UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Food Industry Professionals And Academics Will Explore The New Challenges They Face In Securing The Safety Of The Nation's Food Supply At "bioterrorism: Protecting The Food Industry," A Day-long Penn State Conference To Be Held Tuesday, April 1, At The Blue Ridge Country Club In Harrisburg, Pa.

Intended for food industry managers, directors and technical personnel as well as food science educators and students, the conference will reveal the adaptations needed to respond to increased security issues and their impact on food manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, farmers and consumers. It also will allow food industry, academia and government representatives to interact in addressing issues.

Organizers say participants will come away with useful information on agro/bioterrorism, food safety and protection, human health issues and crisis management.

Keynote speaker Ernest Del Bueno Jr., vice president for global crisis management for Rowan & Blewitt Inc., will discuss "Crisis Management -- Planning, Training and Prevention." A retired Coast Guard commander, Del Bueno served as public affairs officer during the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup, and has more than 25 years of experience in crisis management, in areas such as airline disasters, auto safety (SUV rollovers), food safety, product recalls and air-quality emergencies.

Other presenters will include Nan Hanshaw-Roberts, emergency programs coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Animal Health Services in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; Bobbie McClean, director of the Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture; and Kumar Nalluswami, public health physician for the Division of Infectious Disease Epidemiology in the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Sponsored by the department of food science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, the Penn State Food Industry Group and the Keystone Section of the Institute of Food Technologists, the conference is the fourth biannual look at the state and national food industry.

A registration fee of $75 includes conference materials, refreshments, reception and dinner ($50 for students and emeritus faculty). Walk-in registrations will be accepted as space permits.

For registration information, contact Julie Emsing at (717) 534-3661 or e-mail www.foodscience.psu.edu), the Food Industry Group (http://www.foodscience.psu.edu/Research/FIG/fig.html) and the Keystone Section of the IFT (http://www.ift.org/sections/keystone/).

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EDITORS: Contact Thomas Dimick at 814-865-3360 or tsd3@psu.edu.

Contact:

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