Host a conference on food safety for the regulators and the regulated industry in the Middle East. The office intends to hold this conference for the food regulators in the Middle East to achieve its mission of protecting public health by ensuring the safety of FDA-regulated products coming to the U.S. from the Middle East. The objective of this conference is to help the regulators in these countries understand the U.S. science-based food safety system and how these regulations are developed; by doing so, they will develop their own food safety regulations, which will improve the safety of the products coming to the U.S. from the Middle East and will, therefore, impact public health by ensuring that these products meet the U.S. regulations and are safe for the American public. Also, building trust in these regulatory systems will save resources for the agency by reducing the incidents of inspections.Nine countries participated in this three-day conference held in September 2010 to familiarize regulators with the food safety systems in the United States, Middle East, and North Africa and to highlight fundamentals of food systems rooted in regulatory science. Topics covered include company registration, inspection, surveillance, and risk assessment. An agenda for the conference is available on the FDA International Programs Workshop and Conferences Webpage: <a href=http://www.fda.gov/downloads/InternationalPrograms/WorkshopsandConferences/UCM236549.pdf target=”_blank”> http://www.fda.gov/downloads/InternationalPrograms/WorkshopsandConferences/UCM236549.pdf</a>. For more conference highlights, <a href=http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/Transparency/track/UCM244401.pdf target=”_blank”>click here</a>.A. Prepare an outline and determine the topics to be covered with CFSAN; prepare a list of the food regulators in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and their contact information3/15/2010Completed3/12/2010B. Prepare a list of speakers from the U.S.6/11/2010Completed6/11/2010C. Discuss with the host country the FDA Selection of Training Site and exact dates4/30/2010Completed5/19/2010D. Contact the regulators with a letter announcing the conference and request speakers (U.S. and Foreign Regulators)5/19/2010Completed5/19/2010E. Collect bios of speakers and abstracts of presentations8/1/2010Completed8/1/2010F. Hold the conference9/15/2010Completed9/22/2010G. Evaluate success of training using the evaluation form11/22/2010Completed9/22/2010H. Share evaluation feedback with all participants and stakeholders12/13/2010Completed11/30/2010http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Transparency/track/ucm206185.htmFDA-TRACK Office of International Programs Dashboard