IAS convened a task group on February 15 comprised of the IAS management team, IAS technical assessors and subject matter experts in food safety. The task group met at the Food Microbiological Laboratories, Inc. in Cypress, California. Serving as the interim chair of the task group, IAS Chief Technical Officer Pat McCullen explained that the purpose of the task group was to develop a new IAS Food Safety Accreditation Program. During the daylong event, the task group was briefed about current IAS programs and initiatives and the requests from several entities in the U.S. and abroad for IAS to establish a food safety accreditation program.

A key presentation during the meeting was provided by Udo Lampe, General Manager of Analytica Alimentaria, an accredited food safety laboratory located in Stuttgart, Germany. Lampe outlined a "Road Map to Accreditation of Food Safety Testing Laboratories" which incorporates best practices in the industry, including mandatory proficiency testing and independent sampling. At the conclusion of the meeting, Lampe agreed to become Chairman of the task group which will eventually evolve into IAS' seventh Technical Advisory Council (TAC).The group discussed the importance of food safety and the need to create a robust accreditation criteria, which will be able to address critical issues from "Farm to Fork". Also discussed was a change to the 2009 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Code proposal submitted by IAS through the Foundation for Food Safety Certification. IAS hopes to make progress in this important field when the task group meets again in summer 2012. Special thanks goes to Melissa Calicchia, M.S., President/Chief Scientist of Food Microbiological Laboratories and her staff for hosting and arranging the meeting.