Convenience retailers are delivering exceptional and high-quality foods that are changing the entire perspective of the industry—both operationally and among the 160 million consumers who frequent a convenience store on a daily basis.
Convenience retail is also one of the fastest growing food segments, representing an impressive 25.6% of inside sales and 36.1% of inside gross margin in 2022, according to NACS State of the Industry data. With more labor intensive and sophisticated foodservice programs being developed and executed within our industry, food safety is not an option—it’s an imperative.
Now in its second year, join food safety, foodservice, quality and assurance and risk management professionals for the NACS Food Safety Forum—the only industry-specific event of its kind for the global convenience retail community.
The agenda is packed with renowned food safety professionals and academia who are experts in their field. This event is tailored to global convenience retailers who are leading their company’s food safety and safe food handling procedures and protocols.
Forum content will be guided by four food safety and foodservice principles:
- Consumer safety
- Clean and quality experiences
- Protecting our brands
- Empowering our teams to do the right thing
Participants can expect to achieve the following objectives:
- Understand how food safety culture can support, align and contribute to your company’s vision and mission.
- Learn how to communicate the why behind food safety protocols and how certain behaviors can enhance and protect your people, your customers and your brand.
- Discover collaborative solutions to today’s—and future—safe food handling challenges
Food safety is not a competitive advantage—it’s how foodservice will continue to elevate the industry. Join your colleagues at the NACS Food Safety Forum.
Updated as of May 31, 2023, content subject to change.
8:00–8:30 am
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Doors open; networking (light breakfast, coffee)
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8:30–8:45 am
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Welcome Remarks
Dr. Jay Ellingson, Chief Scientific Officer, Kwik Trip Inc.
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8:45–9:45 am
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Keynote: The Herculean Efforts of Food Safety Leaders
Dr. Darin Detwiler, LP.D., Professor of Food Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility, Northeastern University; Founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group LLC
Join us for an inspiring keynote that will leave you feeling motivated to make a difference in the challenges faced by food safety leaders. Dr. Detwiler will take you on a journey through real-life cases that will make you realize the importance of food safety like never before. Discover the pivotal role that media coverage plays in driving workforce change and raising consumer awareness. Learn why swift reactions are crucial in the event of a food safety incident. You will hear how legacy approaches are evolving to meet new challenges and be inspired by the Herculean efforts of the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to protect our food supply.
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9:45–10:00 am
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Networking Break
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10:00–11:00 am
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General Session: Hygiene
Ben Chapman, Professor, Food Safety Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University
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11:00–11:45 am
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Retailer Panel
Amy Costello, Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Casey’s
Nancy Wilson, Director of Quality Assurance, Risk Management and Safety, Wawa Inc.
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11:45 am–12:15 pm
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Lunch
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12:45–1:40 pm
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General Session
Shawn Stevens, Founder and Food Industry Lawyer, Food Industry Counsel LLC
Joel Chappelle, Food Industry Lawyer, Food Industry Counsel LLC
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1:40–1:50 pm
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Networking Break
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1:50–3:20 pm
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Workshop: Leadership Tools for Food Safety Heroes
Dr. Darin Detwiler, LP.D., Professor of Food Policy and Corporate Social Responsibility, Northeastern University; Founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group LLC
Following up on his keynote presentation’s call to action for the Herculean efforts of food safety leadership, Dr. Detwiler will highlight his research and graduate-level lessons on how to align food safety concerns with industry goals. Clarity is key to communicating leadership decisions and next steps in response to indicators. Dr. Detwiler also will share a tool to organize defined steps in this process and facilitate a hands-on activity with participants sharing their ideas. Audience members will take with them a convenient resource to fit their needs.
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3:20–3:30 pm
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Closing Remarks/Conclusion
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Show Bio
Chapman’s interest in pathogens and public health began as a teenager while watching the movie “Outbreak.” With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, he investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers, the gatekeepers of safe food. Chapman co-hosts a bi-weekly podcast Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
Show Bio
Chappelle specializes in a broad spectrum of food law and consulting. With more than a decade of experience, his extensive knowledge and expertise in all aspects of food production, state and federal regulatory compliance, product safety, and supply chain risk, allows him to provide unparalleled legal service to clients throughout the United Stated. Chappelle began his career working on behalf of some of the nation’s largest food companies, helping them manage high-profile foodborne illness outbreak litigation. His experience also includes helping companies resolve a wide range of complex food safety legal and regulatory issues, managing recalls, conducting root cause analysis, pre-suit investigation, expansive discovery, and successfully litigating complex cases.
Show Bio
Costello has been a Casey’s team member for 7 years and moved to her current role as the director of food safety and quality assurance in early 2022. Before moving to her current position, she served as legal counsel and then assistant general counsel in the Casey’s Legal Department. Prior to joining the Casey’s team, she clerked for the Iowa Supreme Court before moving to private practice with a focus on litigation. She received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and her J.D. from Drake Law School. Costello is a member of the International Association for Food Protection and the Iowa State Bar Association.
Show Bio
For three decades Detwiler has played a unique role in preventing foodborne illness. He has twice been appointed to advisory positions to the USDA’s Secretary of Agriculture, represented consumers with NGOs, served on Conference for Food Protection councils, and supported the FDA’s implementation of FSMA. Detwiler is the current chairman of NEHA’s Food Safety Program Committee. He is a recipient of IAFP’s 2022 Control of Foodborne Illness Award as well as IAFP’s 2018 Distinguished Service Award.
Show Bio
Ellingson has been with La Crosse, Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip Inc. for nearly two decades and leads the food safety sciences behind the company’s food protection system. In 1995, he received his Ph.D. in molecular microbiology from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He did his postdoctoral fellowship training was with the USDA, Agriculture Research Service, National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, where he developed and patented a molecular diagnostic method for the detection of Johne’s disease in dairy cattle. As the director of Marshfield Clinic Laboratories–Food Safety Services in Marshfield, Wisconsin, Ellingson developed and patented a molecular diagnostic method for detection of E. coli 0157:H7. He is an adjunct professor in the Microbiology Department of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and has mentored and graduated several Masters of Science students in the Microbiology program.
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Stevens is the founding member of Food Industry Counsel LLC, the only law firm in the United States that represents the food industry exclusively. As a food industry consultant and lawyer, he works with food industry clients (growers, processors, restaurant chains, distributors, grocers) helping them protect their brand by complying with FDA and USDA regulations, reducing risk, managing recalls and defending high-profile foodborne illness claims. He also speaks regularly to national and international audiences on a wide variety of emerging scientific, regulatory and food safety legal trends.
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Wilson has been an associate of Wawa Inc. for nearly two decades and has been the director of quality assurance, risk management and safety for more than a decade. Prior to her current role, she served in different management positions within risk management and human resources. In addition to her role today, Wilson is a member of the Food Policy Leadership group at Wawa and helps facilitate the company’s external Food Policy Council. She also sits on many internal committees to support Wawa’s strategic plan and vision; act as a servant leader within the company and provide guidance and direction in her areas of expertise. She helped lead the COVID-19 Crisis Team and work for Wawa. Outside She is a member of Risk and Insurance Management Society, Philadelphia Area Risk Managers Association and president of the Philadelphia Chapter of Central Atlantic Association of Food and Drug Officials.
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Zenlea oversees all aspects of food safety at EG America, including international and domestic regulatory compliance, retail and commissary food safety operations, and supply chain integrity. He has worked with a variety of different product categories, including refrigerated, high-risk ready-to-eat foods (meat, poultry, pork, and fresh-cut produce), chocolate and confectioneries. He is an expert in constructing, implementing and managing complex food safety, food fraud and food defense systems for large domestic and international food manufacturers. He is also a lecturer at Northeastern University and received a B.Sc. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an MBA from Northeastern University.
2023 Pricing:
$329 for NACS retail members
$499 for NACS supplier member companies
Registration for the NACS Food Safety Forum is now open. Reserve your seat today!
Register Now
The 2023 NACS Food Safety Forum is collocated with the 2023 NACS Show in Atlanta. If you choose to also attend the NACS Show, please register for the NACS Show after you complete your registration for the Food Safety Forum.