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One Week Left to Save on 2026 AFDO AEC Registration Rates!
Food safety leaders across regulatory and industry are already registering for the 2026 AFDO Annual Educational Conference, June 5-9, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. Register before April 15 to take advantage of reduced rates on the five days of educational sessions focused on three content tracks. Make new connections with peers and find out how they are managing common challenges.
✅ Check out the entire agenda here.
New for this year: Pre-conference activities kick off Friday, June 5, with the opening evening session on Saturday, June 6.
AFDO members get an additional discount for the annual conference.
Not a current member? You can save an additional $100 off the early bird price by joining AFDO or renewing your membership now. It’s like getting the year-round benefit of an AFDO membership FREE. Learn more and join now by visiting here.
Visit the conference website here.
AFDO Takes a Southern Roadtrip
AFDO Executive Director Steven Mandernach and Retail Food Safety Director Deanna Copeland took a roadtrip through four southern U.S. states last week, stopping in Tallahassee, Florida, Montgomery, Alabama, Jackson, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana to learn more about their programs and share what AFDO can do to help. Visiting with retail, produce and manufactured food programs in each state, topics included budgetary concerns, hiring and retention, AFDO’s training offerings and FoodShield capabilities.
FDA, CDC, Local Partners Investigate March 2026 Multistate E. Coli Infection Outbreak
As of April 3, 2026, a total of nine confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections were reported from three states, including seven in California and one each in Florida and Texas. Known illness onset dates range from September 1, 2025, to February 20, 2026.
Evidence indicates that Raw Farm-brand raw cheddar cheese products made by Raw Farm, LLC, are the likely source of this outbreak. On April 2, 2026, Raw Farm initiated a voluntary recall of certain cheeses. FDA is working with the firm and its customers to determine if any downstream recalls are necessary.
FDA initiated an onsite inspection and sample collection at Raw Farm in coordination with state partners. Sample analysis is ongoing but, at this time, FDA is not aware of any positive samples. If there are any positive test results, those results will be reported as they become available.
Read the full update here.
AFDO Launches Quick Bites, Delivering Weekly Soft Skills Inspo
Quick Bites, a new weekly update from AFDO, will deliver fast fact learning opportunities focused on soft skills for food safety professionals. Delivered via email, each edition will feature one short, practical resource designed to spark ideas for change and action — whether applied individually or within an organization.
Curated by AFDO staff, Quick Bites can include videos, podcasts, and more that support the essential skills food safety professionals need — critical thinking, active listening, time management, problem solving, decision making, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and de-escalation. Built for regulators, industry professionals, and other food safety stakeholders, this series provides trusted, grab and go professional development.
Here’s a sample of what you can expect every week when you sign up for AFDO Quick Bites:
🎥 Five simple strategies to sharpen your critical thinking | BBC Ideas
🎥 How to write an email (no, really) | Victoria Turk | TEDxAthens
🎥 The Difference Between the Verb and Noun of Employee Engagement | Solutions Explained by Roman 3
AFDO is Seeking Board Nominations
AFDO is seeking nominations for the positions of board Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer.
Vice President: Since this position automatically assumes the role of President-Elect, then President, followed by Past President, the commitment is for four years.
The Vice President serves on the board of directors before installation as President of the association. During the first year, the vice president helps carry out association programs through duties delegated by the President. He or she will also automatically fill the unexpired term of the President-Elect if the latter office becomes vacant, or when the annual term of President-Elect is complete.
Secretary/Treasurer: The Secretary/Treasurer serves on the Board of Directors as an officer of the association and is responsible for working closely with the Associate Executive Director to act as the custodian of all association funds. This role provides oversight of the usual and normal disbursement of funds in accordance with the approved budget and ensures that financial practices align with established policies.
In addition to financial responsibilities, the Secretary/Treasurer assists with taking notes during the three annual Board of Directors meetings held each year.
The term for this position is three years. For full details regarding the duties and expectations of this position, please refer to Policy No. 4 in the AFDO Policies and Procedures, available at: https://www.afdo.org/about/.
Email nominations to Krystal Reed by May 1, 2026.
April 17 Cannabis, Hemp, and Natural Psychedelics Committee Webinar Covers Policy Updates
The AFDO Cannabis, Hemp, and Natural Psychedelics Committee is continuing its webinar series with the next session: 420 Policy Update: The Future of Marijuana, Hemp, and CBD, presented by Cat Packer, Director of Drug Markets & Legal Regulation at the Drug Policy Alliance. The session will unpack a recent Executive Order with a focus on the ongoing administrative process to reschedule marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act and the anticipated next steps.
Date: April 17, 2026
Time: 2 to 3:15 p.m. ET
Register here.
Watch previous sessions here.
AFDO.org Pro Tips
Retail HACCP Plan Review Service
In this regularly updated eNews section, AFDO staffers will share their pro tips on how to get the most from afdo.org. With just a week left to register for AFDO Annual Educational Conference using Early Bird rates, agenda developers Carrie Rigdon, Sally Flowers, Brenda Morris, and Deanna Copeland share best practices for navigating this year’s program.
Pro Tip: Use the View Sessions tab at top left on this page to filter sessions by date, speaker, title, or track. Clicking on a speaker’s name will bring up each session they’re taking part in. Right click on a session name and select “Copy Link” or “Open in a New Tab,” to access a unique URL that you can share on social media or send to colleagues who might be interested.
ICYMI: Worth Another Look
2026 AFDO AEC Awards: Nominate Someone Today
Nominations are open for several awards that will be presented at the 2026 AFDO Annual Education Conference, June 5-9, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio.
Credit a High Achiever With the Corby Award
The Joseph Corby Achievement Award is given for one or more specific achievements, or for a documented sustained high level of performance. The scope of what counts as an achievement is very wide. A few examples: developing evidence in a difficult case that results in an indictment, conviction, or administrative action; bringing about a measurable improvement in general conditions, e.g., raising test scores on dairy farms or average scores in a group of food establishments; teaching courses that result in more food manager certifications; removing dangerous consumer products from the marketplace; or developing new techniques such as more effective use of computers.
Read more about eligibility and find a nomination form here. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, April 15, 2026.
Wiley Award Salutes Exceptional Service
The prestigious Harvey W. Wiley Award is presented annually to a regulatory or honorary AFDO member for exceptional service in the performance of duties and responsibilities in the administration and enforcement of food, drug, medical products, or other consumer protection laws, while promoting the objectives of the Association.
Nominations for this prestigious award are now being solicited, and the winner is selected by prior Wiley award winners.
For more information and a list of prior winners, visit the Wiley Award page on the AFDO website.
Please send your nomination directly to kreed@afdo.org by close of business on Thursday, April 15, 2026.
Nominate an Entire Food Safety Program for a Grosvenor
Established in 2010, the Elliot O. Grosvenor Food Safety Award is given to recognize outstanding achievements made by food safety programs within state departments of agriculture, natural resource agencies, public health departments, or environmental conservation departments in the United States or Canada. The award will go to the program that best showcases improvement, innovation, or sustained high performance within a food safety program.
Find more details or submit a nomination here.
Recognize Experience and Professionalism
The Industry Member Award is presented at the AEC to an AFDO industry member in good standing. Qualification for this award is based upon long-term active membership in the Association, active involvement in committee work, development of model codes, and demonstrated promotion of the objectives of AFDO.
Learn more or submit a nomination here.
AFDO Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Met in Atlanta
Last week, AFDO convened 121 food safety leaders from academia, public health, regulatory, and industry sectors to collaborate on practical, implementable actions to reduce foodborne illness and advance Healthy People 2030 goals. Work continued across four emphases workgroups — Norovirus at Retail, One Health, Root Cause Analysis, and Salmonella — to translate those goals into concrete next actions.
During the Atlanta-based meeting, workgroup co‑leads shared updates from the four emphasis — each focused on practical actions to reduce foodborne illness. The meeting also included a conversation with former federal food safety leaders Steve Ostroff, Emilio Esteban, and Rob Tauxe, and a discussion with FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Kyle Diamantas.
IFSAC Releases Annual Report for 2023 on Sources of Foodborne Illness
The Interagency Food Safety Analytics Collaboration’s newest annual report, “IFSAC 2023 annual report: Foodborne illness source attribution estimates for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157, and Listeria monocytogenes, United States, a weighted approach using 1998–2023 outbreak data” is now available.
The IFSAC is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. The group was established in 2011 to improve coordination of federal food safety analytic efforts and address cross-cutting priorities for food safety data collection, analysis, and use.
Key Findings Include:
Listeria illnesses were most often linked to three food categories — dairy, vegetable row crops, and fruits.
Salmonella illnesses came from a wide variety of foods.
E. coli O157 illnesses were most often linked to two food categories — vegetable row crops and beef.
Free Food Safety Education and Training for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Farmers Offered
Washington State University and the University of Missouri announced an upcoming produce safety training specifically designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing farmers. The sessions will be held in California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington.
The two-day course will be provided at no cost to participants and will be delivered in American Sign Language (ASL).
Register here. For more information, click here.
Regional Affiliate News
Register Now for the New NCAFDO Educational Webinar
Sealed foods, cold brew, kratom, toxic metals … today’s critical food safety challenges are complex and evolving. Hear more about the timeliest regulatory and safety issues impacting the food sector today on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET.
AFDO affiliate North Central Association of Food and Drug Officials (NCAFDO) hosts the free educational webinar on these topics geared to retail and manufactured food regulators and industry partners, with sessions led by experts from the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and the Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture.
Register here.
Nominations Open for the Mary Logan Scholarship
The Association of Food and Drug Officials of the Southern States awards the Mary Logan Scholarship to support the next generation of professionals in food, drug, and consumer product safety. Logan was the AFDOSS Secretary/Treasurer for 30 years and is retired after a 39-year career with the Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture.
Find the eligibility requirements for the $6,000 scholarship in her honor here. You can find an online application here. Submit by June 16, 2026, for the 2026-2027 academic year. This year’s recipient will be announced during the AFDOSS AEC in August 2026.
2026 WAFDO AEC Call for Abstracts Now Open
The Colorado Environmental Health Association is partnering with the Western Association of Food and Drug Officials and the Rocky Mountain Food Safety Conference for what the groups are calling a Mega Annual Education Conference, September 21-24, 2026, at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel in Lakewood, Colorado.
The organizations have opened a call for abstracts, encouraging potential speakers and organizers to bring forward the stories, lessons, and innovations that have shaped their work. They are seeking talks on environmental health, including food, water, air, zoonosis, and more. Visit the Call for Abstracts page for more information.
AFDOSS AEC Set for Gatlinburg August 23-26
Association of Food and Drug Officials of the Southern States (AFDOSS) is hosting this year’s AEC back in Gatlinburg August 23-26. Stay tuned afdoss.org for more registration and hotel block info coming soon. For anyone interested in being a conference sponsor this year, the AFDOSS AEC team is searching for sponsorships. If you’re interested in sponsoring or donating items for raffles, gift bags, etc., contact AFDOSS Treasurer Craig Nielsen at afdoss.craig@gmail.com.
