11th Annual Food Safety Summit Takes Place in April

DEERFIELD, Ill.— For three days in April, the “heroes” who protect the nation’s and the world’s food supply will meet in Washington, D.C. for the 11th annual Food Safety Summit. Industry experts will lead discussions, explore concerns and identify solutions that are specific to food safety professionals starting with how and where food products are grown, processed, transported, stored, sold, audited and tested. The exposition and conference will take place April 27-29 at the Washington D.C. Convention Center.

“Today consumers around the world are witnessing the globalization of the entire food chain, bringing new challenges as well as renewed efforts to improve food safety and food defense in North America and around the world,” said Scott Wolters, CEM, director of tradeshows and conferences, BNP Media, producers of the event. “At the Summit growers, manufacturers, food service operators, retailers, distributors, regulators and non-government agencies will gather to share science-based information regarding food safety, quality assurance and crisis planning.”

At the 2009 conference, speakers will help identify solutions, provide specialized hands-on training and create interactive learning platforms, to help food safety professionals protect consumers.

Conference sessions will include New and Innovative Technologies For Food Safety; Regulatory Issues and Policy Updates; Meat and Poultry Safety; Noroviruses: Understanding and Controlling the Risks; The Challenges of Foodbourne Outbreaks and Recalls and others.

Speakers at this year’s conference program will represent the premier trade associations including the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Food Marketing Institute, National Restaurant Association, Institute of Food Technologists and the Association of Food and Drug Officials. Also, leading executives from Wal-Mart, Kraft, Costco, Tyson Foods, McCormick & Company, Cargill, YUM! Brands, U.S. Foodservice and Earthbound Farms will present at the conference.

The summit will feature several keynote speakers who will provide insight and expertise that will prove to be extremely valuable to the summit’s attendees. On Tues., April 28, the conference will kick off with a presentation by Dr. David Theno, senior vice president and chief product safety officer (retired), Jack - In - the Box, who will discuss “Food Safety is no Accident: It Takes Leadership.”   Dr. Theno spearheaded the reversal of the company's fast-food chain by making it an exemplary proponent of safe-food practices following its infamous 1993 E. Coli outbreak.

On Wed., April 29, Dr. David Nabarro, assistant secretary general & deputy coordinator for the High Level Task Force on Global Food Security Crisis, The United Nations, will present, “A Collaborative Approach to Global Food Security.”   Dr. Nabarro will address the Comprehensive Framework for Action (CFA) and its three-tiered approach to harmonizing regulations and to providing more consistencies in how food moves through the global food system.

“We are thrilled to have Drs. Theno and Nabarro as part of The Food Safety Summit educational program and to provide our attendees will great insight into practices that are now in place both domestically and internationally thanks to their work in the industry,” added Wolters. “Our executive educational advisory committee continues to search for the most relevant industry leaders and government officials to be a part of the Food Safety Summit so we encourage our attendees to check back to our website often to hear about other keynote speakers.”

The Food Safety Summit offers food manufacturers, retailers, restaurant and foodservice professionals, non-profit executives, members of the military, government and academia an opportunity to discuss the practical and technical regulatory and scientific issues surrounding food safety in North America and around the world. More than 1,500 industry decision-makers including Food Safety and Quality Assurance Executives from Fortune 500 companies as well as the FBI, USDA and the FDA among others attend the summit.

In addition to the extensive educational program, the exhibition hall will feature more than 200 exhibitors, a new products showcase, poster sessions and the opportunity to further learn in the vendor track theatre. Exhibitors include 3M Microbiology, BD Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Ecolab, Inc., Ingersoll-Rand Company LTD, R-Biopharm, Inc., Siemens Energy & Automation, Silliker, Inc., Beef Products Inc, Weber Scientific and others.