2009 Food Safety Summit Names Executive Educational Advisory Committee

DEERFIELD, Ill. — A new Executive Educational Advisory Committee (EEAC) including leading manufacturers, growers, non-governmental and government agencies, trade associations, supermarkets, academic and legal professionals and consultants have been named to develop a solutions oriented educational platform for the 11th annual  Food Safety Summit. 

The summit will be held Monday, April 27 through Wednesday, April 29, 2009, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center.

“We are pleased to announce our brand new Executive Educational Advisory Committee, a prestigious group of industry professionals who will help us reach our goal of keeping the Food Safety Summit conference fresh, vibrant and focused on specific industry issues, all within the context of a global food supply,” said Scott Wolters, CEM, director of tradeshows and conferences for BNP Media, producers of the event. “The mission of the EEAC is to develop a meaningful educational platform for food industry professionals with an emphasis on solutions, not just statements of situations.” 

The following industry executives will serve on the EEAC.

• Tim Haley, senior manager for food safety and regulatory compliance, Bush Brothers & Company; Knoxville, Tenn. (manufacturer)
• Alan Plassche, co-founder, BP Partners; New Canaan, Conn. (consultant)
• Mike Robach, vice president corporate food safety and regulatory affairs, Cargill; Minneapolis (manufacturer)
• Caroline Smith de Waal, director, food safety program, Center for Science in the Public Interest; Washington, D.C. (non-governmental agency)
• Will Daniels, vice president, quality, food safety and organic integrity quality, Earthbound Farm; San Juan Bautista, Calif. (grower)
• Dr. Marion Aller, DVM, DABT, director, division of food safety, Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services; Tallahassee, Fla. (public health official)
• Donald Zink, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration/CFSAN; College Park, Md. (government)
• Gary Ades, Ph.D., president, G&L Consulting Group; Bentonville, Ark. (consultant)
• Thomas A. Packer, partner, Gordon & Rees; San Francisco (legal)
• Craig Henry Ph.D., senior vice president and chief operating officer, scientific and regulatory affairs, Grocery Manufacturers Association; Washington, D.C. (trade Association)
• Sharon Wood, director of food safety, H-E-B; San Antonio (supermarket)
• David Theno, Ph.D., senior vice president, chief product safety officer, Jack in the Box; San Diego (foodservice)
• John Spink, director, Packaging for Food and Product Protection Initiative, and instructor, National Food Safety & Toxicology Center, Michigan State University; Okemos, Mich. (food defense)
• Richard Linton, Ph.D., professor of food safety, Department of Food Science, Purdue University; West Lafayette, Ind. (academia)
• Scott Brooks, DVM, director of quality assurance, Yum! Brands; Louisville, Ky. (foodservice)

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 come together 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 such leading companies as Campbell Soup, Hormel Foods, Kellogg Company, Kraft, Tyson, McDonald’s, Marriott International, Perdue Farms, Cargill, Sara Lee Foodservice, Tyson Foods, the FBI, USDA and FDA, among others, attend the event.