RFA To Hold Live, Interactive Web Conference On Allergens

Live, interactive web conference that you can join from your office!

Date and Time:
Wednesday, April 28, 2010, from 2:00 pm-3:30 pm Eastern Time
(1:00-2:30 pm Central, 12:00-1:30 pm Mountain, 11:00 am-12:30 pm Pacific)

Overview:
Over the past 15 – 20 years, food allergens have increasingly been recognized as a public health issue of considerable importance. An estimated 12 million Americans have food allergies and the prevalence is increasing. Food allergies cause more than 50,000 emergency room visits in the U.S. each year and dozens of deaths. Allergic reactions to foods can occur very quickly following exposure. The symptoms of these reactions can be quite severe and even life-threatening in some affected individuals. Ingestion of rather small amounts can elicit allergic reactions in some cases. Furthermore, there is no cure so the only effective approach is the total avoidance of the allergenic food(s) in the diet.

Not surprisingly, the food industry has been heavily impacted by food allergies. The most commonly allergenic foods – milk, egg, wheat, soybeans, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and crustacean shellfish – are very common food components and ingredients. The hazard is the presence of an undeclared allergen in a packaged food item. In recent years, undeclared food allergens have been one of the most common reasons for recalls announced by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. The food industry has the responsibility to properly label food products to avoid such incidents.

This web conference will provide the basic information on food allergens to allow identification of the allergen hazards that may exist in many food processing operations. Learn how to quantify the risks and then control those risks. Learn how to protect your products, your brands, and your company from experiencing allergen recalls while still offering safe choices to food-allergic consumers.

Presenter:
Steve Taylor, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Food Allergy Research and Resource Program, University of Nebraska

Steve L. Taylor, Ph.D. currently serves as Professor in the Dept. of Food Science & Technology and Director of the Food Allergy Research & Resource Program at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Taylor maintains an active research program in the area of food allergies.

Dr. Taylor received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in food science and technology from Oregon State University and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California – Davis. He received additional training in environmental toxicology and nutrition through postdoctoral training programs at the University of California – Davis. Before coming to the University of Nebraska in 1987 to assume his present position, Dr. Taylor served for 3 years as Chief of the Food Toxicology Laboratory at Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco and 9 years as a faculty member with the Food Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Taylor’s primary research interests involve the development of methods for the detection of residues of allergenic foods, the determination of the minimal eliciting doses for specific allergenic foods, the assessment of the allergenicity of ingredients derived from allergenic sources, and the assessment of the allergenicity of foods produced through agricultural biotechnology. He has published research on peanut, soybean, Brazil nut, almond, and cows’ milk allergies among a total of over 250 publications.

How does the web conference work?
It's easy and convenient! A virtual seminar is one that you can "attend" and participate in right from your offices. The savings are significant – no travel time or hassle and no travel expense.

The RFA Technical Web Conference will include live audio along with a slide presentation on the Web. You just need a phone connection for the audio and an Internet connection. In addition, the web conference will allow you to comment and ask questions at specified times during the event using your phone.

Source: Refrigerated Foods Association