Event will feature a food safety exhibition and workshops

The 8th Dubai International Food Safety Conference (DIFSC 2013), organised by the Food Control Department of Dubai Municipality (DM) and supported by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), will be held on November 18 and 19 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Informing this through a communiqué, DM said that alongside DIFSC 2013, IAFP’s 2nd Middle East Symposium on Food Safety will also be held. Moreover, said the organisers, DM will host the annual meeting of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF) during the conference.

According to DM, in addition to a food safety exhibition, a first for DIFSC, the event will feature various workshops, technical sessions and paper presentations conducted by more than 200 presenters from all across the globe.

Commenting against the backdrop of the event’s programme, Bobby Krishna TM, Senior Food Studies and Surveys Officer, Food Control Department, DM, said: “The programme is designed to suit the food industry, regulatory authorities and students working in the field of food safety or are interested in it. One thousand four hundred delegates attended the conference in 2012.” The continuous growth in the number of attendees, added Krishna, indicated the interest that the conference had been able to generate. “We are sure that the programme will help all those involved in the development, implementation and maintenance of food safety programmes,” he said.

The programme

Having attracted participation and attendance from food safety professionals, trainers, consultants and auditors; owners and managers of food businesses; chef or food & beverage managers, food traders, importers and exporters; food control and health officials; consumers; members of the academia and the media, DIFSC 2013 will reportedly present a line-up of symposia and pre-conference workshops that cover a wide range of food safety-relevant topics from different contexts and perspectives.

According to an official communiqué, DIFSC 2013 will feature symposia on food safety culture; monitoring, verification and validation of food safety practices; managing food allergens; best practices on cleaning and disinfection; evaluating the safety of food contact surfaces and packaging materials; halal foods; foodborne disease surveillance and food inspection. In addition, the symposium organised by ICMSF will include sessions on controlling microbiological hazards, emerging foodborne pathogens, risk-based microbiological food safety management and opportunities to collaborate for global food safety.

The pre-conference workshops, scheduled on November 16 and 17, added the official release, comprise a course on the Risk Assessment Training and Experience (RATE), a basic course on HACCP, a practical course on changing an organisation’s food safety culture, and a course on microbiological testing.

The communiqué revealed that the workshops, worth six CPD hours each, are organised in cooperation with The United States Environmental Protection Agency, IAFP, ICMSF and Campden BRI.

Full information on the programme and on the speakers and facilitators at the event is available at the official DIFSC 2013 website, www.foodsafetydubai.com.