By Leigh Faircloth
American Fats and Oils Association
The 2003 American Fats and Oils Association (AFOA) Annual Meeting was once again held in October at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The meeting attracted nearly 300 for the second year in a row.
Frank Pizarro, a member of the New York City Fire Department and a firefighter at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, opened the meeting with “God Bless America.” As visions of fields of grain played in the background, the room stood at attention.
AFOA President Walter Karpinski welcomed everyone and recognized members and guests who traveled from overseas to attend the meeting. Attendees traveled from Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Australia. He also recognized the large contingent of members and guests from Canada.
Building on the exciting opening to the meeting, the luncheon featured keynote speaker Alberto Weisser, chief executive officer, Bunge, Ltd. He opened by saying, “It is an exciting time to be in the business of agriculture and food. It’s true that our business may not seem sexy to everybody. But no one can deny that it’s a very attractive business to be in, both today and in the future.”
Weisser’s remarks stressed that the world population is growing and disposable incomes around the globe continue to rise. “This in turn,” he said, “increases consumption of fats and oils, as we have seen is the case in China and India.” He also added, “In this new environment, North America will continue to play a global leadership role as both a producer and consumer. And, we will see innovation and change in our industry, creating new avenues for growth.”
As Weisser answered questions from the audience, he acknowledged that no industry is without challenges, but concluded that he was “very optimistic about the future.”
AFOA continued its meeting by receiving the Nominating Committee report. Tom Mann, senior committee member, nominated new AFOA officers and directors, which were accepted unanimously. Karpinski, Francis-Mustoe and Company, will continue to serve as president; Nick Sander, American Commodities Brokerage Company, retained the title of first vice president; David Harley, The Procter and Gamble Company, became second vice president; Ralph Joel, Solmar-Universal Tanker Chartering, continues as treasurer; and David Haselschwerdt, Sunbelt Commodities, will serve as secretary.
Mann also presented outgoing Director Rob Jones, West Coast Reduction, Ltd., a token of the association’s appreciation for his service on the board.
Following the luncheon, attendees took part in an afternoon session with research analyst Dave Armstrong, The LaSalle Group.
On the second day of the meeting, a number of AFOA committees, including the Tallow Committee, the Committee for Export and Domestic Trading Rules for Marine Products, and the Committee for Trading Rules for Animal and Poultry Proteins, met to discuss the need for updates or changes to the rules, as well as other developments. No major decisions were made at these meetings, although several groups are watching developments closely to determine if changes may be needed in the near future.
Later in the afternoon, a panel representing a mix of AFOA members discussed topics that ranged from the future of soybean oil as biodiesel to consumers and their perceptions of health and safety as they pertain to food and food ingredients. Nearly every seat was filled for the annual industry-wide seminar.
Next year’s meeting is planned for October 13-14, 2004, at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, NY.
December 2003 Render