2021 Annual Meeting Summary

The 2021 annual meeting for the Chinese Association for Food Protection in North American (CAFPNA) was held virtually on July 20, 2021. IAFP Affiliate Council Chair Dr. Julie Jean joined our meeting and provided an opening remark with a warm welcome and appreciation of CAFPNA’s past year accomplishment. Dr. Jean encouraged all participants to continue their involvement and contribution to IAFP, even during this challenging time. Our current president, Yifan Zhang, followed the section with a presentation of the annual activity brief from 2020 to 2021. The treasurer, Zengxin “Scott” Li, provided an update on the financial status of the Association. Jiewen Guan from Washington State University then presented a summary of the students’ program. Student activities have been boosted by a strong lead from Jiewen and the active involvement of the student committee members.

Presentations:
Dr. Julie Jean, Université Lava
Title: Challenges in Detection of Foodborne Viruses
Dr. Xianming Shi, Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU)
Title: Prevention of COVID-19 pandemic and the use of chemical disinfectants.

Student Presentation Competition: Four students participated in this year’s competition.Student committee chair, Jiewen Guan, hosted the events. Each competitor had 10 minutes for presentation and Q&A. The presentations and awards are listed below. The competition was judged by the CAFPNA board members.

1st place: Biyu Wu, PhD student, University of Hawaii at Manoa Title: Effect of Ohelo berry (Vaccinium calycinum) Juice on Physicochemical Properties, Biofilm Formation, and Virulence Gene Expression of Listeria monocytogenes
2nd place: Lianger Dong, PhD student, University of Hawaii at Manoa Title: Comparison of the Behavior of Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes on Papaya and Avocado during Storage and Chlorine Dioxide Treatment
3rd place: Lang Sun, PhD student, University of Connecticut Title: Antimicrobial Effects of a Bioactive Glycolipid on Spore-forming Spoilage Bacteria in Milk

The meeting concluded after virtual networking. Looking beyond 2021, CAFPNA will start with a renewed board member structure with new officers:
President: Dr. Haiping Li, USDA
President-Elect: Dr. Ren Yang, Washington State University
Treasurer & Delegate: Zengxin “Scott” Li, Rich Products
Staff: Mingxia Zang, Flying Foods Group
Past President: Dr. Yifan Zhang, Wayne State University
Student committee chair: Ivy Li, McGill University
Student committee vice-chairs: Biyu Wu, University of Hawaii; Marti Hua, McGill University