OFPA convention set for April 7-8
March 6, 2009Contact Information:
Ozark Food Processors Association, 479-575-4607 / ofpa@uark.edu
Dr. Justin Morris, Department of Food Science, 479-575-4040 / jumorris@uark.edu
By Dave Edmark, Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
479-575-5647 / dedmark@uark.edu
SPRINGDALE, Ark. – “Food Safety: Past, Present and Future” is the theme of the 103rd Ozark Food Processors Association Convention and Exposition to be held April 7 and 8. The activities begin with a golf tournament at 9 a.m. April 7 at Shadow Valley Country Club in Rogers. Events then move to the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale where there will be a reception and industry dinner at 6 p.m. The recipients of OFPA and other scholarships and the winners of the University of Arkansas-OFPA Food and Beverage Innovations Competition will be recognized at the dinner.
A series of addresses will highlight the morning session on April 8 following the welcoming remarks at 9 a.m. by Milo J. Shult, U of A System vice president for agriculture. The morning’s speakers will be:
• OFPA President Earl Wells at 9:15 a.m., who will speak on “200 Years of Canning: Success in Food Safety.”
• Jerry Johnson, Ball Corp. director of technical services of food and household products, at 9:45 a.m. discussing "Bisphenol A in Food Packaging."
• Frank Yiannas, Wal-Mart Stores vice president for food safety, at 10:45 a.m. speaking on “Beyond Food Safety Management - Food Safety Culture.”
• Doug Powell, associate professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at Kansas State University, at 11:30 a.m., who will speak on “The Message and the Medium: Food Safety from Farm to Fork.”
Lunch will be available from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the annual food processing exposition that continues to 6:30 p.m. featuring more than 80 exhibits of products, services and equipment in the food industry.