The Food Safety Summit is a solutions-based conference and expo designed to meet the educational and informational needs of the food industry including processors, retailers, distributors and foodservice operators. The annual event, in its 18th year, takes place May 10 through 12, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

The Food Safety Summit is organized by BNP Media, publisher of Dairy Foods.

The summit provides a three-day comprehensive educational program where dairy plant personnel can learn from subject-matter experts. Interactive educational sessions and hands-on workshops will offer new resources, tools and strategies.

New to the summit are certification and training courses. Four certification courses will be offered for attendees, including two courses that are new to the industry, as well as to the summit. The courses, which will all begin on Monday May 9, are HACCP Certification Training; Preventive Controls for Human Foods (new); Seafood HACCP – Segment Two; and Food Safety Auditor Training (new).

Attendees can visit the free Solution Stage Theater presentations on the exhibit hall floor and in the conference center to hear experts lecture on food safety issues and technologies. They wlll provide insight into potential solutions. Topics of interest include Food Safety in a Digital World; Food Safety Labeling: Liner-Free On-Demand Printed Labels; Foreign Body Contamination: Striking A Balance Between Profits and Food Safety; and Preparing for a Food Safety Audit.

Over 100 industry leaders will present in two dozen educational sessions on Wednesday May 11 and Thursday May 12. The sessions will focus on food fraud prevention, norovirus, Listeria, pre-requisite programs, process validation, active managerial control, foodborne illness investigations, social media, foreign supplier verification and more. The closing session focuses on Hot Topics and will include a panel discussion on liability and jail time, organic food and the impact of acquisitions.  

Other event highlights include:

• An integration forum (Integrating the Nation’s Food Safety System) on Tuesday May 10, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., that will bring together high-ranking FDA officials with state and local food safety program managers to discuss the continuing efforts and projects in place to integrate government resources dedicated to food safety.
• A keynote presentation on The New Food Safety Environment featuring a panel of speakers, including representatives from the FDA, Kraft Foods and ConAgra Foods, on Wednesday May 11 at 9:15 a.m.
• The Food Safety Summit Gives Back networking reception at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Once again, the Food Safety Summit will partner with Feeding America to join the mission to feed America’s hungry.
• A town hall with the FDA, USDA, AFDO & CDC on Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Attendees have the opportunity for a candid and interactive discussion on the latest food safety issues with key government officials.

For more exhibitor and attendee information, travel arrangements, directions, registration links and more, visit www.foodsafetysummit.com.