Mary Ellen Burris, Wegmans Svp-Consumer Affairs, Joins List Of Speakers For Congress On Food Irradiation

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Mary Ellen Burris, Senior Vice President of Consumer Affairs for Wegmans Food Markets, Inc, has been added to the roster of leading speakers for the First World Congress on Food Irradiation: Meeting the Challenges of Food Safety and Trade. The Congress runs May 5-7 at McCormick Place, Chicago, in conjunction with the FMI Show. Ms. Burris' presentation is scheduled during the afternoon session on Monday, May 5.

"Wegmans Food Markets was the first chain in the nation to introduce irradiated fresh ground beef under their own private label in May 2002," said Ewen C.D. Todd, Ph.D., director of the National Food Safety & Toxicology Center at Michigan State University and a co-organizer of the Congress. "Wegmans is recognized as an industry leader and innovator, and their consumer education and marketing campaign for irradiated foods serves as a model for the entire industry."

Wegmans' irradiated ground beef introduction recently received an "Award of Excellence" as Corporate Marketing Campaign of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). The award recognized the company for its multi-faceted program of customer education, employee training, store newsletters, creative signage, media outreach and a press conference utilizing state and federal health officials and university scientists.

"We are delighted to add Wegmans to our program, especially since our Congress is being held in conjunction with the annual convention of supermarket retailers, and FMI is a co-sponsor," said Dr. Paisan Loaharanu, Congress co-organizer and former Head, Food and Environmental Protection Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Vienna, Austria. "Ms.Burris' supermarket retailer perspective will complement other presentations by executives from International Dairy Queen Inc., Colorado Boxed Beef, Huisken Meat Co., SureBeam Corp., Food Technology Service, and Hawaii Pride Inc., " he added.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is a family- and employee-owned 65-store chain operating in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with headquarters in Rochester, N.Y.

In addition to Food Marketing Institute, organizational and industry co-sponsors of the First World Congress on Food Irradiation include National Food Processors Association, Grocery Manufacturers of America, Institute of Food Technologists, International Union of Food Science and Technology, Minnesota Beef Council, Colorado Boxed Beef, SureBeam Corp., MDS Nordion, Steris Inc. and GUARDiON/IBA. For more information and to register online, visit the website at www.foodsafe.msu.edu/Congress/congress.html or call 517-432-3100.