Thousands of food safety professionals have plans to gather next week for the 25th Annual Food Safety Summit taking place May 8–11 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Now those who are not able to attend the event in person can tune in for six free sessions, which will be streaming live from May 9–11 and be available on demand for one year. These insightful sessions give food safety professionals the opportunity to view and interact with industry professionals and download valuable content. 

“We have a terrific event planned for next week and thanks to our sponsors we are now able to offer six of our dynamic education sessions including three half day workshops and three general sessions to an online audience who will hear from leaders in the industry,” said Stacy Atchison, publisher of Food Safety Magazine, which is the producer of the summit. “For those attending in person we have three days filled with education, networking and the opportunity to find the newest technology and solution on our robust show floor. Whichever way you engage with us, we are thrilled to be able to share the content from the Food Safety Summit.” The following six sessions will be offered virtually:  

• Got Root Cause - Join subject matters experts for a 3-hour workshop as they review getting to the root cause as a cost-effective approach to management/operations in any organization. This determination helps identify effective corrective/preventive actions to avoid reoccurrence of issues and is a crucial step in managing risks. The session, sponsored by Safety Chain, will include breakouts and case studies to train analysis teams. This session will be Tuesday, May 9 from 9 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. To register, click here. 
• Recent Advancements in Sanitation for the Prevention and Control of Food Safety Hazards - Down time, labor, and chemical and water resources all contribute to the significant cost of an effective sanitation program. In this session sponsored by Steamericas, leaders in food manufacturing sanitation will share their experience in how to increase the efficiency and precision of sanitation programs for food safety and quality issues. This session will be Tuesday, May 9 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Click here to register. 
• Looking Forward and Looking Back: How Companies Can Establish a Robust and Compliant Traceability Program - The ability to trace products and their ingredients has long been an important tool for the food industry to identify the root cause of product defects and food safety and quality failures, to limit the scope of necessary actions in the event of an issue, and to prevent recurrence of an issue. This session, sponsored by SafetyChain online and PureLine in person, will explore the FDA regulatory requirements and their relationship to existing programs and third-party standards. This session will be Tuesday, May 9 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Click here to register. 
• Risk Culture: How to Balance Risks for the Safety of Consumers, Team Members, and the Environment - This keynote presentation will focus on a conversation with modern, forward-thinking executives who will share how successful food companies manage risks that sometimes compete for investments and leadership attention. The executives will also share specific challenges and wins from their respective organizations, along with the cultural solutions that help them successfully manage risk. This session will be Wednesday, May 10 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Click here to register for this session, sponsored by ABB online and Purell in person. 
• Town Hall: Q&A with Regulators and Advisory Groups - Top regulators and advisory groups from FDA, CDC, USDA and AFDO will discuss the key issues, updates and initiatives happening within their organizations. In true town hall fashion, the audience will be invited to participate in a robust Q&A session with leaders. The Town Hall, sponsored by SteraMist online and Eagle in person, will be moderated by Gillian Kelleher, CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC and chair of the FSS Educational Advisory Board. This session will be Thursday, May 11 from 9:15 – 10:30 a.m. Central Daylight Time. Click here to register. 
• Legal Insights to Sharpen Your Food Safety Focus—and Stay Out of the Courtroom! - The panel of prominent attorneys who work on behalf of consumers and industry — with all advocating on the side of food safety — will discuss the common gaps or weaknesses they see in company operations, culture, and regulatory adherence that lead to adverse events, such as foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls. Attendees to this session sponsored by KLEANZ will gain valuable insight they can use to act at their own organizations to sharpen focus on food safety — and stay out of the courtroom. This session will be Thursday, May 11 from 4:15 – 5:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Click here to register. 

For those attending in person, the Exhibit Hall will feature over 200 solution providers showcasing the latest products and services for food safety professionals including Gold Sponsor Purell, Silver Sponsor InstantRecall and Bronze Sponsors Crunchtime and RedZone. There will be educational opportunities on the show floor in the Solutions Stage and Tech Tent, with presentations on advanced technology solutions offered throughout the three-day event. New to the Community Hub, in the center of the floor, is the Food Safety Magazine Podcast Theater, where attendees can have a seat and listen in on interviews with distinguished summit speakers, including top regulatory officials, industry leaders and academic experts. 

The opening night reception will be held on the trade show floor and offer food and drinks in a casual setting for attendees and exhibitors to mingle and network. On Wednesday night the Food Safety Summit Gives Back reception will support Stop Foodborne Illness and the work they have been doing for 30 years. The money donated goes to support the organization’s vision of “A World Without Foodborne Illness” and their mission to be the voice of people affected by foodborne illness by collaborating with partners in academia, the food industry, and government to prevent foodborne illness.

Registration is open at this link. There are 1-, 2- and 3-day conference packages available, as well as group discounts. A conference pass provides access to the interactive half-day workshops, 27 in-depth education sessions, the keynote and Town Hall presentations, lunch in the exhibit hall, two networking receptions, access to 200+ solution providers, free education in the Solutions Stage and Tech Tent, and NEHA continuing education credits.  

The Food Safety Summit is owned and produced by Food Safety Magazine and BNP Media, a business-to-business media company serving industry professionals across 60+ industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events and market research.

Source: Food Safety Summit (Food Safety Magazine and BNP Media)