Global Food Safety Conference Set for Feb. 26-28, in Anaheim, Calif.

From Feb. 26-28, 2014, about 1,000 food safety experts will gather in Anaheim, Calif., for the Global Food Safety Conference, an industry food safety annual meeting.

If the 2012 Conference in Orlando was the largest in attendance with nearly 1000 delegates, two years later the 2014 edition promises to be another record breaking event… 80% of those who attended the Barcelona event in between this year stated that they would attend again in 2014. “…our last Global Food Safety Conferences have been highly successful. I sincerely and humbly believe that the 2014 program could be our best one yet,” said Frank Yiannas, Wal-Mart Stores’ Vice President Food Safety and Global Food Safety Conference Committee Program Chairman. Over 60 nationalities will be represented at this annual meeting that brings together top experts from the food safety world but also decision makers from the worldwide food industry. While the Conference is the yearly occasion to get up to speed on the latest food safety developments from internationally renowned speakers, it is also a unique opportunity for attendees to network with their peers from all over the world and conduct business. When 2013 delegates were asked why they chose to attend the Global Food Safety Conference, 43% of them declared that networking opportunities were the main reason.

Another 55% joined because of the richness of the program content and the caliber of the speakers. 20 hot ttopics will be unveiled by a host of international speakers in 2014 on the theme ‘One World, One Safe Food Supply’, ranging from risk assessment and global best practices to emerging trends in managing food safety. This year’s program will encompass a more pragmatic approach focusing on the conference theme and include practical discussions on the challenges and solutions faced by industry players along the supply chain worldwide – retailers, manufacturers, producers, service providers… as well as other key decision makers – governments, academia…

“I can tell you with certainty that the program committee group of individuals have been working very hard, they have put a lot of thought and planning into the 2014 event and we plan to deliver a world class program that is going to add a lot of value to our delegates. I have attended many food safety conferences over the course of my career, more than I can number, but I have to tell you I believe this one could be the best one ever”, added Yiannas, who will also moderate a breakout session entitled “Food Safety Insanity” in which we will hear from a speaker from the US National Transportation Safety Board among others. This body is responsible for investigating airline accidents in the United States, determining the cause and then disseminating that information to all airlines to prevent reoccurrences. A learning from a different industry that will with no doubts give food safety professionals in the audience new ideas outside of the box in the way to manage food safety on a daily basis.

“We have tried hard to put together a program that is both relevant and stimulating. I think it will be different from many of the other food safety events in considering the “One World, One Safe Food Supply” challenge in terms of how to manage food safety on a global scale in the future. There is no going back – we are going to have to embrace the global food supply chain and leverage the opportunities that this brings. Personally – I think we can more readily share best practice and maybe find new ways to doing things as the world opens up,” continued Sara Mortimore, Vice President, Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Land O’Lakes, USA and also member of the program committee. She will be presenting on: “Re-thinking HACCP…” in a plenary session on Thursday February 27th.

Among the large array of hot topics in the program there will be a full plenary session dedicated to “Global Supply Chain Best Practices” from a retailer perspective but also from the producer and the manufacturer sides with speakers respectively from Coles – Australia, Grupo Altex – Mexico, Mondelez International – USA… demonstrating how truly global this event is not only in the audience but also on stage.

Another session entitled “It All Starts With Risk Assessment” will go back to basics on what food safety is about, while the closing session will look at: “The Way Forward: High Tech or High Touch?” with an interactive debate that promises to be one of the highlights of the program.

The program will feature presentations from major global players such as The Coca-Cola Company, Metro Cash & Carry, Danone, Kroger, Aeon, Wegmans, Mars, Royal Ahold, Fonterra… to name a few, as well as members of the academic community and regulatory officials from University of Maryland, University of Davis California, Cornell University, University of Liverpool, Central University of Technology of South Africa… Interpol, CDC, Japan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, USDA… demonstrating that the Global Food Safety Conference is truly a collaborative platform where private and public sectors come together.

Registrations are open on: www.tcgffoodsafety.com

The full program and more information about the conference and stakeholder meeting* can also be found on this dedicated website.