CHICAGO – Dr. Dan Engeljohn of the Food Safety and Inspection Service’s Office of Policy and Program Development is participating in the E. coli O157:H7 conference scheduled for March 18 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Drake Hotel, Chicago, Ill. This program is being sponsored by the North American Meat Processors Association and seven other leading industry associations.

Mr. Engeljohn will cover details about F.S.I.S.’s recent initiatives on E. coli O157:H7, including important information about plans to traceback to the supplier when an inspector finds positive product at a downstream grinder. He will also join other speakers in a panel discussion and question-and-answer session.

Members of the following sponsor organizations qualify for lower registration rates: N.A.M.P., the American Association of Meat Processors, the American Meat Institute Foundation, the American Meat Science Association, the National Meat Association, the Southeastern Meat Association, the Southwest Meat Association, and the Chicago Mid-West Meat Association.

Other speakers at the E. coli Mini-Conference include: Dr. Dennis Burson, professor, meat extension and food safety specialist, University of Nebraska; Tim Biela, vice-president of food safety and quality assurance, American Foodservice; Bobby Palesano, vice president of technical services, International HACCP Alliance

Four major areas will be covered in the mini-conference:

• Plant Environment – Includes information on creating an ideal plant environment for food safety focusing on sanitation of equipment and facilities, employee hygiene and training.

• Prerequisite Programs – Includes information on creating an effective prerequisite program, and on creating an approved supplier program, raw material testing, and identifying problem suppliers.

• HACCP – Focuses on completing a hazard analysis and identifying CCPs and corrective actions.

• FSIS Policy: Essential to anyone involved in food safety as an understanding of the regulatory requirements and future initiatives.

Representatives of A&B Ingredients, BioMerieux, FSV and Schoneman Inc. will make presentations about developments in managing food-safety issues.

N.A.M.P.’s two-day Meat Industry Management Conference follows the E. coli program.

For more information and to register, visit www.namp.com.