Roger Cook assumes presidency of the International Association for Food Protection
Dr. Roger Cook assumed the presidency of the International Association for Food Protection at the conclusion of IAFP 2020, A Virtual Annual Meeting.
Dr. Cook is principal adviser (Strategic Science and Risk Assessment) to New Zealand Food Safety (a branch of the Ministry for Primary Industries) based in Wellington, New Zealand. He is also the principal food microbiologist, a position he has held since 1995. Dr. Cook now advises those who lead New Zealand’s regulatory microbiological food safety risk assessment initiatives, specifically those for STEC and Campylobacter, and to those who design research projects to support development and verification of food safety regulations and evaluate outcomes and consequences of overseas market access requirements; develop monitoring programs for domestic and export assurances (the equivalent to the U.S. PR/HACCP and STEC programs); and provide microbiological advice to the vast array of New Zealand’s domestic and export food industry. Dr. Cook has a close working relationship with overseas regulatory authorities and science providers, is a member of the ICMSF, and represents New Zealand on Codex Food Hygiene, on the Food Regulation Steering Committee of the Joint Australia-New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation, and as a member of the FAO/WHO JEMRA Working Group on STECs in foods.