IDFA, in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Sector Coordinating Council, convened a Food Defense Update Meeting last week in Washington, D.C. Representatives from FDA and 20 trade associations reviewed the vulnerability assessment work that the Food and Drug Administration has conducted over the past years and previewed upcoming food defense-related tools and activities the agency has planned for 2013.

FDA shared its new Food Defense Plan Builder tool, which is currently under development and scheduled to launch in the spring. This user-friendly software guides manufacturers through steps that will help them develop a proprietary food defense plan. Working with industry, FDA developed the voluntary tool to help companies meet new regulations required by the Safety Food Modernization Act.

Detlefsen Honored for Exemplary Leadership

Also at the meeting, Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs, was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by Ted Elkin, director of the Office of Analytics and Outreach for FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The certificate recognized Detlefsen for "his sustained exemplary leadership within the food industry to improve food defense awareness, outreach and implementation." 

This is the second time in recent months that Detlefsen has been honored by FDA for helping the agency develop and promote food safety and defense plans. In December, Detlefsen was recognized "for outstanding communication, coordination and collaboration” in the development and release of a new food safety emergency planning tool, known as the Food Related Emergency Exercise Bundle (FREE-B).

At IDFA, Detlefsen has primary responsibility for issues related to food safety, bioterrorism, food defense and sustainability. Detlefsen can be reached at cdetlefsen@idfa.org.