2009 Food Safety Summit Focuses on Protecting America’s Food Supply

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The recent outbreak of salmonella in peanuts and the subsequent closing of the Peanut Company of America’s factory in Georgia highlights some of the issues facing the food industry that will be addressed in detail at the 11th annual Food Safety Summit.

Throughout the three-day event, retailers, food processors and food service companies will provide real world insight and solutions for food safety professionals to implement in their businesses now to avoid devastating incidents in the future.

The Food Safety Summit will take place April 27-29 at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center.

“There have been many food safety issues in the news over the past six months and now is a perfect time for those in the industry responsible for the steps food takes from the farm to the fork to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply and eliminate food-borne illnesses,” said Scott Wolters, CEM and director of tradeshows and conferences, BNP Media, producers of the event. “For three days, leading executives and government officials will offer their insight and wisdom on such important issues as Preparation and Response; Challenges of Food-borne Outbreaks; Third Party Auditing; Food Safety Solutions for Food Service Operators and More.”

Following is a preview of five of the sessions that will be offered at the summit. For the complete conference program, visit www.foodsafetysummit.com.

Lawyers, food safety professionals and global managing directors will present The Three Pillars of a Successful Liability Program: Preparation, Response and Resolution. “This is a must attend session for anyone involved with corporate liability issues,” said Laurie Lehmann, director of education for the summit. “Creating a successful food liability program can be extremely difficult if you aren’t knowledgeable about where to start or what to do. Attendees will learn from industry legal professionals about the best way to prevent company liability via a thorough risk assessment, the proper crisis management team you must have in place, and most importantly, how to resolve any claims that are made, including how to work with your insurance carrier.”

Seasoned industry professionals including Will Daniels, Earthbound Farms; Jorge Hernandez, U.S. Foodservice; Larry Kohl, Food Marketing Institute (FMI); John Zimmerman, Sodexo, Gary Ades, G&L Consulting Group and Tim Haley from Bush Brothers & Company will offer their perspectives on Food Safety Challenges and Solutions Throughout the Supply Chain. At every step of the supply chain, there are challenges and even solutions. This session will take a look at key challenges seen at various stages of the supply chain, and provide attendees with an opportunity to hear what leading experts think solutions to those problems might be. This in an interactive session with the opportunity to talk openly about implementation of new solutions.

Executives from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), General Mills, Food Safety and Inspection of New York State, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food Safety Inspection Services (FSIS) will offer their insight in The Challenges of Food-borne Outbreaks and Recalls. Speakers will offer insight into how stakeholders can address management challenges and better leverage resources. A multi-jurisdictional outbreak of food-borne illness and resulting recalls are difficult to manage because of the many entities involved, from local, state and federal public health and food agencies to the food industry itself. Who is in charge? Who has what information? Who needs what information and when? This session will convene a group of experts to look at issues and challenges faced by these groups, and at the various tools and possible solutions.

Foodservice operators face a host of food safety challenges every day. Food Safety Solutions for Food Service Operators will bring together progressive insiders to share their current solutions as well as new concepts they are considering. They will address a broad array of problem-solutions from organizational commitment to best practices, and equipment / technology. Speakers will include Alan Plassche, co-founder and publisher of Food Safety Insights; Mike Dunn, director of product quality assurance, Sodexo; Kathleen Ensley, food safety manager, YUM! Brands/Taco Bell; Craig Wilson, AVP, GMM Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Costco; John Chrisman, director of total quality, Darden Restaurants; and Colista Yates, director, quality assurance, DineEquity, parent company of IHOP and Applebee’s Restaurants.

Mark Overland, corporate certification manager for Cargill, will present Third-Party Auditing and Certification: What You Need to Know. Food quality assurance professionals have been working together to build a coalition to harmonize food safety audit standards. This initiative pulls together a common framework for standards that includes a look at the Codex guidance principles. What standards do we use? What is the process and how will the standards be applied? Representatives from various auditing companies have been invited and will be available to answer specific questions.

“We have worked with a dynamic group of leaders on our educational advisory board who have developed a conference program that will educate and provide answers to those on the front line of the food safety industry,” Wolters said. “With outbreaks and recalls in the news everyday, this is an important Summit that will bring together all segments of the industry to share ideas and collaborate on solutions.”

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, Ingersoll-Rand Company LTD, R-Biopharm, Siemens Energy & Automation, Silliker, Beef Products, Weber Scientific and others.