Virtual 2020 Food Safety Conference
March 16, 2021
The annual Food Safety Conference, hosted by the UArizona Food Safety Consortium (FSC), went virtual for 2020. While everyone missed being able to network in-person, the virtual format expanded attendance of the two-day conference to include participants from across the nation and internationally.
Held October 21-22 and organized by FSC Chair, Dr. Sadhana Ravishankar, the conference encompassed a wide array of speakers including Max Teplitski from the Produce Marketing Association, Patricia Millner with the USDA, Norbert Chirase from GTX Technologies, Juanfra DeVillena with Wayne Farms, and Kelli Shallal, food safety influencer.
Virtual Poster Sessions for both students and staff were held on day two of the conference. Student award winners included Jacob Robishaw-Denton, 1st Place ($600) & Dr. Dan Englejohn Crowd Favorite Award ($150) for his poster on comparative genomics of Campylobacter jejuni strains; Stephanie Arellano, 2nd Place ($450) & YCEDA Award ($100) for her poster on plant-based microemulsions against Salmonella Newport on iceberg lettuce; and Jocelyn Rossete, 3rd Place ($350) for her poster on microbial quality and foodborne pathogens on melons. The student poster awards were generously provided by the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture (YCEDA), the School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences (ACBS), and JV Smith Companies through the Food Safety Endowment. A special thank you to Dr. Margarethe Cooper for organizing the poster sessions and to the judging team, Vicki Scott of the Yuma Fresh Produce Council, Jeremy Vanderzyl of Duncan Family Farms, Dr. Dan Engeljohn, Tedley Pihl, and Dr. Duane Wulf.
Student Poster Session Award Winners
Jacob Robishaw-Denton
1st Place & Dr. Dan Englejohn Crowd Favorite
Stephanie Arellano
2nd Place & YCEDA Award
Jocelyn Rossete
3rd Place
The goal of the Food Safety Consortium (FSC) is to address food safety issues in Arizona using a multidisciplinary collaborative approach. The FSC consists of members from across the University of Arizona, as well as, the Arizona Department of Agriculture, State Health Agencies, and the food safety industry. Areas of research range from fundamental aspects of microbiology, to field-based applications that directly affect the safety of the food supply. The group also connects extension agents out in the counties to the research teams as an integral part of the information pipeline.
For recordings from the 2020 Food Safety Conference and to learn more about the Food Safety Consortium go to https://safefood.arizona.edu.
Dr. Dan Engeljohn Honored for His Efforts
Dr. Engeljohn joined the School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences (ACBS) faculty as a full time Assistant Professor of Practice in 2018 after 40 years at the USDA. In his two years full-time at UArizona, Dr. Engeljohn developed 6 courses in food safety and animal science and 4 Food Safety certificates. Between the coursework and certificates, he set a strong educational and credentialing foundation for students to jump start their careers in Food Safety.
In recognition and gratitude for his extraordinary service and contribution to UArizona Food Safety Education, Dr. Engeljohn was presented with a plaque on behalf of the Food Safety program during the 2020 UArizona Food Safety Conference. In honor of his enthusiasm and dedication to students, the UArizona Food Safety Conference “Crowd Favorite” award was renamed the “Dr. Dan Engeljohn Crowd Favorite” award and a Food Safety Stipend for students has been dedicated in his honor. ACBS wishes Dr. Engeljohn the very best in his retirement!
Dr. Dan Engeljohn