U of G prof honoured at international food safety conference

Improving food safety education is becoming increasingly difficult with the spread of misinformation was the key message from Dr. Lawrence Goodridge’s keynote address at the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Annual Meeting. 

The food safety professor opened the annual conference on Sunday, held in Long Beach California, with a keynote address after being awarded with the IAFP’s Ivan Parkin Lectureship. 

During the talk, Goodridge presented examples of incorrect or misleading information and outlined what the food safety profession can do to counter the rise of incorrect and non-factual information. 

“It was a privilege for me to honour Dr. Parkin with a lecture on food safety education,” says Goodridge. “It afforded me the opportunity to discuss a critically important topic that I am passionate about.” 

Goodridge applies genomics to the study of foodborne bacteria, viruses, parasites and antibiotic resistance within a One Health context. He also conducts wastewater and social media surveillance to develop faster ways to identify outbreaks of infectious diseases caused by foodborne pathogens 

In May, Goodridge received a $15M initiative to co-direct a research project to prepare Canada for future health emergencies by building the resilience of Canada’s biomanufacturing sector, which uses living cells and organisms to create products such as medicines and foods.   

“As we deal with the increasing emergence of infectious diseases, it’s imperative that we enhance our preparedness for future health crises,” says Goodridge. 

Goodridge has published more than 130 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has obtained more than $50 million in public and private research funding from Canadian and international sources. 

The IAFP is the premier food safety professional organization in the world. The Ivan Parkin Lecture was established by the International Association for Food Protection in 1986 to honor individuals who have had a significant impact on the field of food safety.  Each year a prominent food safety leader is selected to deliver the Ivan Parkin Lecture at the Opening Session of IAFP’s Annual Meeting. 

The Association established the Lecture to honor Ivan Parkin, a Dairy Extension Specialist at Pennsylvania State University and former President of the IAFP.