Division of Environmental Health Food Safety and Sanitation Program

AFPTF Quarterly Meeting Minutes

• July 16, 2024
• 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Alaska)

Roll Call

Jeremy Ayers, Carol Brady, Claudia Coles, Brian Himelbloom, Colin Peacock, Brehan Corveau, Kathleen Easely, Beth Fitzgerald, Amy Foote, Christine Hughes, Julie Cascio, Kassim Kurani, Bobbie McDonald, Joy McLaurin, Nancy McWilliams, Melissa Chlupach, Noelani Thompson, Donald Wingate, Darcy Harris, Jason Wiard, Stephanie Won, Alyssa Rodrigues, LE Hegge, Lorinda Lhotka, Emily Garrett

Meeting Notes

• Opening remarks and introductions, Lorinda Lhotka
• Food Safety and Sanitation program update, Lorinda Lhotka
  • Staff are busy across Alaska this summer
  • New staff, some resignations
• HB251 overview, Beth Fitzgerald
  • Passed by the legislature with an effective date of July 1, but has not been signed by the Governor
  • Expands types of homemade food that can be sold in Alaska, where they can be sold, and how they can be sold
  • Webpage updates are being made, cottage food pages are no longer available
  • Other updates to applications, inspections, etc. are still in progress
• Bristol Bay inspection trip, Lani Thompson
  • EHOs take an annual trip to complete inspections at Bristol Bay
  • Includes seafood HACCP, low acid canned food, and retail inspections, as well as Department of Commerce audits
• Plannning for 2025 AFPTF Educational Workshop, Lorinda Lhotka
  • Volunteers to plan and present
  • Tentative dates are February 3-4

Member Updates

• Section of Epidemiology, Kathleen Easley and Stephanie Won
  • Developing an internal dashboard, looking at data in different ways
  • Updating foodborne illness collection forms
  • Some increase in foodborne illness, but nothing substantial or out of the norm for this time of year
  • Available for questions, like to be included in informational meetings
• Municipality of Anchorage Food Safety and Sanitation, Donald Wingate and Darcy Harris
  • Very busy, overwhelmed with work
  • Many complaints received, prioritizing temporary events
  • Hired a new sanitarian, has four open positions
• University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, Julie Cascio
  • Lots of food preservation questions
  • Julie will be at the state fair in the Hoskins building
• University of Alaska Anchorage Dietetics and Nutrition, Melissa Chlupach
  • Project manager for the Alaska traditional kitchen, quiet over the summer but posting on social media
  • Works with the food pantry for students, question about putting together bags of produce to send home with students
• Alaska Food Policy Council, Colin Peacock
  • The launch of the food business center has been delayed
  • Hired an event coordinator and intern
  • Next conference will be at the end of March in Kodiak
• Alaska Manufacturing Extenstion Partnership (MEP), Alyssa Rodrigues and Kassim Kurani
  • Holding manufacturing mixers, manufacturers and technical experts are welcome; will hold another mixer in Anchorage in September and will expand to hold ones in Fairbanks and Soldotna
  • Hosting HACCP courses again, looking at dates
• Alaska Native Medical Center, Amy Foote
  • They have transitioned away from their contractor
  • Hired a director for their department
  • Working on a waste reduction project with Copper River Seafoods, able to use storage at the food bank
  • Had a wild harvest of 10,000 lbs of bull kelp
• North Pacific Seafood, LE Hegge
  • Bristol Bay season is ending, other areas will be picking up soon
• Brian Himelbloom
  • Continues to help Chris Sannito with process authority work on Kodiak
  • Helps with workshops by Alaska Sea Grant, smoked seafood school is in mid-October
• Seafood Products Association (SPA), Claudia Coles
  • Just received first cans of Alaska salmon for sensory review
  • Glad to be a resource for those who need training or have questions

Action Items and Closing Remarks

• Action items
  1. Please let Lorinda or Emily know if you would like to present and/or help plan the 2025 Alaska Food Protection Task Force Educational Workshop
     • Let us know if the proposed dates (February 3-4) conflict with other activities
  2. Check out all the upcoming events and activities that were shared today
• Closing remarks
  • Join us for the next meeting in October; it will be held virtually and in-person in Anchorage

Next Meeting

• October 22, 2024
• 10 to 11:30 a.m. (Alaska)
• Virtual and in-person in Anchorage
• First floor conference room at the Department of Environmental Conservation building, 555 Cordova Street

Be sure to sign up for the Alaska Food Protection Task Force email list.