Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and counsel, has been elected to the AOAC board of directors as director-at-large for 2009-2010. AOAC, a scientific association dedicated to excellence in analytical methods, provides tools and processes to develop voluntary consensus standards or technical standards for industry. AOAC membership includes chemists, microbiologists, laboratory managers and statisticians from around the world.

"As government interest in 'testing our way to food safety' escalates, it is imperative that we forge relationships with the experts in testing methodologies," said Detlefsen. "As AOAC enters its 125th anniversary, it clearly has established its level of expertise."

At IDFA, Detlefsen leads the association's efforts on sustainability, bioterrorism and food defense, and serves as the lead dairy industry advisor on food defense to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

He is co-chair of the Food and Agricultural Sector Coordinating Council (FASCC), a presidentially mandated partnership between government and the private sector. Detlefsen has contributed to four National Infrastructure Advisory Council reports submitted to the White House on matters ranging from cooperation between the private sector and the intelligence community to industry's preparation for pandemic flu.

"I'm in daily contact with many colleagues within key federal agencies, and I know the value of maintaining relationships, keeping the lines of communication open and sharing information on all kinds of topics. As a new board member, I look forward to helping the AOAC with its efforts to rebuild and enhance relationships with government agencies, especially in the areas of food safety," Detlefsen said.