Dashboard, then the Professional Info tab. Select any PDG to add or delete.

1. Review of Antitrust Guidelines
2. IAFP Board Update
3. LWAF PDG—2015 meeting minutes--approval
4. 2015 Board Response to Recommendations
   1. Pardeepinder Brar stepped down as Student liaison because she has graduated.
   2. Requested board approval for Manoj K. Shah, North Dakota State University – as Student Liaison. Board Response: Approve.  In the future we do not need board approval for Student liaisons.
5. Invited discussion on current hot issues with Low water activity foods (30-40 minutes)
   1. FBI associated with Low Water Activity Foods.  Paradigm shift? -FDA invited
   2. Listeria monocytogenes--Current and future industry challenges—Melinda Hayman
   3. Pathogen prevalence in Low Water Activity Foods – Sofia Santillana-Farakos

 

1. 2016 Activities and Old Business
   1. Topics and symposia submitted for 2016 program
2. Breakout Working Group Sessions to brainstorm-2017 Annual Meeting topics development

Solicit ideas and discuss / plan future meetings/calls as required to submit cohesive ideas for 2017 activities:  Symposia, Workshops, Webinars, etc.  The following were suggested during the recent conference call.

1. Factors influencing survival and persistence of pathogens in LWAF.  Phenotypic and genotypic stress response
2. Experimental techniques for inoculation and handling of LWAF samples.
3. Lm strain virulence and dose response dynamics
4. LWAF pathogen prevalence and applicability to food safety and regulatory standards
5. Novel cleaning and sanitizing approaches for LWAF manufacturing

 

1. New Business

 Adjourn