IOFI Continues Global Outreach

IOFI participated in the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) Annual Leadership Conference in Florida from May 6-8. During this meeting, IOFI representatives met with the FEMA governing Board and other key members of the American association. “We gain a lot from our interaction with FEMA members at this annual meeting,” noted IOFI Executive Director Sven Ballschmiede. “We have an opportunity for two-way communication about scientific and regulatory topics that have an impact locally and globally.”

Prior to the Florida meetings, a delegation of IOFI staff and global volunteers traveled to Lima, Peru to participate in the seventh meeting of the LATAM Technical Working Group comprised of the IOFI member associations in the region ABIFRA (Brazil), ACHISAF (Chile), ANDI (Colombia), ANFPA (Mexico), CAFEPA (Argentina) and SNI (Peru). Meetings covered regional topics of interest to the assembled flavor company representatives along with updates on the IOFI Code of Practice, regulatory trends and training and communication initiatives.

Earlier in April, more than 60 IOFI volunteers from around the world joined IOFI staff members from Brussels, Belgium and Washington DC in Jersey City, New Jersey for a series of IOFI meetings. Included were the IOFI Regulatory Advisory and Advocacy Committee (RAAC), the IOFI Global Poundage Survey Committee (GPSC), the IOFI Communication Board (ICB) along with the IOFI Board and General Assembly meetings. These semi-annual gatherings are a way for the industry to keep abreast of new regulatory developments around the globe.