Media advisory: Leading scientist and McGill alumnus helps launch Chair in Food Safety

Generous gift will allow McGill to be recognized internationally 
as a leader and innovator in the field of food safety and quality

Is our food safe to eat? Thanks to a new Chair in Food Safety – the first of its kind in Canada – McGill University will be at the head of the table in seeking answers to that question.

Thanks to a generous gift from leading food scientist and McGill alumnus, Dr. Ian C. Munro, and his wife Jayne Munro, the University will announce on Friday, April 15, at 1:30 p.m., the establishment of the Ian and Jayne Munro Chair in Food Safety. Executive Vice-President and Senior Scientific Consultant of Cantox Health Sciences International, based in Mississauga, Dr. Munro has devoted his career to identifying and controlling toxic constituents in food.

Based in the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the Chair will lead McGill’s newly established Food Safety and Quality Program, an interdisciplinary teaching and research initiative.

WHO:  Dr. Ian Munro, Executive Vice-President and Senior Scientific Consultant, Cantox Health Sciences International

Prof. Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University

Marc Weinstein, Vice-Principal, Development and Alumni Relations, McGill University

WHAT:   Launch of Ian and Jayne Munro Chair in Food Safety

WHEN:   Friday, April 15, 2011 – 1:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Macdonald-Stewart Building Foyer

Macdonald Campus, McGill University

21111 Lakeshore Road

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec

The official launch of the Ian and Jayne Munro Chair in Food Safety will be preceded by a discussion from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  on the theme Averting a Crisis: Making our Food System Safe. Hosted by Prof. Chandra Madramootoo, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at McGill, the discussion will feature Ronald L. Doering, Counsel at Gowling Lafleur Henderson, and Marilyn Knox, President of Nestlé Nutrition Canada.

Ronald L. Doering is an expert on many aspects of food and agricultural law, including labeling, recalls, biotechnology, regulation, plant protection and animal health. He previously served as President of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and as a senior official with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Marilyn Knox is a Fellow of the Canadian Dietetic Association and a former chair of the board of the Food and Consumer Products Manufacturers Association. She has served as Assistant Deputy Minister, Food Industry, for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and was active in Ontario’s First Premier’s Council on Health Strategy.