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EPA CONFERENCE ON FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT SET FOR MARCH 3 IN WESTFORD

Release Date: 02/11/1999
Contact Information: Allan Christensen, EPA-NE Pesticide Program, (617-918-1529)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New England Office will be holding an all-day conference on the Food Quality Protection Act on March 3 at the Westford Regency Inn & Conference Center in Westford.

The conference, designed for food producers, commodity groups, state and federal regulators, and other groups, will focus specifically on the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996, which established tougher standards on the amount of pesticide residues that may remain in food.

The conference will focus on the country's overall progress in implementing the federal law, including distribution of a new consumer brochure that will be available in the next several weeks at supermarkets across the country.

National experts will make presentations on such issues as the status of FQPA implementation, pesticide-related risk assessments that are underway, and FQPA data needs. Panel discussions will be held on such issues as crop profiles, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's monitoring program, the impact of pesticides on drinking water and university activities.

Conference co-sponsors include the University of Massachusetts Extension, the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, other New England state Cooperative Extension Systems and pesticide regulatory agencies.

For conference and registration information, please contact Allan Christensen, EPA-New England Pesticide Program, 1 Congress St., Suite 1100 (CPT), Boston, MA 02114-2023 or by calling 617-918-1529.