DIFSC continues to be an annual destination for food safety professionals across the region. One of the strengths of DIFSC is the environment that is created — those who work directly with front-line staff are often the most engaged members of the audience. This is a unique situation for such a large meeting. The meeting has been an excellent locale to engage in an open discussion of food safety risks and mitigation strategies.

– Ben Chapman, Assistant Professor and Extension Food Safety Specialist | North Carolina State University

Whether food is locally grown or comes from all parts of the world, food safety is a matter of concern to all people, in all countries and regions. Most of these illnesses are entirely preventable with care throughout the food chain. From the farmer to the chef; from the food processor to the guy at the grill, everyone has a role to play in making safe food.

– Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest | Washington DC

What is good about Dubai and this conference in particular is that it caters for people from around the globe. I am quite happy to see many of the participants from the developing and emerging countries, which primarily produce a lot of food. To me, this is where food safety begins: primary production. With more and more food-borne cases linked to the produce, I see a greater demand to tighten the control at the farm level. When delegates from India, Sudan, Egypt, China, etc. attend this conference, I see a real start towards enhancing food safety in these countries.

– Bashir Hassan Yousif, Food Safety Expert