2021 Virtual Food Safety Conference
Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors, and attendees! If you missed any of the presentations or would like to view them again view the recordings at the links below.
Alex Strong – Director of Development, UArizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Learning, Discovery, and Engagement: Approaches to Building Partnerships with Universities
Watch Presentation
Craig Slaughter – Director of Research and Development, Sigma Alimentos
Impact of Pandemic on Product Development and Food Safety
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Jitu Patel – Lead Scientist, Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory, USDA
Pre-Harvest Treatments to Control Bacterial Pathogens on Fresh Produce
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Shelby Calvillo – Internal Food Safety Specialist, MGM Resorts
Breakout Session - Careers in Food Safety
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Matt Cook – Registered Sanitarian and Cochise County Environmental Health Specialist III (retired)
What an Old, Retired Health Inspector Learned About Hand Washing, and More
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Isaac Mpanga – Area Associate Extension Agent, Commercial Horticulture and Small Acreage UArizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County
Extensions Role in Promoting Regenerative, Circular Agricultural, and On-Farm Food Safety in Arizonian Small Farms
Watch Presentation
Congratulations to our Student Poster Presenters
Student poster presenters competed for cash awards totaling $1,700 including:
- Three $500 top presenter awards which were awarded to:
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Madison Goforth
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Kristina Raygoza
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Cesily Cirerol
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- The Yuma Center for Excellence in Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) sponsored award ($100):
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Shouq Alshahrani
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- The Dr. Dan Engeljohn Crowd Favorite Award which includes a $100 award:
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Shouq Alshahrani
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View videos of their poster presentations below.
Wed Oct 20, 2021
1:00 PM Welcome and Introductions
Sadhana Ravishankar, Chair - Food Safety Consortium
1:15 PM Learning, Discovery, and Engagement: Approaches to Building Partnerships with Universities
Alex Strong – Director of Development, UArizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
2:00 PM Impact of Pandemic on Product Development and Food Safety
Craig Slaughter – Director of Research and Development, Sigma Alimentos
2:30 PM Break
2:40 PM Pre-Harvest Treatments to Control Bacterial Pathogens on Fresh Produce
Jitu Patel – Lead Scientist, Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory, USDA
3:10 PM Student Poster Session Q&A
Moderator - Margarethe Cooper, Assistant Professor of Practice & Victor P. Smith Endowed Chair in Food Safety Education
4:00 PM Adjourn
Thurs Oct 21, 2021
1:00 PM Welcome and Student Poster Award Presentation
Sadhana Ravishankar, Chair - Food Safety Consortium
1:20 PM Breakout Rooms
- Water Quality - moderator Channah Rock
- Cyclospora cayetanensis - moderator Gerardo Lopez
- Careers in Food Safety - moderator FSC Young Professionals - Speaker Shelby Calvillo – Internal Food Safety Specialist, MGM Resorts
- Research Needs of Industry - moderator Juanfra DeVillena
- Improving Communication Between Researchers and Industry - moderator Bibiana Law
1:50 PM Lightning Talks
Moderator - Gerardo Lopez, UArizona Assistant Professor & Extension Specialist 4-H STEM
2:40 PM Break
2:50 PM What an Old, Retired Health Inspector Learned About Hand Washing, and More
Matt Cook – Registered Sanitarian and Cochise County Environmental Health Specialist III (retired)
3:20 PM Extension Role in Promoting Regenerative, Circular Agricultural, and On-Farm Food Safety in Arizonian Small Farms
Isaac Mpanga – Area Associate Extension Agent, Commercial Horticulture and Small Acreage UArizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County
3:50 PM Conference Wrap-up
4:00 PM Adjourn
Student Poster Entries (listed in presentation order)
Madison Goforth
Title: Bacterial Diversity of Different Melon Types Grown in Different Locations
Authors: Madison Goforth, Victoria Obergh, Kerry Cooper
Shouq Alshahrani
Title: A Comparison of Initial Background Microbiota on Surface of Melons Grown in Different Regions of the United States
Authors: Shouq Alshahrani, Katharine Getchell, Kristina Raygoza, Kirat Bains, Veronica Murrell, Paul Brierley, Martin Porchas, Bhimanagouda Patil, Sadhana Ravishankar
Cassidy Heiner
Title: Survival of Salmonella in plant-based meat products and impact on the microbiome
Authors: Cassidy Heiner, Victoria Obergh, Michelle Leal, Jennifer Mydosh, Lauren Salsburg, Craig Parker, Kerry Cooper
Elina Landros Rivas
Title: Prevalence of Cyclospora cayetanensis in irrigation water in the Southwestern region of the US
Authors: Elina Landeros Rivas, Kaitlyn Benally, Monique Torres, Gerardo U. Lopez
Jennifer Mydosh
Title: Phenotypic and Genotypic Comparisons of Campylobacter jejuni strains with different clinical outcomes
Authors: Jennifer Mydosh, Craig Parker, Kerry Cooper
Kristina Raygoza
Title: Attachment Strength of Salmonella enterica serovar Newport and Listeria monocytogenes on Melon Hybrids Grown in Five Different Regions of the United States
Authors: David Rowlands, Kristina Raygoza, Paul Brierley, Martin Porchas, Bhimanagouda Patil, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Justin Clark
Title: Survival of Escherichia coli in Irrigation Waters: Effect of Temperature and Sediment Properties
Authors: Justin T Clark, Valery Gonzalez, Kelly R Bright, Jennifer Duan, Charles P. Gerba
Cesily Cirerol
Title: Determine the prevalence and transmission of C. cayetanensis in Lake Okeechobee, South Central, FL
Authors: Cesily Cirerol, Amber Notah, Dominic Rodriguez, Chi Nguyen, Tommey Jodie, Janell Kartoz, Brawnson Gould, Gerardo Lopez
Dominic Rodriguez
Title: Understanding the prevalence and transmission of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Produce Growing Regions in Southwest and Mexico
Authors: Dominic Rodriguez, Cesily Cirerol, Amber Notah, Chi Nguyen, Janell Kartoz, Tommy Jodie, Brawnson Myron, Gerardo Lopez
Non-Award Seeking Student Poster Entries
Amber Notah
Title: Understanding the prevalence and transmission of C. cayetanensis in the West Coast
Authors: Amber Notah, Cesily Cirerol, Dominic Rodriguez, Chi Nguyen, Tommey Jodie, Brawnson Gould, Janell Kartoz, and Gerardo Lopez
On Day 2 of the conference (Thurs. Oct 21) attendees will join smaller breakout rooms to meet other attendees and engage in discussions around current issues in food safety. Rooms will be moderated by food safety researchers, professors, industry professionals, and food safety experts. Breakout rooms will be accessed directly from within the main meeting space.
- Water Quality - moderator Channah Rock, UArizona Cooperative Extension
- Cyclospora cayetanensis - moderator Gerardo Lopez, UArizona
- Careers in Food Safety - Speaker Shelby Calvillo, MGM Resorts - moderator FSC Young Professionals
- Research Needs of Industry - moderator Juanfra DeVillena, Wayne Farms
- Improving Communication Between Researchers and Industry - moderator Bibiana Law, UArizona
Lightning Talk Participants (listed in presentation order)
Kirat Khushwinder Bains
Title: Biofilms: Significance in Food Processing and Control Strategies
Authors: Kirat Khushwinder Bains, David Rowlands, Aishwarya Rao, Sadhana Ravishankar
Cesily Cirerol
Title: Understanding the prevalence and transmission of Cyclospora cayetanensis in Produce Growing Regions
Authors: Cesily Cirerol and Gerardo Lopez
Madison Goforth
Title: Bacterial Diversity of Different Melon Types Grown in Different Locations
Authors: Madison Goforth, Victoria Obergh, Kerry Cooper
Gabrielle Peterson
Title: Gene-Environment Interactions in Motor Neuron Disease
Authors: Gabrielle Peterson, Suvithanandhini Loganathan, Daniela Zarnescu
Natalie Brassill
Title: Evidence of Microbial Transfer from Furrow Water to Leafy Greens during Irrigation.
Authors: Natalie Brassill, Jessica Dery, Ban Saber, Channah Rock
Victoria Obergh
Title: Assessing potential microbiome alterations due to sanitizer treatment of agricultural water
Authors: Victoria Obergh, Madison Goforth, Natalie Brassill, Zoe Scott, Jessica Dery, Hannah Crean, Braden Smith, Ban Saber, Amandeep Singh, Harris Jebrini, Cassidy Hiener, Manuel Pagen, Shane Sieckenius, Channah Rock, Veerachandra Yemmireddy, Kerry Cooper
Richard Park
Title: Why We Peel Melons: A Peek into the Prevalence of Foodborne Pathogens Among Field-Grown Melons in Arizona
Authors: Richard Park, Aishwarya Rao, David Rowlands, Qi Wei, Paul Brierley, Martin Porchas, Bhimanagouda Patil, and Sadhana Ravishankar
Libin Zhu
Title: Isolation of Indicator and Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria from Non-traditional Irrigation Water Sources in Arizona
Authors: Libin Zhu, Huruy Zerzghi, Walter Q. Betancourt, Charles Gerba, Kelly Bright, Channah Rock, Sadhana Ravishankar
Past Food Safety Conferences