Continuing the momentum from 2020, the 2021 Food Safety Consortium Virtual Conference Series will be presented into two seasonal programs:

  • Spring: Every Thursday, 12pm to 3pm ET, May 6 through May 27
  • Fall: Every Thursday, 12pm to 3pm ET, October 7 through November 4

This format allows the conversation to continue throughout the year, while also taking into consideration the busy lives of food safety professionals.

The Series features critical thinking topics that have been developed for both industry veterans and knowledgeable newcomers.

2021 Keynote Speaker

Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response

“At last year’s Food Safety Consortium, Frank Yiannas introduced FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” especially in the area of traceability. We look forward to his insights, as well as learning more about FDA’s progress on its initiatives.” says Rick Biros, president of Innovative Publishing Co., Inc. and director of the Food Safety Consortium Virtual Conference Series

2021 Consortium Chairs and Advisory Board

  • Food Safety, chaired by Patricia Wester, CEO, The Association for Food Safety Auditors
  • Food Integrity, chaired by Steven Sklare, president of The Food Safety Academy; and
  • Food Defense, chaired by Jason Bashura, senior manager, global food defense at PepsiCo.

Our Advisory Board consists of distinguished members of the food industry who play an active role in educating industry professionals about the importance of food safety. Complete list.

Successful Pivot from In-person to Virtual

“As you know, the online experience is very different than in-person so last year we deconstructed our in-person program and re-engineered it for virtual. Instead of having a virtual conference for three straight days, we set up our program in short 3-hour themed episodes that ran every Thursday in the fall. We received great feedback from attendees, speakers and sponsors. I think we were one of the few conferences that successfully pulled off the pivot to virtual,” says Rick Biros, president of Innovative Publishing and director of the Food Safety Consortium.

Registration Options

Fall Enterprise License Registration – BEST VALUE – unlimited logins:
* Early bird registration is $ 595 – Available until September 18, 2021
* Late registration is $ 995 – Available from September 19, 2021

Fall Individual Registration – 1 login for 1 person attending:
* Early bird registration is $245 – Available until September 18, 2021
* Late Registration is $295 – Available from September 19, 2021

* Registration is for the live broadcasts and includes the archived recordings of the 5 Fall Episodes.

Optional Recordings of Spring Episodes (total of 4) – $195

Spring Episode 1 Recording: Keynote
* New Era of Smart Food Safety, developments & progress: Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response
* FDA Town Hall Q&A: Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response
* Digital Transformation of Food Safety & Quality: Natasa Matyasova, Vice President, Head of Quality and Food Safety, Nestlé and Matt Dofoo, Head of Competitive Quality, Nestlé
* Food Safety Culture:  Mitzi Baum, CEO, STOP Foodborne Illness

Spring Episode 2 Recording: Food Protection Strategies: tying together Food
Safety, Food Defense and Food Integrity into one Strategy and Culture
Presenters:
Angela Sternburg, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Learning & Organization Effectiveness, TreeHouse Foods
James Nasella, Global Food Safety and Quality Manager, Tate & Lyle
Lone Jespersen, Principal, Cultivate Food Safety
Moderator: Jason P. Bashura, MPH, RS, Sr. Manager, Global Food Defense, PepsiCo R&D QA

Spring Episode 3 Recording: The New Normal: COVID-19’s Lasting Impact on Food Industry by Segment:
* Food Manufacturing: April Bishop, Senior Director, Food Safety, TreeHouse Foods
* Food Safety & Quality Teams: Jill Stuber, President, The Food Safety Coach
* Business Continuity Planning: Doug Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories
* Consumer Behaviors: Darin Detwiler, Assistant Teaching Professor/Director, Regulatory Affairs of Food & Food Industries Program, Northeastern University

Spring Episode 4 Recording: Food Safety Supply Chain Management
* Food Safety as a Supply Chain Management Problem John Spink, Ph.D., Michigan State University
* Supplier Certification in today’s Supplier Quality Management Programs: A Discussion with McDonald’s & Wendy’s: Gary van Breda, Director, Global Food Safety, McDonald’s Corporation; Jorge Hernandez, Vice President, Quality Assurance, The Wendy’s Corporation; Kari Hensien, President, RizePoint
* Auditing Update in the Age of COVID: FDA Standards and Regulations Alignment Pilot; Trish Wester, AFSAP
* Food Safety Audits Panel Discussion led by Erica Sheward, Director, GFSI

The Consortium’s overarching theme is “Food Protection” with topics that include:

Spring Program:

  • Thursday, May 6: Episode 1 (On demand recording is included with your registration)
    New Era of Smart Food Safety, developments & progress
    Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response
    FDA Town Hall Q&A
    Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response
    Digital Transformation of Food Safety & Quality
    Natasa Matyasova, Vice President, Head of Quality and Food Safety, Nestlé and Matt Dofoo, Head of Competitive Quality, Nestlé
    Food Safety Culture
    Mitzi Baum, CEO, STOP Foodborne Illness

  • Thursday, May 13: Episode 2 (On demand recording is included with your registration)
    Food Protection Strategies: Tying Together Food Safety, Food Defense and Food Integrity into One Strategy and Culture
    Change management (theoretical) > to organizational needs (design aspirational) > to rolling out an approach (execution / outcomes) > Food protection CULTURE: an eye to the future
    • Presenters:
      • Angela Sternburg, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Learning & Organization Effectiveness, TreeHouse Foods
      • James Nasella, Global Food Safety and Quality Manager, Tate & Lyle
      • Lone Jespersen, Principal, Cultivate Food Safety
    • Moderator:
      • Jason P. Bashura, MPH, RS, Sr. Manager, Global Food Defense, PepsiCo R&D QA

  • Thursday, May 20: Episode 3
    The New Normal: COVID-19’s Lasting Impact on Food Industry by Segment:
    • Food Manufacturing: April Bishop, Senior Director, Food Safety, TreeHouse Foods
    • Food Safety & Quality Teams: Jill Stuber, President, The Food Safety Coach
    • Business Continuity Planning: Doug Marshall, Chief Scientific Officer, Eurofins Microbiology Laboratories
    • Consumer Behaviors: Darin Detwiler, Assistant Teaching Professor/Director, Regulatory Affairs of Food & Food Industries Program, Northeastern University
  • Thursday, May 27: Episode 4
     Food Safety Supply Chain Management
    Food Safety as a Supply Chain Management Problem
    John Spink, Ph.D., Michigan State University
    Supplier Certification in today’s Supplier Quality Management Programs: A Discussion with McDonald’s & Wendy’s:
    Gary van Breda, Director, Global Food Safety, McDonald’s Corporation
    Jorge Hernandez, Vice President, Quality Assurance, The Wendy’s Corporation
    Kari Hensien, President, RizePoint
    Auditing Update in the Age of COVID: FDA Standards and Regulations Alignment Pilot
    Trish Wester, AFSAP

    Food Safety Audits Panel Discussion led by Erica Sheward, Director, GFSI

Fall Program:

  • Thursday, October 7: Keynote, TBA
  • Thursday, October 14: Food Safety Hazards: New Concerns, Old Concerns not going away, Emerging Threats, New Technologies
  • Thursday, October 21 Food Safety Supply Chain Management
  • Thursday, October 28: Food Defense Strategies
  • Thursday, November 4: Personal Development/Training/Mentorship
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About the Consortium

Food companies are concerned about protecting their customers, their brands and their own company’s financial bottom line. The term “Food Protection” requires a company-wide culture that incorporates food safety, food integrity and food defense into the company’s Food Protection strategy.

Food Safety + Food Integrity + Food Defense = FOOD PROTECTION

​Organized by Food Safety Tech, the Food Safety Consortium Conference has been an educational and networking event since 2012 for Food Protection that has food safety, food integrity and food defense as the foundation of the educational content of the program.

With a unique focus on science, technology, best practices and compliance, the “Consortium” features critical thinking topics that have been developed for both industry veterans and knowledgeable newcomers.

Thought Leadership & Lead Generation Opportunities

The Consortium offer a series of ways for sponsors to engage with our attendees that will support sponsor’s Thought Leadership and Lead Generation objectives.
 
A TechTalk is a sponsored 15 minute presentation and Q&A session from a technology or service provider highlighting technologies, strategies or commercial services related to the episode theme. Each TechTalk follows an educational presentation matched to the sponsor’s technology or service.
 
To request more information, click here

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2020 Attendee Companies & Testimonials

ADM
Agrobiotek El Salvador
Ahold Retail Business Services
American River Nutrition LLC
AsahiKasei
Athletic Brewing
Bayer CropScience
Bimbo QSR
Brett Anthony Foods
Brinker International
Cameron Melendrez
Cargill
CG ROXANE LLC
Clemson University
Coca-Cola Cómpany
Cocoa Processing Company Limited
Colorado Department of Agriculture
Compass Group
Conagra Brands
Costco
Costco Wholesale
Crystal Geyser
Dr. Greenhouse Inc.
Durham Pecan Company
Eastman Chemical
EJ Papadopoulos SA
Elite Spice Inc.
EY
FDA
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Feeding America
Fiesta Mart
Flagstone Foods
Flavorchem Corporation
Food and Drug Administration/Office of Food Policy & Response
Glanbia Nutritionals
Global Food & Nutrition Inc.
Golden Peanut and Tree Nuts
Golden State Foods
GRALCO S.A.
greenville agro corporation
Griffith Foods Ltd.
Gsf Egypt
Handi Foods Ltd.
Hills Pet Nutrition
Honee Bear Canning Co
Hydrite Chemical Co.
IFC
Institute of Food Technologists
ISE America
JTM Food Group
Kalsec
Kalsec Europe
Kalsec Southwest
Kampala Serena Hotel

Kellogg Company
Kemin Industries South Asia Pvt ltd
Kraft Heinz
Lamb Weston
Leyton USA
Manitoba Harvest
MAPAQ (Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture)
McKee Foods Corporation
Morinaga America Foods Inc
Nation Pizza
New Aces Pecan Company
NOAA
Northeastern University
NOW Heatlh Group, Ic.
Oracle
Packaging Corporation of America
Peppo Foods
PepsiCo
Pinnacle Management Systems
Pro Citrus Network, Inc.
Quaker Oats/PepsiCo
QueensBake
Reser’s Fine Foods
Retail Business Services/Ahold Delhaize
Rise Baking Company
RIVIANA FOODS
Saputo
Sargento Foods, Inc.
Sesaco Corporation
SFDA
Smithfield Foods
Southwest Cheese Company
Starbucks Coffee Company
Steuben Foods, Inc
Supherb Farms
SuterPharm
Texas Department of State Health Services – Foods Group
The Cheesecake Factory
The Kroger Co. / Vitacost.com, Inc.
The Suter Company
The Wendy’s Company
The Wine Group
Torres Trading Co., Inc.
TreeHouse Foods
Trophy Foods
Turkey Hill Dairy
VA Department of Agriculture
Village Gourmet Company Inc
Walgreens
Walgreens Boots Alliance
Walgreens Supply Chain
WBA
Westberry Farms Ltd
White Castle

“Thought the speakers were awesome and my colleagues were chatting me they got a lot out of the sessions too. Great start!”

“A great experience – today’s final panel echoed many of my thoughts and did a super job of headlining the ‘take-aways’. I too am left ‘craving for more’ so intend to revisit some of the episodes. Well-balanced, varied, huge amount of information transfer, important messages and trends were highlighted throughout the 16 episodes with both breadth and depth and honest insights. The facilitators did a fab job – I think – and throughout there was a familiarity and ‘inclusive’ feel to this consortium. Well done!”

“I enjoyed the Food Safety Culture Fireside Chat and all their experiences on food borne illnesses, and how COVID19 is playing a big part in the plant facility.”

“This episode was great! I feel more confident in my ability to put together a food fraud vulnerability assessment for my facility.”

“Appreciated the honesty of several accounts given by today’s speakers”

“I agree that Frank Yiannas has been an inspirational leader in the public sector. I’m grateful for his leadership.”

“Thank you for the information, insight, and resources! Very well done.”

“Great job to all. Extremely interesting.”

“Women in Food Safety Path to Leadership – Thought the speakers did a great job – especially need to keep being relevant and about confidence.”

“I understand much better what a biofilm is and how it impacts cleaning activities and the need for stringent practices.”

“The speakers had such honesty and compassion.”

“I think there’s a great mix of subject/speakers. Particularly enjoying those who are candid about own experiences…as Rob was.”

“Great information. Rob Mommsen’s presentation was eye-opening!”

“Overall I really enjoyed this episode and found it very informative!”

“It is comforting that all of us are going through the same trials during this covid times”

“I got information on different chemicals/sanitizers/disinfectants. I now know that we have some “safer” options for our employees to use.”

“I’ve enjoyed all episode’s of the Virtual Consortium thus far.”

“It was interesting to hear that all sectors of the food industry have surprised themselves in what they have been able to accomplish since the onset of the pandemic. The episode increased my awareness of how much more work there is to be done in creating test kits to improving risk based management and in making use of technology to better trace food items throughout the food chain.”

“It is particularly helpful to hear perspectives from a range of industry professionals across the public, private and non-profit sectors so thank you for all of the participants you lined up for today’s sessions, in particular.”

Media Partners

Partner Organizations

Food Defense Consortium

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