The annual Food Safety Summit will take place May 7-10 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. The show will address the importance of food safety throughout the supply chain and how each community that makes up the ecosystem is connected.

Professionals from every part of the food safety supply chain will have access to seven certification courses, two dozen education sessions, a dynamic keynote presentation, an interactive town hall (featuring leaders from the four most influential regulatory and advisory bodies for food safety), case studies, discussion groups, several networking events and a trade show floor featuring more than 200 exhibitors. The show is organized by BNP Media, publisher of Dairy Foods.

The keynote presentation this year will feature Carletta Ooton, Amazon’s vice president of health and safety, sustainability, security and compliance. Ooton will discuss the company’s unique business model and how Amazon is transforming food safety through big data and technology. The keynote will be Wednesday, May 9 at 9:15 a.m.

Also on May 9, educational sessions of interest to dairy processors at the Solution Stage will include “Foodbourne Outbreaks 101: Introduction to Outbreak Investigations” and “FSMA Matters — Addressing Multi Agency Jurisdiction and Rules.” On Thursday, May 10, another session of interest will be “Lessons Learned from Recent FDA Inspections: Avoiding the Mistakes that Lead to Recalls and Suspensions.”
Other highlights of the summit 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. Courses will include: “Preventive Controls for Human Foods,” “Auditor Training” and the “Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety” course.
• 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.
• More educational programs — These 26 sessions will cover important topics, including traceability, regulations, the Food Safety and Modernization Act, foodborne outbreaks, big data, food fraud prevention, microbial interventions, co-packers and the cold chain.
• New Community Cafes — At this year’s summit, visitors will be able to stop by one of the four Community Cafes on the exhibit hall floor to ask questions and continue conversations with subject matter experts, who will be facilitating discussions, as well as with their 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.
• 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 p.m.-7 p.m., everyone is invited to attend an evening reception to celebrate the Food Safety Summit’s 20th anniversary. 

For additional information about the education sessions and registration information, visit www.foodsafetysummit.com.