With a dynamic list of speakers, in-depth series of education sessions, and exhibitors focusing on solutions, the Food Safety Summit, taking place virtually May 11-13, will bring the entire food supply chain together to share lessons learned and solutions to implement in regard to COVID-19. 

“We have learned so much over the last 15 months – we didn’t expect the supply chain difficulties, we didn’t know about the changing roles of the regulatory community, and or how information was being mis-communicated.  During the three days of the Summit, we look forward to hearing from leaders in the industry who will provide the solutions for today and plans for tomorrow,” said Gary Ades, president of G&L Consulting and chair of the Food Safety Summit Educational Advisory Board (EAB).  

The EAB has always worked diligently to ensure that the content being presented at the Food Safety Summit is very current, addressing the most pressing topics. Of course, COVID has been on everyone’s mind since the beginning of 2020. The summit will highlight the case studies and important impact COVID has had, and there will be sessions to acknowledge food safety professionals as first line responders providing tools to integrate food safety into the business functions within a company. 

The summit will kick off tomorrow, May 11, with a workshop on “State of the Industry — Effects of COVID-19 on Current and Future Management Practices” featuring  Oscar Garrison of the United Egg Producers Association, Jennifer McEntire of the United Fresh Produce Association, and KatieRose McCullough, of the North American Meat Institute. 

Following the workshop, Craig Wilson, vice president GMM of Costco, and a recognized leader in the food safety industry, will provide the audience with insight on what Costco did during the global pandemic during the keynote presentation on “The New Role and Responsibilities of the Food Safety Professional in the COVID-19 World.”

For the 10th year, the Food Safety Summit will host the Town Hall on Wednesday, May 12, at 10 a.m. Central time.  This important event continues to evolve and will include two new speakers: Sherri McGarry, Health Scientist Microbiologist, CDC Liaison to FDA for Food Safety​ will open the session with a COVID updat from the CDC/FDA perspective and Sandra Eskin, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA will share her perspective. In addition, Steven Mandernach, JD, Executive Director, AFDO; Robert Tauxe, MD, MPH, Director, Div. of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, CDC; and Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner, Food Policy and Response, FDA; will provide updates from each of their organizations and will be available for an extensive question and answer session.  

In the virtual exhibit hall, the COVID Solutions Pavilion will be wher attendees seeking solutions to help combat COVID and other pathogens will find products and services from exhibitors including Beekeeper, bioMérieux, Purell, Hexagon PPM, Dräger and Smiths Detection. 

There will also be several education sessions that will address how the global pandemic will shape food safety and businesses in the future, including Managing COVID-19 across the Food Industry: We Can’t Mandate until We Educate; Pivoting the Message to fit Today’s Concerns; What information to use, and what to communicate during the COVID-19 Crisis; Beyond COVID: Let’s Work the Problem People – A Guide to Flexible Crisis Planning; How to Take Care of Yourself, Each Other, Employees, and Communities; and Managing Unintended Consequences during a Crisis.