The 2014 Food Safety Summit will offer four half day workshops on Tuesday, April 8, providing attendees a deeper dive into the most pressing issues with regard to FSMA, One Health, Pre-Requisite Programs and Traceability. The 2014 Summit will take place Tuesday, April 8 through Thursday, April 10 at the Baltimore Convention Center in MD. The half-day workshops will give food safety and quality assurance professional access to industry experts who will provide knowledge and expertise. The half day workshops will be followed by the Welcome Reception from 5:00 - 7:00 pm where attendees will have a chance to meet their State and Local Regulators. 

  • A One Health Approach To Improving Food Safety (8:00 am - 12:00 pm). The One Health Initiative is a worldwide strategy for expanding interdisciplinary collaborations and communications in all aspects of health care for humans, animals and the environment. The synergism achieved will advance health care for the 21st century and beyond by accelerating biomedical research discoveries, enhancing public health efficacy, expeditiously expanding the scientific knowledge base, and improving medical education and clinical care. When properly implemented, it will help protect and save untold millions of lives in our present and future generations. Speakers will include Karen Jordan, DVM, Owner, Jordan Dairy Farm; Dr. Joseph Annelli, One Health Coordinator, United States Department of Agriculture; Bettye Walters, CVM, Veterinary Medical Officer, FDA; Jay Levine, Associate Curator, NC State Museum of Natural Sciences; and Cheryl Stroud, DVM, PhD, One Health Commission. This workshop will be moderated by Will Daniels, Earthbound Farms.
  • Pre-Requisite Programs: The Building Blocks For A Successful Safety & Quality Management Strategy (8:00 am - 12:00 pm).This unique session will provide a focus on pre-requisite programs and getting back to the basics. The regulatory landscape continues to become more complex with increased focus on preventative controls as well as solid quality management strategies. Established pre-requisite programs are the building blocks for implementing and sustaining a solid quality management system. Basics such as Sanitation, Integrated Pest Management, Chemical Programs, Employee Training and Education are just a few of the topics that will be addressed in this workshop. This session will offer 4 breakout stations and a theater in the round to start and end the program. Speakers include Doug Craven, Hormel Foods; Jeff Mitchell, Chemstar; Lawrence J. Lynch, National Registry of Food Safety Professionals; and James Campbell, USDA. The session will be moderated by Sharon Wood, HEB and Peter Good, Peter Good Seminars. 
  • Traceability: Taking A Mock Recall To The Next Level (8:00 am - 12:00 pm). Attendees will test their traceback and recall investigative skills at this hands-on table top exercise. The number of food recalls continues to increase significantly, and the recalls, in some cases, continue for months due to the complexity of tracking an ingredient or food product though the supply chain. If thinking "one step up and one step back" is enough to quickly address an issue in the supply chain, this session will show some of the challenges companies and regulators may face when sorting through tons of records. Understanding the challenges of tracking and tracing food products can help a company survive and recover! Speakers will includeBrad Anderson, Deloitte Consulting LLP; Tejas Bhatt, IFT Global Food Traceability Center; Caitlin Hickey, Deloitte & Touche LLP; and Jennifer McEntire, PhD, The Acheson Group. This workshop will be moderated by Faye Feldstein, Deloitte Consulting, LLP 
  • Doing The Right Thing - Meeting Consumer And Fsma Food Safety Expectations(1:00 - 5:00 pm). In light of the proposed regulations and recent court cases where third party auditors are being named in law suits along with the manufacturer and even the retailers, this workshop will address how the food supply chain should address food safety as well as define the pros and cons of using a regulatory third party audit versus a consultative audit as defined by FDA to address the FSMA FSVP. Speakers include Roberta Wagner, BS, MS, FDA/CFSAN; Charlotte Christin, JD, LLM, FDA; Ricardo Carvajal, Esq., Hyman, Phelps and McNamara PC; Jorge Hernandez, US Foods; Mark Mignogna, Sysco, Inc. and Joan Menke-Schaenzer, ConAgra Company. This workshop will be moderated by Craig Henry PhD, Decernis, LLC and Faye Feldstein,Deloitte Consulting, LLP.

In addition to these four half day workshops The Food Safety Summit will offer 20 conference sessions and two special general sessions. The "CEO Leaders - Their Commitment to Food Safety & Quality" keynote presentation will be on Wednesday, April 9th at 9:30 am. Ed Lonergan, CEO of Chiquita Brands, and Don Zietlow, President and CEO of Kwik Trip, Inc., will share their passions and knowledge for Food Safety through their experiences on how to ensure that the highest quality products are reaching their consumers and customers. On Thursday, April 10th at 9:30 am The Food Safety Summit will host the Annual Town Hall featuring the FDA's Mike Taylor, USDA's Brian Ronholm, and AFDO's Joseph Corby who will address pressing issues in regards to regulatory agencies and the private sector.

The Food Safety Summit is a solution based expo and conference designed to meet the educational and information needs of the entire food industry including processors, distributors, growers, retailers, foodservice operators, and academia. The Food Safety Summit will be held April 8 through April 10, 2014 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD. Details and registration information is available at www.foodsafetysummit.com. 

Source: Food Safety Summit