ROSEMONT, IL, January 23, 2018 – For the 20th year the Food Safety Summit will be providing an in-depth schedule of education sessions when it returns to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL May 7 - 10, 2018. Professionals from every part of the food safety supply chain will have the opportunity to take advantage of seven certification courses, two dozen education sessions, a dynamic keynote presentation, interactive town hall, case studies, discussion groups, several networking events and a trade show floor featuring 200+ exhibitors. Registration is open now for the 2018 Food Safety Summit, here.

"This year the Food Safety Summit has organized a show that focuses on addressing food safety throughout the supply chain by hosting a program that emphasizes how each community that makes up the ecosystem is connected. It is vital to understand not only the specific roles and responsibilities that make up the industry but also those in the rest of the process," said Scott Wolters, Director, Tradeshows & Conferences, BNP Media, Producers of the event. "We are working with leaders in each of the four areas of the supply chain that we are focusing on to provide extraordinary content in the education sessions and terrific networking opportunities with subject matter experts on the trade show floor." 

Highlights of the 2018 Food Safety Summit program include:

• Certification and Training Courses - The Food Safety Summit seeks to help advance knowledge among the food industry to meet regulatory requirements and to help all members of the food industry get the training they need to do their jobs. Learn about the courses available for HACCP and Seafood HACCP, Preventive Controls for Animal Food, Foreign Supplier Verification, Preventive Controls for Human Foods, Auditor Training and the Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety course offered by NEHA.
• Focus on the Supply Chain - On Tuesday, May 8 the comprehensive conference content will address the importance of food safety throughout the supply chain and how each community that makes up the ecosystem is connected. The opening session will focus on Food Safety Case Studies Impact on the Supply Chain and Lessons Learned, follow by afternoon sessions focused on departmental cooperation, the future of traceability, effective management and the global regulatory system all in relation to the supply chain.
• Education Program - The 2018 program, developed by the Summit's Education Advisory Board, will offer 26 sessions covering important topics including traceability, regulations, FSMA, foodborne outbreaks, big data, food fraud prevention, microbial interventions, co-packers, cold chain and more.
• New Community Cafes - At this year's Summit visit one of the four Community Cafes on the exhibit hall floor to ask questions and continue conversations with subject matter experts will who be facilitating discussions as well as with your peers. There will be four areas set up to reflect the four areas of the Supply Chain - Manufacturer/Processor/Supplier; Distributor; Retailer/Foodservice; and Regulatory.
• Keynote Presentation - Amazon's Approach to Innovation and What It Means for Food Safety. Carletta Ooton, Vice President, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Security & Compliance, for Amazon will discuss the company's unique business model and how Amazon is envisioning food safety through big data and technology and how they are revolutionizing the future. The keynote will take place on Wednesday, May 9 from 9:15 - 10:30 am.
• Networking Events - Attendees and exhibitors will kick off the event with a Welcome Reception on the exhibit hall floor on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, May 9 from 5:30 - 7 pm attend an evening reception to celebrate the Food Safety Summit's 20th Anniversary.
• Town Hall - The Town Hall offers Summit attendees the unique opportunity for an open and honest dialog with leaders from the four most influential regulatory and advisory bodies for food safety who will give updates and answer audience questions. The panel includes:
  • Carmen Rottenberg, Acting Deputy Under Secretary at Office of Food Safety, USDA
  • Steve Mandernach, Past President, AFDO, Bureau Chief for Food and Consumer Safety - Iowa Department Inspections and Appeals
  • Robert Tauxe, Director, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne and Environmental Diseases, CDC
  • Stephen Ostroff, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, FDA.
  • Gary Ades, G&L Consulting Group, will moderate this general session.
• Exhibit Hall - Access to 200+ solution providers including Gold Sponsor Alchemy, Silver Sponsor Eurofins and Bronze Sponsor Sani Professional. Exhibitors will be providing hands-on demonstrations of cutting-edge products and technologies and face-to-face conversations with knowledgeable staff. View the floor plan and exhibitor list. For additional information about exhibiting at the Summit or speaking in the Solution Stage Theater contact Chuck Wilson at wilsoncm@bnpmedia.com. 

About the Food Safety Summit: The Food Safety Summit is designed to meet the educational and informational needs of the entire food industry and will be held Monday, May 7 through Thursday, May 10, 2018 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. The Food Safety Summit is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across 60+ industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events and market research.

For further information, Contact: 
Amy Riemer, Media Relations Contact 
978-475-4441 (office) or 978-502-4895 (cell) 
amy@riemercommunications.com