[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 52 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S3254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SALUTING ROGER DeCAMP

 Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I rise to salute the 
achievements of a man who has dedicated most of his life to improving 
the quality and safety of Alaskan and Pacific Northwest seafood, and 
whose efforts have made a positive and permanent impact on America's 
food industry.
  Roger DeCamp is by no means a household name. Roger has never sought 
recognition or fame. Yet it is not too much to say that he has made a 
profound contribution to the welfare of America's seafood consumers.
  In just a few short weeks, Roger DeCamp will retire as the Director 
of the National Food Processors Association Northwest Laboratory, in 
Seattle, Washington.
  In 1960, Roger joined the Association as a microbiology and 
processing engineer. In 1964, he moved to Seattle to become the head of 
the microbiology and thermal processing division at the Northwest 
facility, and in 1971, he became the assistant director for the entire 
facility. He has been the director since 1981.
  Unlike some who achieve senior positions, Roger has not ceased his 
work ``in the trenches.'' He has remained accessible to anyone who 
needed his assistance, and as one of the most knowledgeable individuals 
in the world about seafood quality control and safety, his advice has 
been widely sought.
  One of the major achievements in Roger's career has been the 
modernization and direction of the Canned Salmon Control Plan, which 
assures the safety and integrity of the millions and millions of pounds 
of canned salmon produced annually in Alaska, and which is shipped 
worldwide. Canned salmon is one of the United States' most successful 
seafood exports. That success owes a great deal to the control plan, 
which gives buyers everywhere the confident knowledge that American 
canned salmon is a wholesome and beneficial protein source.
  Under Roger's direction, the Canned Salmon Control Plan, with 
participation from industry, the Food and Drug Administration, and the 
National Food Processors Association, received the Vice-Presidential 
Hammer award for its unique approach to meeting the highly complex, 
technical, and sometimes conflicting requirements of the industry and 
the government agencies that regulate it.
  Roger has continually worked to modernize the practices and 
procedures of the industry, and has represented it with distinction in 
the development of regulatory guidelines at both the state and federal 
levels.
  He provided much of the impetus and expertise that led to the 
development of new Alaska seafood inspection regulations, has counseled 
the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute technical committee on seafood 
quality since its creation in 1981, and led the development of the 
Hazard Analysis/Critical Control Point approach to seafood processing. 
The latter revolutionized seafood safety requirements, and when put in 
place in Alaska, became the model on which later federal regulations 
were constructed for seafood products nationwide. This same technical 
approach is now being applied not just to seafoods, but to meats and 
other products as well.
  Roger also has been active on international trade issues of critical 
importance to the seafood industry. Among other things, he played a 
crucial role in obtaining agreement on a method of certifying seafood 
for the European Union market without resorting to the imposition of 
new user fees on the industry.
  Finally, it must be noted that the respect in which Roger is been 
held by both the industry and by government regulators has been key to 
the successful negotiation of scientific and technical agreements 
between the industry and the Food and Drug Administration, to the 
maintenance of a strong working relationship between them, and to the 
federal agency's willingness to work cooperatively on even the most 
complex and technical issues of food handling and safety.
  In no small way, both his industry and his country owe a debt of 
thanks to Roger DeCamp.




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