Michael Taylor to headline deep Food Safety Summit speaker roster

Food Safety Summit offers four days of education sessions addressing current and emerging issues in the world of food safety.

The Food Safety Summit, the premiere event for food safety professionals, has announced a dynamic education program for its 21st annual conference and trade show taking place May 6-9 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The conference program will feature sessions led by industry thought leaders; a keynote presentation by Michael Taylor, co-chair of the Stop Foodborne Illness board and former deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine for FDA; eight certificate/certification courses; the 7th Annual Town Hall; and opportunities for community discussions. For access to the full program, visit www.foodsafetysummit.com/.

“For the past 20 years, the Food Safety Summit has been the one event developed by the industry for the industry where professionals learn from their peers about cutting-edge solutions to address emerging issues throughout the supply chain and the food safety community and see the latest technological advances offered by leading vendors,” says Scott Wolters, director of tradeshows and conferences at BNP Media, producers of the event. “Attendees to the 2019 Summit will once again be able to gain certification in courses, network with their peers and industry-leading speakers and hear a thought-provoking keynote by Michael Taylor, as well as from the food safety leaders from the FDA, USDA, CDC and AFDO.”

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On May 8, Taylor will discuss What Will Drive Food Safety Progress?, offering his insight on what mix of events, consumer expectations, industry leadership, technological innovation and public policy will drive future food safety progress.

“The world of food safety hasn’t been the same since the Jack in the Box outbreak 25 years ago triggered change in how both industry and government understand their responsibility to prevent foodborne illness. The process of change in policy and practices has been gradual but sustained and driven forward by other catalytic outbreaks and contamination incidents — from peanuts and produce to melamine,” Taylor says. “The result is today’s significant alignment among government, industry and consumers on the goal of prevention and the modern practices that can achieve it. Nevertheless, preventable illness and death from foodborne hazards remains an unsolved public health problem and threat to consumer confidence in the food supply. Join me for this presentation as we discuss how to take food safety to the next level without waiting for tragic events to drive us there.”

The Summit will kick off on May 6 with eight certification and certificate courses. New for 2019 are the full two-and-a-half-day Seafood HACCP Training, Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training and IA Conducting Vulnerability Assessments Course. The five returning courses are Professional Food Safety Auditor Training, Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety (CCFS), HACCP Training, Preventive Controls for Human Foods and Foreign Supplier Verification. New for this year, the North Central Association of Food and Drug Officials (NC AFDO) will have its annual meeting. For registration, visit www.FoodSafetySummit.com

More than 1,700 food safety professionals attend the summit’s education sessions. The 2019 program will cover a wide range of topics affecting industry professionals including blockchain technology, innovative social media and digital tools, whole genome sequencing, Prop 65, third-party accreditation, the Sanitary Transportation Food Act and much more. There also will be dedicated exhibit hall time for attendees to learn about new solutions; engage in small group discussions in the Community Hub; attend free presentations by food safety experts in the Community Learning Lounge, on the Solutions Stages and in the Tech Tent; enjoy lunch and network with peers.

The sprawling exhibit hall at the Food Safety Summit has proven to be an essential resource for attendees, bringing them the opportunity to meet with leading companies introducing the latest products and technologies in food safety. Click here to view the 2019 exhibitor list. Space is filling up fast and there are limited spaces available for exhibitors. Interested companies can contact Kim Hansen at hansenk@bnpmedia.com with any questions. NP

The Food Safety Summit is designed to meet the educational and informational needs of the entire food industry and will be held May 6 through May 9 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The Food Safety Summit is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country’s leading business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across more than 60 industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events and market research.