The 2024 Food Safety Summit: Engage to Advance Your Career

Are you ready for the 26^th annual Food Safety Summit next month in Rosemont, Illinois?

We can't wait to see you May 6–9 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center for four days (and two nights) of high-level certificate courses, hands-on workshops, insightful education sessions, exhibit hall festivities, and of course our Tuesday and Wednesday night receptions!

Whether you've attended the Summit in recent years, are thinking of attending for the first time, or haven't joined us in a while but would like to see what's new—welcome! We're happy to have you join us, and we look forward to making the Food Safety Summit an exciting, educational, and inclusive event for you and your colleagues. (Speaking of colleagues, don't forget that group discounts are available—bring your whole team to learn and network together!)

If you haven't yet made your reservations for this year's Summit, what are you waiting for? Register for the Summit here, and book your hotel stay here.

To further whet your appetite, read on for a sneak preview of what you can expect from the Summit agenda this year.

Certificate/Certification Courses and Workshops On Offer

Every year at the Summit, we offer a variety of certificate courses, which begin on Monday and span 1–2.5 days. Attendees who sign up for these courses are awarded a certificate of completion upon successfully finishing the course. We also often offer certification courses, which give participating attendees a chance to become certified in various food safety credentials. This year, the Summit is offering four certificate courses on the timely topics of food fraud prevention, active managerial control, FSPCA's Preventive Controls for Human Food Version 2.0 Pilot Course, and CP-FS credential review.

Tuesday marks the start of our workshops, which span two hours in the early or late afternoon. These hands-on, interactive workshop sessions are led by seasoned experts in industry, regulatory, and academia. This year's workshops tackle several topics of importance in food safety today, including traceability best practices, the life of an outbreak investigation, food safety business leadership, using big data and AI to advance food safety, and the building blocks for a food safety system.

“Our education sessions… are where some of the toughest questions are posed, and the most insightful answers are shared, throughout the Summit program.”

Don't Miss Our Festive, Giving Receptions

The perfect way to cap off the first day of workshops is by attending the official Welcome Reception, which takes place on the Exhibit Hall floor on Tuesday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Kick back and enjoy food, drink, and conversation with your peers and colleagues at our exhibitor companies, who will be pleased to answer your questions about the solutions and support they offer.

We also look forward to welcoming you to our Wednesday evening "Food Safety Summit Gives Back" reception benefiting Stop Foodborne Illness. The reception, which takes place from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. and includes food and drink, will highlight the Food Safety Summit community's donation to Stop Foodborne Illness, a national nonprofit public health organization dedicated to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne illness. The total donation will include voluntary attendee donations (learn how to donate here). We look forward to having you join us for this special reception honoring the important advocacy work carried out by Stop Foodborne Illness!

Education/General Sessions to Engage Your Mind and Voice

Our education sessions—led by subject matter experts working in all corners of industry, regulatory, academia, advisory, legal, consulting, and trade organizations—are where some of the toughest questions are posed, and the most insightful answers are shared, throughout the Summit program. The education program tackles the most pressing topics and recent innovations in food safety in a collaborative setting. You'll gain valuable knowledge about technology advances, regulatory developments, trends in contamination control, and how best to manage food safety programs, giving you solutions that you can implement immediately to increase efficiency at your company (Figure 1).

Spanning Wednesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., the education sessions and presentations dig into specific subject areas for food safety professionals seeking information in both niche and general areas. If you're an early-career or new attendee seeking sessions that are geared toward food safety fundamentals, you'll find several on the program. Conversely, if you're a seasoned professional looking for a deep dive on your particular area of responsibility or research, check out the "sessions" tab at the top of the agenda to see a full list of the topics we're offering this year. (If you have an idea for a topic you'd like to see covered at a future iteration of the Summit, let us know—you just might see a session inspired by your idea at the next event!)

In addition to our education sessions, the Summit offers two general sessions—the Keynote and the Town Hall. Taking place on Wednesday, May 8 from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m., this year's Keynote Session will be led by Mary Weaver Gertz, Chief Food Safety and Quality Assurance Offer at Yum! Brands. Ms. Weaver Gertz will speak about leading food safety in a corporate and global environment, the importance of coaching and developing the next generation of food safety leaders, and why "being right is not enough" to influence others and drive change in a complex corporate environment.

The Town Hall on Thursday, May 9 from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. will feature a real-time conversation with representatives from government and advisory groups: FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods James (Jim) Jones; USDA-FSIS Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin; CDC Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases Director Robert Tauxe, Ph.D.; and AFDO Executive Director Steven Mandernach, J.D. The four officials will share regulatory updates from their agencies and participate in a live Q&A session with attendees.

All Summit attendees are invited to join the Keynote and Town Hall, making for two packed and lively main events—so make sure to get there early and grab a seat in front!

Dedicated Exhibit Hall Hours to Benefit Your Schedule

The Exhibit Hall (Figure 2) brings together the entire Summit community on Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., as well as during our Tuesday evening reception, for a plethora of activities, learning and networking opportunities, relaxation time, and (let's not forget) lunch.

Our exhibiting companies and organizations, whose generous support makes the Summit possible, will be showcasing their technologies, solutions, and services at their booths in the Exhibit Hall. Please take the time to check out the show floor and learn more about our exhibitors' partnership opportunities and commitments to advancing food safety and innovation. Networking and knowledge sharing are what the Summit is all about—so don't miss this opportunity to make meaningful industry connections and discover practical solutions to meet your company's needs.

When it's time to take a break from walking the floor, enjoy lunch in the dining area or catch up with your colleagues in the Community Hub at the center of the Exhibit Hall (Figure 3). In addition to taking some time to relax, you'll also be able to take advantage of our popular Tech Tent talks, Solutions Stage presentations, and Food Safety Magazine's Podcast Theater Live interviews with Summit speakers and industry experts—all taking place exclusively during Exhibit Hall hours. Check back at those links for updates on the event schedules for our Tech Tent, Solutions Stage, and Podcast Theatre Live!

What Are You Waiting For?

With an abundance of opportunities to learn and connect with your fellow professionals and leading experts in food safety, the Food Safety Summit is calling—and we sincerely hope you'll join us. If you're still on the fence, check out our short highlights video from the 2023 Summit to hear why last year's attendees found the Summit to be an incredibly valuable experience.

So, if you haven't yet registered to attend, here's that link again! And while you're at it, make sure to follow the Food Safety Summit LinkedIn page for event updates and community connections. You can also stay updated with Summit news and info via email here.

We look forward to welcoming you to a fantastic event in Rosemont next month!

References

1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Adoption of the FDA Food Code by State and Territorial Agencies Responsible for the Oversight of Restaurants and/or Retail Food Stores." 2021. https://www.fda.gov/media/107543/download.