The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) will hold a press conference tomorrow, Sept. 11, to introduce its new Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC). The conference, which is slated from 1–2 p.m. Eastern Time, will be webcast live for those who cannot attend; complimentary registration for the webcast is available via www.visualwebcaster.com/GFTCLAUNCH.

IFT officials said the Center "will bring together key stakeholders in the food system to create the first single, not-for-profit, unbiased scientific entity focused on product tracing. The Center will improve response time to foodborne outbreaks, reduce the scope of recalls, and conduct root-cause analysis to encourage efficient traceability practices, ultimately benefiting both companies and consumers."

Speakers at the press conference will include:

• Janet Collins, CFS, president of the Institute of Food Technologists
• Jack Sinclair, executive vice president of the Grocery Division, Walmart
• Sherri McGarry, foodborne outbreak coordinator on the Emergency Coordination and Response Staff in the Office of Compliance, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of the Food Safety Program for the Center for Science in the Public Interest
• Artavazd Hakobyan, food safety technical lead with the Global Food Safety Partnership at the World Bank
• William Fisher, CFS, vice president, science & policy initiatives, Institute of Food Technologists

Additional information on the Global Food Traceability Center is available on the IFT website.