Over 80 food safety experts will be a part of the speaker faculty at the upcoming Food Safety Summit, taking place May 6-9, 2019 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. In addition to the speakers presenting in the educational sessions, attendees will have additional ways to interact with the speakers and further discuss the expertise they have on important topics facing the industry.  In the exhibit hall, the Summit will feature a Community Hub with four Community Café's, Community Discussion Groups will kick off the education program, and subject matter experts will be leading discussions on hot topics in the Learning Lounge.   

"During last year's Summit we focused on the food safety supply chain to develop our communities and for our 2019 event, we have expanded the opportunity for our attendees to meet with our speaker faculty and subject matter experts to discuss important topics in small group discussions and one-on-one meetings," said Scott Wolters, Chief Event Officer, BNP Media, producers of the event. "The Community Hub, a networking area located at the center of the exhibit hall is where professionals can gather, learn, network and continue the conversations with speakers and their peers in four quadrants - Manufacturing/Processing, Regulatory, Foodservice/Retail, and Hot Topics."

The Community Cafes will be open from 10:30 am - 2:30 pm on both Wednesday, May 8 and Thursday, May 9 during the regular trade show hours.  For the complete list of experts and times they will be available check the Food Safety Summit Mobile App.

The Foodservice/Retail Community Cafe will feature Hal King, CEO/President, Public Health Innovations LLC; Mahipal Kunduru, Vice President, Quality Assurance, Topco Associates; Mick Miklos, Program Director of Member Engagement, National Restaurant Association; John Zimmermann, VP, QA & Food Safety, First Watch Restaurants; Steven Lyon, PhD, Food Safety, Field Operations Services, Chick-fil-A, Inc.;Dan Tew, Sr. Manager, Food Safety & Regulatory Affairs, YUM!; Glenda Lewis, Director, Retail Food Protection Staff, FDA and others.

The Manufacturing/Processing Community Cafe will include Dane Bernard, Managing Director, Bold Bear Food Safety; Gary Ades, PhD, President, G&L Consulting Group; Brendan Niemira, PhD, Research Leader, Food Safety and Intervention Research Unit, USDA-ARS Eastern Regional Research Center; Oscar Garrison, VP of Food Safety, United Egg Producers; Will Daniels, Principal, IEH;Deb Kane, MS, Director of Food Safety & QA, J&J Snack Foods, and others.

The Regulator Community Cafe will feature Travis Irvan, MPH, Disease Control and Response Program Manager, Delaware General Health District; Craig Henry, Food Safety Consultant, Intro Inc.; Joseph Corby, Executive Director, Association of Food & Drug Officials (AFDO); Shannon McKeon, Fairfax County Health Dept., and others.

The Distribution/Hot Topics Community Cafe will offer insight from Donna Garren, Executive Vice President, Science & Policy, American Frozen Food Institute; Laura Gieraltowski, MPH, PhD, Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Matthew Wise, MPH, PhD, Deputy Chief for Outbreak Response, Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Omar Oyarzabal, Professor, University of Vermont; Eric Moorman, PhD Student, NC State; Alvin Lee, Director, Center for Processing Innovation; Assoc. Professor of Food Science and Nutrition, Institute for Food Safety and Health; IIT; Sean Leighton, Vice President, Quality & Food Safety, Cargill; Brian Perry, Senior Vice President, Food Safety & Quality, TreeHouse Foods, and others.

New to the show floor will be the Learning Lounge where subject matter experts will share short insight into a specific topic and then open up a conversation with the audience to answer questions. Below is the schedule. Any updates can also be found on the Food Safety Summit Mobile App.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

• Food Allergens - What you Need to Know (11:00 - 11:30 am) The Cheesecake Factory's Al Baroudi will offer insight on food allergies, including the 8 foods that most often trigger allergic reactions, symptoms, labeling, and serious reactions.
• Working with Your Public Health Officials (11:45 am - 12:15 pm) AFDO's Steve Mandernach will talk about the best ways to work with your public health officials in each state.
• Cannabis, food safety, and regulations (12:30 - 1:00 pm) Hammer Enterprises' Thuy Vu will talk about the interpretation, application and regulation of the manufacturing of cannabis concentrates and cannabis-infused edibles. 
• Food Safety: A Roadmap to Success (1:15 - 1:45 pm) Gary Ades, PhD, G&L Consulting will outline the key pieces of the food safety puzzle, culture, management commitment, organizational structure, implementation, and the glue that holds it together. 

Thursday, May 9, 2019

• Testing and Sampling Protocols for Food Safety (11:00 - 11:30 am) University of Vermont's Omar Oyarzabal will discuss testing and sampling used to improve or maintain food safety programs, specifically microbial testing of ingredients. 
• Certificate Classes (11:45am - 12:15 pm) Rutgers Innovation Center's Donna Schaffner will discuss why more "Qualified Individual" certificate courses are being required by the FDA for employees of food processing companies making FDA-inspected foods. 
• Food Safety in Processing (12:30 - 1:00 pm) Food Processing Suppliers Association's Andy Drennan will discuss FPSA's new Food Safety Network, with its mission on food safety and the role it plays in today's food and beverage processing industry. 
• Paperless Solutions (1:15 - 1:45 pm) Chick-Fil-A's Steve Lyons will talk about Paperless Solutions and other digital strategies that will enhance Active Managerial Control of your Food Safety Systems.

Source: Food Safety Summit