Webinars
Upcoming Events
An Update on NCFPD Research Focused on Economically Motivated Adulteration
DATE: Friday, March 2, 2012
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9am MT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Karen Everstine, Research Fellow, NCFPD
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, NCFPD
This presentation will provide an update on current NCFPD projects related to economically motivated adulteration (EMA). Economically motivated adulteration (or food fraud) refers to the intentional contamination of food for financial advantage, and does not typically result in harm to consumers. Melamine contamination of both wheat gluten and dairy products are two recent examples of EMA events that did have unintended public health consequences.
Current EMA projects at NCFPD are focused on documenting and learning from past events, identifying potential targets for EMA, and developing algorithms aimed at early detection of EMA events. NCFPD has built a database of 95 unique EMA events in 14 food categories. In collaboration with United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and food scientists around the globe, we are evaluating the 1,100 monographs in the USP Food Chemicals Codex for EMA susceptibility. Finally, we have begun exploration and analysis of various data sources with the goal of identifying deviations in food supply chains that could provide an early alert for potential EMA events.
Past Events
Food Product Tracing Technology Capabilities and Interoperability
DATE: Friday, February 3rd, 2012
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9am MT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Tejas Bhatt , Institute of Food Technologists
FACILITATOR: Don Schaffner, NCFPD Event Modeling Theme Leader, Rutgers University.
This presentation will highlight the technological capabilities, challenges and opportunities for product tracing during an intentional or unintentional foodborne outbreak. It will provide an overview of the two-year study that qualifies the characteristics of commercially available traceability solutions while quantifying their effectiveness on food defense and protection of public health. This will be followed by a discussion on the real-world implications of the study including its impact on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)-mandated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) product tracing pilots.
Supporting Business Continuity during a Foreign Animal Disease Outbreak: Secure Food Supply Plans and Information Management
DATE: Friday, January 6th, 2012
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9am MT / 8amPT
PRESENTERS: Dr. James A. Roth, DVM, PhD, DACVM Professor and Director, Center for Food Security and Public Health Executive Director, Institute for International Cooperation in Animal Biologics College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University
Dr. Keith Biggers, PhD Assistant Research Engineer, Center for Applied Technology Texas A&M University
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD Director
This presentation will provide an overview of the planning activities for business continuity in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak, including the Secure Egg, Turkey, Milk, and Pork Supply projects. In addition, progress on designing an information management system to enhance decision making during an outbreak will be summarized. The project received funding support from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, a Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence, and the Center for Food Safety and Public Health.
Communicating Messages of Self-Protection During the 2010 Egg Recall: Strategies for Collaborating with the Media
DATE: Friday, December 2, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9am MT / 8amPT
PRESENTERS: Timothy Sellnow, Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs Shari Veil, Director, Risk Sciences and Assistant Professor College of Communications and Information Studies University of Kentucky
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD Director
This presentation identifies pattern of media coverage during food recalls with specific attention to messages of self protection for consumers. In addition, specific recommendations for collaboration among spokespersons and the media are provided.
The Food and Agriculture Security Dilemma
DATE: Friday, November 4, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9am MT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Justin Kastner, Assistant Professor of Food Safety and Security, Kansas State University
FACILITATOR: Amy Kircher, NCFPD Associate Director
Food and Agriculture Security—a stated priority research area of the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security—concerns the safety, security, and ongoing operation of the agricultural and food system in a global society that values both trade and security. In this historical and multidisciplinary webinar, Dr. Justin Kastner will highlight several trade-related food and agriculture security concerns of the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries, and emphasize the role that public-private partnerships and cross-border cooperation must play in ensuring Food and Agriculture Security in an era of globalization.
Food Fraud for Economic Gain
DATE: Friday, October 7, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
Food fraud is a collective term used to encompass the deliberate and intentional substitution, addition, tampering, or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients, or food packaging; or false or misleading statements made about a product, for economic gain. Based on the his NCFPD-funded research, Dr. John Spink will provide an overview of Food Fraud in the context of food protection mitigation efforts and will present examples that demonstrate the proliferation of Food Fraud activity in the global food supply chain.
Presented By: John Spink, Assistant Professor, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, and Associate Director, Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection Program (A-CAPPP), Michigan State University
Resources for Food Defense Preparedness
DATE: Friday, September 9, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
In honor of National Preparedness Month the NCFPD’s September webinar will feature FDA’s newly released Food Related Emergency Exercise Boxed set (FREE-B), an online collection of exercise scenarios based on intentional and unintentional food contamination events. Designed for use by food and agriculture sector stakeholders (government, industry and academia), the FREE-B and accompanying resources can easily be adapted for classroom learning or industry planning applications. The webinar will include a focus on FREE-B and specifically the food defense scenario entitled “Insider Addition” which involves the intentional contamination of a raw meat product using a chemical agent. In addition, representatives from the FDA's Food Defense Oversight Team will also provide updates on food defense tools and resources including the recently released Mitigations Strategies Database.
Presented By: Jason Bashura FDA Food Defense Oversight Team
Academic Consequence Management System (Academic CMS): A Foodborne Outbreak Teaching Tool
Click Here to View Recording (Starts approx. 5 mins late)
DATE: Friday, August 5, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
The Academic Consequence Management System (Academic CMS) was developed to graphically and visually illustrate realistic, real-world food contamination events and offers academics a unique and powerful tool to enhance food safety and defense curricula. Just in time for fall term, Kristin Colony and Sue Harlander, Vista Institute, will demonstrate the features of this interactive tool intended for undergraduate and graduate instruction. Abbey Nutsch, NCFPD Education Theme investigator, will share ways the tool can be adapted for coursework in a variety of disciplines.
The Academic CMS was developed by Vista Institute and funded by the National Center for Food Protection and Defense through a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The online tool will be available soon on FoodSHIELD and is limited to classroom use only. User Application form to be posted on FoodSHIELD membership page.
PRESENTERS:
Kristin Colony and Sue Harlander
Vista Institute
Abbey Nutsch
Kansas State University
NCFPD's Food Defense Tools for Food System Stakeholders
DATE: Friday, July 8, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
Established in 2004, the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) has partnered with federal agencies and the private sector to develop research-based tools and resources to protect the nation’s food supply. This webinar will discuss three recent projects: Food Defense Research Database, Food Architecture Project, and Food and Agriculture Criticality Assessment Tool (FASCAT). In addition, the presenters will provide a preview of several projects currently in the pipeline: Economically Motivated Adulteration, Visual Analytics for Security Applications (VASA), and the FARM Toolkit (Food and Agriculture Readiness Measurement).
Presented By: Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD DIrector
Amy Kircher, NCFPD Associate Director
Microscale Approaches to Capture and Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxin in Complex Food Matrices
DATE: Friday, June 3, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is one of the most potent biological agents known and poses a significant bioterrorism threat, especially if introduced into the food supply. For over 25 years, Dr. Eric Johnson and his interdisciplinary research team have studied BoNT at the University of Wisconsin, Madison's Food Institute laboratories. This presentation will highlight their advancements in improved BoNT detection and screening including sample preparation via a novel method (IFAST) and development of highly sensitive BoNT microsensors based on photonic crystals and responsive hydrogels.
Presented By: Eric Johnson, Sc.D., Food Research Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Lindsay Strotman, Graduate Student, University of Wisconsin
Chi-wei Lo, Research Assistant, Department Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Wisconsin
Facilitated By: Frank Busta, Director Emeritus, National Center for Food Protection and Defense, University of Minnesota
NCFPD Research Showcase 2011
DATE: Friday, May 6, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
As a culmination of the DHS-funded research conducted in the past year, NCFPD is pleased to feature the work of three emerging experts in food defense:
Risk Communication Theme:
Peanut Corporation of America Robust Case Study: Proxy Communication in Organizational Crises
Alyssa Grace Millner, PhD, Department of Communication, University of Kentucky
Agent Behavior Theme:
Rapid Detection of a Foreign Protein in Milk Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Coupled with Antibody Modified Silver Dendrites
Lili He, PhD, Post Doctorate, Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota
Event Modeling Theme:
Examining Food Risk in the Large Using a Complex, Networked System-of-Systems Approach
Ryan Newkirk, MPH, Doctoral Student, Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Social Media Constraints & Opportunities Research Project
Click Here to View Recording (Note: the audio cuts out at two points. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
DATE: Friday, April 8, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTERS: Michael Palenchar, University of Tennessee & Shari Veil, University of Kentucky
Social media is the number one use on the Internet with far-reaching positive and negative implications for the food safety and food defense industry. At the core of this research project is the driving question – how can we make the most effective use of new communication technologies, and specifically social and mobile media, in response to new food safety and defense risks? This presentation will focus on lessons learned from the one-year project studying social media within NCFPD’s Risk Communication Theme Group. Walk-away points include incorporating social media into risk communication best practices, need for more empirical evidence to demonstrate the ROI of social media during a crisis, need for integrating traditional and new media in crisis response strategies, and ultimately the urgency to leverage stakeholder-generatedinformation (video, audio, text) and those citizens as first responders into efforts to comply with food safety messages during a risk or crisis event.
New Food Models: Bioterrorism Risk Assessment (BTRA)
DATE: Friday, March 4, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Rowan Wang, NCFPD Research Assistant
In this project, the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD) examined the production, supply chains, and consumption characteristics that affect the vulnerability of foods to terrorist attacks and the consequences of such attacks. A generic clustering method based on the similarity of characteristics was utilized to group the foods into a limited set of clusters reflecting the food system. A representative food from each cluster was then selected. The results of the clustering can be used as a foundation for subsequent risk assessment and system analysis which addresses the food system using a limited number of foods.
(External to NCFPD) Office of University Programs Student Employment Webcast
DATE: February 10, 2011
This webcast is the first in a series of three webcasts designed to provide students with an overview of federal and HS-STEM employment and to present tips and tools on conducting a successful job search. In the first webcast, the S&T Human Capital team will provide students with insight on how to effectively search for and apply to federal positions. Students will have the opportunity to ask the S&T Human Capital Team questions about searching for federal positions as well as share their experience with the job search process.
The Role of Consumer Complaint Surveillance for Foodborne Illness Outbreak Detection in the United States
DATE: Friday, February 4, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Craig W. Hedberg, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
FACILITATOR: Donald W. Schaffner, Rutgers University
The speed with which outbreaks are detected and public health responses are initiated is a critical factor in mitigating the public health impact of foodborne outbreaks. This parameter has also been a key element in the development of public health response models for intentional contamination events. In this NCFPD funded project, researchers evaluated the performance of the Minnesota Department of Health statewide complaint system and surveyed a representative sample of 500 local health departments in the U.S. to determine their use of a complaint based surveillance system and investigation practices for foodborne outbreaks.
Special Webinar: Food Defense Implications of the Food Safety Modernization Act
DATE: Thursday, January 13, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTERS:
Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD Director
Gale Prince, NCFPD Food System Analyst
John Hoffman, NCFPD Senior Research Fellow
Results of an FDA Study on Consumers' Beliefs and Perceptions About Food Defense
DATE: Friday, January 7, 2011
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTERS:
Sara Eggers, Ph.D.
Research Director, Decision Partners
Linda Verrill, Ph.D.
Consumer Science Specialist , Food and Drug Administration
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD Director
In this FDA-sponsored study, a qualitative mental models approach to risk communication was used to design, conduct and analyze 50 semi-structured telephone interviews with U.S. adults. The presenters will share key findings from their research and discuss potential implications to the development of consumer-focused food terrorism risk communications strategies.
Tampering and Food Defense: The Canadian Perspective
DATE: Friday, December 3, 2010
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTER:
Harry Gardiner
Counter Terrorism and Emergency Mitigation,
Office of Emergency Management,
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD Director
This webinar will address the efforts of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in studying the vulnerability of the food supply to intentional contamination. The presentation will cover the spectrum of possible events, the results to date from the Agency's work as well as an opportunity for questions and feedback from webinar participants.
USDA FSIS Vulnerability Assessments on International and Domestic Transportation of Food
DATE: Friday, November 5, 2010
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTER:
Kim Green
Director, Food Defense Assessment Staff
Office of Data Integration and Food Protection
USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, NCFPD Director
This presentation will summarize the results of recent International and Domestic Food Transportation Vulnerability Assessments (VAs) completed by USDA-FSIS in conjunction with industry and other agency partners. The assessments identified risks associated with the intentional contamination of beef trim and liquid egg supply chains during transport and recommended prevention strategies or counter-measures. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 requires FSIS to conduct assessments on food supply chains to identify critical vulnerabilities and prioritize mitigation strategies for reducing those vulnerabilities.
Highlights from the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) Food Defense Research Activities
DATE: Friday, October 8, 2010
TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTERS:
Robert Brackett, Vice President and Director, NCFST, Illinois Institute of Technology
Alvin Lee, Director of Microbiology, NCFST, Illinois Institute of Technology
Lauren Jackson, Research Food Technologist, FDA, Division of Food Processing Science and Technology
Jack Cappozzo, Director of Chemistry, NCFST, Illinois Institute of Technology
FACILITATOR: Peter Varelis, University of Ballarat, Australia and NCFPD Agent Behavior Theme Leader (Chemical)
NCFPD is pleased to collaborate with the National Center for Food Safety and Technology (NCFST) on a number of detection and deactivation projects. This webinar will begin with an overview NCFST’s organization, facilities and future directions. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of recently completed and upcoming NCFPD-sponsored research. The webinar will be facilitated by Peter Varelis, University of Ballarat, Australia and NCFPD Agent Behavior Theme Leader (Chemical).
Introducing START's Global Terrorism Database
Click Here to Download PDF of Presentation Slides
DATE: Friday, September 10, 2010 TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Erin Miller, Global Terrorism Database Project Manager, START
FACILITATOR: Morgan Hennessey, NCFPD Assistant Program Director
NCFPD is pleased to showcase the work of our colleagues at START, the University of Maryland’s Center of Excellence. START (Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism) has developed the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) which consists of data on over 87,000 international and domestic terrorist attacks that have occurred worldwide from 1970 to 2008. This presentation will provide background information on the GTD, including the data collection methodology, the types of information included in the database, ongoing efforts to improve and expand data collection, uses of the GTD in research and analysis, and applications for food defense research.
Assessing Economic Consequences of Disruptions to Export Grain Supply Chains
DATE: Friday, August 6, 2010 TIME: 11amET / 10amCT / 9amMT / 8amPT
PRESENTER: Alan Erera, Associate Professor and Co-Director, Supply Chain and Logistics Institute’s Center for Global Transportation, Georgia Institute of Technology
FACILITATOR: Chip White, NCFPD System Strategies Theme Leader, H. Milton & Carolyn J. Stewart School Chair, Schneider National Chair of Transportation and Logistics,
H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering
This presentation will summarize the findings of an NCFPD-funded case study application of a new consequence-based vulnerability assessment methodology. The study examines the U.S. export grain supply chain, and the assessment methodology is used to compare the economic consequences of major disruptions to various important infrastructure components. Methods will be introduced, including network models of grain supply chains and optimization approaches for determining flow rerouting after disruption. The case study is a proof of concept that relies only on publicly-available data, but still provides interesting insights regarding where grain supply chains are most vulnerable.
A Virtual Tour of KSU's State-of-the-Art Biosecurity Research and Training Facilities
DATE: Friday, May 7, 2010 TIME: 10amET / 9amCT / 8amMT / 7amPT
PRESENTER: Beth A. Montelone, Ph. D., Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, Interim Director, Biosecurity Research Institute Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense
Take the opportunity to view KSU’s Biosecurity Research Institute (BRI), a multi-purpose biocontainment research and training facility.
The Institute includes BSL3 and BSL3-Ag facilities for research involving high-consequence pathogens and includes a unique space under BSL-3 containment dedicated to full-scale food processing and food safety research. High quality video systems are being developed to transmit images from research labs to facilitate both research collaboration and distance learning capabilities.
Tools and Resources from the FDA Food Defense Oversight Team
DATE: Friday, April 9, 2010 TIME: 10amET / 9amCT / 8amMT / 7amPT
PRESENTERS:
Jason Bashura, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Food Defense Oversight Team
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense Jason Bashura from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition’s Food Defense Oversight Team (FDOT) will highlight updated tools and resources available to the public including:
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Improvements in the CARVER software
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Functionality of the FDA online mitigation database
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Food-related Emergency Exercises – scenarios that can be adapted to meet various users’ needs
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Additional resources found on the FDOT homepage (www.FDA.gov/FoodDefense)
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Lessons Learned from the H1N1 Pandemic: Strategies for Preparation and Risk Communication
DATE: Friday, March 5, 2010
TIME: 10amET / 9amCT / 8amMT / 7amPT
PRESENTERS:
Timothy Sellnow, University of Kentucky; Matthew Seeger, Wayne State University; and Keri Lubbell and Katherine Becker, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense
Representatives from the NCFPD Risk Communication Team and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will discuss their collaborative research in response to the H1N1 pandemic. The presentation offers practical risk communication strategies for institutions seeking to coordinate and cooperate in responding to crisis situations, such as infectious disease pandemics or catastrophic food contamination events. Best practices for crisis planning, establishing cooperative response strategies, cooperating with the mass media, and providing consistent risk communication messages will be discussed.
Consumer Fraud: Deterrence and Detection of Economically Motivated Adulteration of Food Products
DATE: Friday, February 5, 2010
TIME: 10amET / 9amCT / 8amMT / 7amPT
PRESENTER:
Craig Henry Ph.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Scientific and Regulatory Affairs
GMA (Grocery Manufacturers Association)
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and its Science and Education Foundation (SEF) partnered with A.T. Kearney to study consumer product fraud in the food, beverage and consumer product industry. Supported by 13 leading consumer packaged goods companies, the study analyzed recent economic adulteration cases, motivational drivers and the resulting cost implications. By exploring leading practices and success stories related to fraud deterrence and detection, opportunities for manufacturers, industry at-large and governments to reduce the risk of economic adulteration, protect brands and enhance consumer product safety were examined.
Modeling the Public Health System Response to Deliberate Contamination of the Food Supply
DATE: Friday, January 8th, 2010
TIME: 10amET / 9amCT / 8amMT / 7amPT
PRESENTERS:
Donald Schaffner, Rutgers University
Greg Paoli, Decisionalysis Risk Consultants, Inc.
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense
This webinar will highlight a simulation model developed to quantify and characterize the response of the public health system and the impact of public health advisories in the event of an intentional contamination of the food supply. The model has three components: 1) the definition of individual exposure over time and the outcomes of exposure 2) the definition of the geographical dispersal of the food-hazard pair, and 3) the response of the public health authorities to symptomatic individuals. To illustrate use of the model, case studies with E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in three categories of food vehicle (short shelf life, medium term shelf life, and shelf stable) will be presented. The model provides an explicit valuation of time saved in the identification and intervention in terrorist events in the food supply.
Intended audience: NCFPD investigators and students from the Event Modeling and Risk Communication research themes. Other interested NCFPD investigators, students and food protection stakeholders are invited to participate.
Terrorism Risk Assessment from Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate
DATE: Friday, December 4, 2009
TIME: 10amET / 9amCT / 8amMT / 7amPT
PRESENTER:
Sara Klucking, PhD
Threat Characterization Program Manager
Chemical and Biological Division
Science & Technology Directorate
US Department of Homeland Security
FACILITATOR: Shaun Kennedy, Director, National Center for Food Protection and Defense
Sara Klucking, PhD will discuss the risk assessment process currently utilized by the Department of Homeland Security. She will focus on a model developed by DHS to assess risk of intentional food contamination. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of implications to current and future NCFPD research. The intended audience for this webinar is NCFPD investigators, students, and industry and agency partners. Please forward this announcement to interested colleagues.