Business Meeting on May 5th

Chairperson Julie Caswell (MA) opened the meeting at 7:15 a.m (see attached meeting agenda and list of those attending). The business meeting was held in conjunction with the NE-165 sponsored conference The American Consumer in the Changing Food System. After a round of introductions, the group approved the minutes of the June 1999 meeting. Julie reminded everyone of the two additional NE-165 conferences to be held in 2000 (see list at bottom of agenda).

Julie said that the major issue to be discussed at this meeting is the wrap-up of NE-165. The current NE-165 Project was scheduled to end in September, 2001. In previous meetings in discussion with Dan Rossi, our Administrative Advisor, the group had decided to end NE-165 at the end of its current 5-year period on September 30, 2001. Julie outlined several new research related activities that are underway that involve NE-165 members, including a proposal for a biotechnology regional research project submitted by Bill Lesser (NY) to the Northeast Directors, the Food and Agricultural Marketing Policy Section of AAEA, the Food Safety Section of AAEA, and discussions underway by Steve Vickner (KY) regarding a research effort focused on the food-away-from-home market.

The future structure of regional research projects continues to be changing rapidly. In light of this restructuring, which is not expected to be completed soon, in the spring the Northeast Directors issued a blanket extension for all northeast projects with expiration dates in 2001. Thus, NE-165 has been automatically extended for one year, with a new expiration date of September 30, 2002. Mel Mathias and Edith Thomas, our CSREES advisors, commented on the process of restructuring regional projects into multistate research projects, including an increased emphasis on competitive grants and peer review. They indicated that much effort is underway to revamp but that results are not eminent.

Julie noted that she polled the NE-165 Executive Committee in late April regarding their views of the one-year extension of NE-165. The Executive Committee saw the extension as low cost and useful in providing an umbrella for research meetings on NE-165 objectives and discussions of future activities. They also stressed the need for very clearly articulated interest and agendas from working groups in order for NE-165 meetings to be scheduled in 2001 and 2002.

The group discussed possible scenarios for the wrap-up of NE-165. Ron Cotterill (CT), John Connor (IN), and Jim MacDonald (ERS) said that they thought the conference we were now attending, The American Consumer in the Changing Food System, is a very good capstone conference for the competitive strategies part of NE-165. They did not think an additional capstone type of conference would be feasible or desirable in 2001 or 2002. Ron suggested that as an alternative finale point, NE-165 plan a symposium and reception at the AAEA meetings to be held in Chicago in 2001. The group thought this was a good idea.

Julie proposed that outside NE-165 activities to be planned at the AAEA meetings in 2001 that NE-165 follow a policy of supply of meetings following demand through the end of the project in September, 2002. When a group of NE-165 members wants to meet to work on NE-165 related research efforts and plan future research activities, they can request that Julie ask Dan Rossi to authorize an NE-165 meeting. Julie will field and coordinate requests for meetings to be set up, in consultation with the Executive Committee, but will not schedule any routine meetings (e.g., a Fall meeting). Thus meeting supply will follow demand. If groups of members organize and wish to meet and/or sponsor a conference, NE-165 will support this activity as an authorized meeting. If no requests are forthcoming, no meetings will be held. The group discussed Julie's proposal and supported it as a plan of operation for the wrap-up of NE-165. Current officers of NE-165 would continue in office through the end of the project in 2002.

Julie requested that anyone interested in working on plans for the NE-165 activity at the AAEA meetings in Chicago in 2001 get in touch with her. The meeting was adjourned for the day at 8:15 a.m. The remainder of the NE-165 meeting on May 4-5 was comprised of the conference The American Consumer in the Changing Food System.

Business Meeting on June 27th

Chairperson Julie Caswell (MA) opened the meeting at 7:15 a.m. (see attached meeting agenda and list of those attending). The business meeting was held in conjunction with the NE-165 sponsored conference Global Food Trade and Consumer Demand for Quality. Julie reminded everyone of the one additional NE-165 conference to be held in 2000 (see item at bottom of agenda).

Julie gave the group the background information discussed above regarding the extension of NE-165 and a summary of the discussion held at the May meeting on how to wrap-up the project. The group's discussion paralleled that of the May meeting. The group thought that the two conferences in June (Global Food Trade and Consumer Demand for Quality) and September (Valuing the Health Benefits of Food Safety) functioned well as capstone type of conferences for NE-165 and there was little enthusiasm for planning a capstone conference in 2001.

The group supported the idea of planning activities at the AAEA meetings in 2001. Laurian Unnevehr (IL) suggested that we also consider submitting principal paper session(s) for the Chicago meeting focusing on NE-165's work. The group was enthusiastic about this idea. The group also supported the proposal that supply of meetings in 2001 and 2002 will follow demand, as discussed above, and is particularly interested in the activities of the new Food Safety Section of AAEA. Julie requested that anyone interested in working on plans for the NE-165 activity at the AAEA meetings in Chicago in 2001 get in touch with her. The meeting was adjourned for the day at 8:15 a.m. The remainder of the NE-165 meeting on June 26-27 was comprised of the conference Global Food Trade and Consumer Demand for Quality.

Respectfully Submitted,
Julie A. Caswell
Chairperson, NE-165

• Introduction of New Participants
• Approval of Minutes of June 1999 Meeting
• Reminder of Upcoming Conferences (see below)
• Discussion of NE-165 Wrap-Up
• End Date of September, 2001 or 2002?
• New Project/Group Activity

• Agbiotech Initial Proposal to Northeast Directors (Leader: Bill Lesser)

• Food Safety Section of AAEA

• Others?

• Conference or Meeting Activity in 2001 or 2002
• Publication Activity in 2001 or 2002

The American Consumer in the Changing Food System

May 3-5, 2000, Washington, DC
Organized by ERS with Co-Sponsorship by the Food Marketing Institute, Food Policy and Outreach Institute, NE-165, Farm Foundation, Food Institute, Retail Food Industry Center, and Food Marketing Policy Center.

Global Food Trade and Consumer Demand for Quality

June 26-27, 2000, Montreal, Canada
Sponsored by the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium (IATRC) and NE

Valuing the Health Benefits of Food Safety

September 14-15, 2000, University of Maryland
Co-organized by several federal agencies (FDA, ERS, EPA, CDC) and co-sponsored by NE-165.