November 28, 2019 marked another milestone in the food safety assurance as great minds convened for the Grand Launch of the Institute for Food Safety Advancement (IFSA) at the Discovery Suites, Pasig City. Graced with the presence of food safety experts and executives from the food and beverage manufacturing and food service industries, the government, and the academe, the event emphasized that food safety is a must and it starts with acquiring the right knowledge together with the commitment for proper implementation and practices.
Among the notable guests are Dr. Sonia De Leon, the first food technologist in the Philippines, Dr. Alexander Madrigal, Regional Director of DOST-IVA, Mr. Arnel Guantes, AVP-R&D of Jollibee Foods Corporation, Dr. Ana Lantican, Professor at UPLB, Ms. Carole Bernad, QA Senior Manager of the Golden Arches Development Corporation, Dr. Lotis Francisco, Professor at UP Diliman and current PAFT President, Dr. Ena Bernal, Special Projects Head of URC, Dr. January Nones, Division Head at NMIS, and Ms. Amor Lahoz, Division Chief-Promotion and Documentation at DTI-Philippine Accreditation Bureau.
Two of the members of the IFSA faculty roster, Dr. Ida Dalmacio, Professor Emeritus at UPLB, and Dr. May Gatchalian, Academician Emeritus at the International Academy for Quality, gave an overview on the topics "Predictive Microbiology" and "Statistical Process Control," respectively; interesting topics to look forward to.
With its timely and essential topics, and impressive roster of faculty, IFSA commits to being the institution where food safety meets excellence.