Arlington , VA, July 17, 2007 – Dr. David Acheson, Assistant Commissioner of Food Protection at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will be a keynote speaker at the Conference at PACK EXPO, running from October 15-17, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Dr. Acheson will deliver the conference’s closing keynote address on Wednesday, October 17 at 10:10 a.m.

The three-day Conference at PACK EXPO program will be held in conjunction with PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2007. Both events are sponsored and produced by PMMI.

In his presentation titled “Assuring Safety in the Global Food Market: Our Shared Responsibilities,” Dr. Acheson will highlight the challenges the FDA faces in ensuring that the U.S.’s food supply continues to be among the safest in the world. These include increases in the volume and complexity of imported goods, growing international threats such as terrorism and emerging foodborne diseases and the significant increase during the past decade in consumption of produce, particularly ready-to-eat products.

He will describe how the FDA is focusing and renewing its food safety efforts in three key areas: emphasizing the importance of prevention, intervening through inspections and testing to ensure prevention is working and to intercept problems before they cause illness, and developing faster responses. All three of these areas are dependent on strengthening the scientific basis for FDA’s food safety program, enhancing effective partnerships, and improving risk-based targeting of inspection resources

On May 1, 2007, Dr. Acheson assumed the position of FDA Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection to provide advice and counsel to the Commissioner on strategic and substantive food safety and food defense matters. Dr. Acheson has published extensively and is internationally recognized both for his public health expertise in food safety and his research in infectious diseases. Additionally, Dr. Acheson is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Infectious Disease Society of America.

“We are honored to have someone of Dr. Acheson’s caliber participate in the Conference at PACK EXPO program,” says Ben Miyares, vice president, Industry Relations for PMMI. “Food safety has been a priority for industry and government, especially in recent years. With today’s global supply chains and increased automation in the manufacturing process, strict controls in the processing, packaging, transport and handling of a product are essential to ensure safety.”

Joining Dr. Acheson as keynote speakers are Cal Dooley, President and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers/ Food Products Association (GMA/FPA), and John A. Luke, Jr., Chairman and CEO of MeadWestvaco Corporation .

Mr. Dooley will be the conference’s opening session keynote speaker on Monday, October 15 at 10:10am with a presentation entitled “Consumer Confidence: A Shared Objective of the Consumer Packaged Goods Industry and Policymakers.”

On Tuesday, October 16 at 10:10am, Mr. Luke will discuss the growing importance of sustainability to the packaging industry, its customers and consumers. His presentation will be titled “ Coming Full-Circle: Sustainability throughout the Packaging Lifecycle.”

Registration for the keynote presentations and the entire Conference at PACK EXPO program is currently available at www.packexpo.com. The fee for registrations received on or before September 24, 2007 is $55 per session. After September 24, 2007 and on-site, the cost will be $75 per session. Registration for the exhibits at PACK EXPO Las Vegas is required in order to register for any keynote presentation or conference session.

To register for PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2007 or obtain more information, visit www.packexpo.com. You can also contact PMMI’s Show Department at (703) 243-8555; fax: (703) 243-8556; or e-mail expo@pmmi.org.

PMMI is a trade association whose more than 500 general members manufacture packaging and packaging-related converting machinery in the United States and Canada. PMMI’s thirty-two supplier members manufacture commercially available packaging machinery components. PMMI's vision is to be the leading global resource for packaging. Its mission is to improve and promote members' abilities to meet the needs of their customers. Visit www.pmmi.org for more information.

PACK EXPO Las Vegas will be held October 15-17, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. The show will be co-located with the PROCESS EXPO, the Converting & Package Printing EXPO and the International Bottled Water Association’s 2007 Convention and Tabletop Trade Show. PACK EXPO International will be held November 9-13, 2008 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL. PMMI also produces EXPO PACK México, the premier packaging show in Mexico serving the Latin American region. This show will be held June 24-27, 2008 at Centro Banamex, Mexico City, Mexico. Visit www.packexpo.com for more information.

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