The annual Food Safety Summit, generally scheduled for the first week of May, has been postponed until mid-October because of the outbreak of coronavirus.

The summit had been set for May 4-7 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, in a Chicago suburb. Organizers set the new dates as Oct. 19-22 at the same location.

This year marks the 22nd annual meeting of food safety regulators, academics and affiliated businesses.

“The safety and the wellbeing of everyone who attends the summit is paramount and with this unprecedented situation unfolding, we have a responsibility to our customers, our guests and our colleagues to provide a safe place for our exhibitors, attendees, and speakers to interact and communicate face-to-face,” said Scott Wolters, chief events officer of the event producer, BNP Media.

In a few weeks updates and other information about the summit will be posted on the event website at www.foodsafetysummit.com, according to a statement released by BNP Media.

Exhibitors and attendees will be contacted directly from BNP staff about details of the move. For exhibitors who have questions about the new dates and space contact Kim Hansen at hansenk@bnpmedia.com with any questions. For attendees who have questions, contact the registration staff at fss@executivevents.com.

“Our thoughts are with all of those currently impacted by Coronavirus. The Food Safety Summit annual conference and expo is an important event for the food safety industry, and on behalf of the Educational Advisory Board, we are pleased BNP Media is able to reschedule,” said Gary Ades, chair of the Summit Educational Advisory Board and president of G&L Consulting.