An audience of almost 300 food safety professionals joined the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and Food Safety Tech for two full days of technical programming and education at the 13th Food Safety Consortium. AFFI and Food Safety Tech partnered for this year’s event, which included pre-conference workshops and training, insights from regulatory leaders, and opportunities to collaborate to advance food safety and defense.
“AFFI is deeply committed to advancing food safety, and events such as the Food Safety Consortium underscore our dedication to supporting the food industry in a journey of continuous improvement,” said Dr. Donna Garren, executive vice president of science and policy with AFFI. “We are proud to bring together food safety professionals for meaningful conversations and help the food and beverage industry explore the challenges and solutions ahead.”
“The Food Safety Consortium has been an essential event for food safety professionals since 2012,” said Rick Biros, publisher of Food Safety Tech and director of the Food Safety Consortium. “Paired with AFFI’s leadership in food safety and promoting industry best practices, this year’s event included even more technical learnings, educational sessions, and opportunities to collaborate in driving food safety forward.”
The 2024 Food Safety Consortium included insights from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) leadership, who shared updates on regulatory priorities. Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner of the FDA’s new Human Foods Program, detailed the areas of focus and food safety missions within the reorganized FDA program, while Sandra Eskin, Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety with USDA FSIS, updated the audience on the agency’s latest rulemaking activities.
The Food Safety Consortium also featured industry experts who shared their own practical learnings that can inform food safety plans. Speakers from leading food and beverage companies such as Chipotle, Cargill, PepsiCo and The Hershey Company and frozen food processors such as B&G Foods, Cavendish Farms and Conagra provided insights on the most pressing issues impacting the industry, such as traceability and building a food safety culture. Frank Yiannas, former deputy commissioner of food policy & response with FDA, provided closing keynotes that focused on the future of food safety and challenged attendees to move beyond reactive food safety measures.
The 2024 Food Safety Consortium took place October 20-22 in Arlington, Va. Visit www.affi.org or www.foodsafetytech.com for more information.