AOAC 2017 Annual Meeting Preliminary Program

WELCOME FROM THE PRESIDENT OF AOAC INTERNATIONAL

Dear Colleagues, On behalf of the entire Board of Directors and staff of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, welcome to the 131 st Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s going to be a great week of advancing standards development activities and finding the best methods in the areas most important to our stakeholders. And, of course, catching up with old friends and making new connections. This is an especially exciting time to be part of the important work of the association—a world-class leader in providing science-based solutions through voluntary consensus standards development and Official Methods SM . It is a time for new ideas, new engagements, and empowerment at AOAC. The Board of Directors has been actively engaged in new strategic planning and is moving on an ambitious goal to take AOAC to the next level in international outreach and engagement. In fact, members of the staff and Board have been working closely with an outstanding consulting firm throughout the spring, culminating in a mid-June planning retreat where the foundation was laid for the new strategic directions that AOAC INTERNATIONAL is beginning to pursue. One of the best examples of the association’s important work can be seen at the AOAC Annual Meeting and Exposition, where members’ passion for science is unsurpassed. I urge you to attend at least one of the stakeholder panels, working groups, or expert review panels and see for yourself the proven AOAC process in action. AOAC stakeholders have a voice in driving priorities, setting standards, and recommending the best methods that are fit-for-purpose and most needed in their respective communities. One of AOAC’s greatest strengths is its ability to bring people together from around the globe, representing various sectors and with unique and diverse perspectives to work together toward a common goal. This remarkable collaborative process has resulted in a myriad of voluntary consensus, globally recognized and accepted standards and methods that can help solve global food safety issues. In addition to standards development and Official Methods SM activities, AOAC is honored to announce this year’s keynote speaker, Wamwari Waichungo, Vice President for Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs at The Coca-Cola Company. She leads the multinational beverage corporation’s efforts to evaluate and substantiate the safety and efficacy of ingredients, products, and packaging. In addition, her team is responsible for ensuring the regulatory compliance of all ingredients, products, and packaging. The keynote address will be delivered on Monday, September 25, 2017. This year’s Harvey W. Wiley Award recipient, Kaushik Banerjee of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s National Research Center for Grapes, is a chemist who helped build India’s modern analytical testing program for pesticide residues and other contaminants in foods. He is head of the National Referral Laboratory on Agrochemical Residues. Banerjee is being recognized for his achievements in not only administration and international harmonization, but

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