2020 NASDA Annual Meeting

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACTThe objective of NASDA?s 2020 Annual Meeting is to provide information on current and emerging feedand food safety issues impacting agriculture, and to build consensus among the states on regulatoryapproaches to these issues. The plenary speakers will give state regulators an opportunity to hear anational perspective on feed and food safety, something to which they may not be exposed in theirrespective states.NASDA has two membership meetings a year. One is the annual meeting in the state of the currentpresident; the other is the Winter Policy Conference held in the Washington, DC area. The focus of themeetings is legislative and regulatory issues of interest to the members. These two occasions and oneadditional meeting, held regionally, are the opportunities for NASDA members to converse on issues,make contacts with each other and other leaders, set priorities and goals for the coming year and meetface-to-face with NASDA staff and FDA officials.At recent meetings NASDA members have stressed the fact that there must be continuous efforts madeon the part of FDA and NASDA members to collaborate and cooperate in discussions on emerging FDAtopics that directly and indirectly affect agriculture. The states and FDA share similar authorities,missions and responsibilities, and the partners have been working to improve communications. Thepassage of the Food Safety and Modernization Act has created a plethora of issues to be discussed andresolved as we seek to establish an integrated federal-state food and feed safety system. The need forconversation about the proposed rules and the importance of getting the language in the proposed rulesright the first time cannot be overstated.The 2020 Annual Meeting presents the perfect opportunity for these NASDA members to get acquaintedwith NASDA staff and key FDA leaders that are dealing with feed and food safety and regulatory issues intheir state, and promote partnerships to ensure program success.The Annual Meeting is three days long, and the agenda includes committee meetings plenary sessions,plenary focus sessions, and speakers. NASDA has a Food Regulation Committee that meets during thistime to discuss topics focusing on FDA program areas such as the Produce Safety Alliance, Milk Residueproject, and the Food Safety and Modernization Act. In addition, NASDA Members and key FDAleadership find time during the meeting for mini-conferences on issues of interest and concern.The conference will be held in Medora, North Dakota. The number of participants is anticipated to beapproximately 250 -275 people. Meeting attendees consist of NASDA members and their staff, NASDAstaff, US representatives of state and federal regulatory agencies charged with feed and food safetyresponsibilities, the regulated industries, and university and research institution professionals.