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Convenience stores are one of the fastest growing food segments, with foodservice (prepared food, commissary, hot, cold and frozen dispensed beverages) representing nearly 27% of inside sales in 2023, 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 essential. It's also important to make sure your teams have a solid foundation in the whys behind your company's food safety procedures and protocols.
The NACS Food Safety Forum is developed and administered by convenience industry food safety, foodservice, quality assurance and risk management leaders. This is the only retail-focused event of its kind for the global convenience community.
Content focuses on four principles:
- Consumer safety
- Clean and quality experiences
- Protecting our brands
- Empowering our teams to do the right thing
Participants will become more engaged and empowered to:
- Recognize how certain behaviors can enhance and protect their teams, customers and brand.
- Lead collaborative solutions that address safe food handling challenges.
2024 Schedule
The 2025 agenda will be available by end of year 2024.
8:00–8:10 am
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Welcome
Dr. Jay Ellingson, Chief Scientific Officer, Kwik Trip Inc.
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8:10–8:40 am
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State of Foodservice in Convenience
In 2023, convenience foodservice sales—prepared food, commissary, and hot, cold and frozen dispensed beverages—were responsible for more than one in every four dollars spent inside the store (26.9%) and more than one in three in-store profit dollars. Hear how foodservice is performing in 2024 as we set the stage for this fast-growing category with the latest NACS State of the Industry data.
Chris Rapanick, Managing Director, NACS Research
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8:40–9:50 am
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Testing Your Temperature Monitoring, Cleaning and Sanitation IQ
This interactive session will test your food safety knowledge—from holding temps to equipment cleanliness—and deliver solutions that move safe food handling practices, behaviors and procedures in the right direction.
David McIntyre, Senior Health and Safety Specialist, EG Group
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9:50–10:00 am
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Networking Break
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10:00–11:00 am
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Top Food Safety Risk Factors
We’re breaking down the whys behind the top 5 food safety risk factors so that your teams are well-equipped to prepare, store and sell safe food for your customers.
Sarah Friedrich, Food Protection Analyst 2, Kwik Trip Inc.
Beth Hoffer, Vice President, Foodservice, Weigel's
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11:00–12:00 pm
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Solutions for Protecting Public Health Panel
This interactive discussion features two public health experts who are now working in the convenience industry. They will share why having relationships with your state and local health departments should be a priority for your foodservice program.
Melanie Harris, Manager, Food Safety Retail, Casey’s
Corrin Howard, Senior Regulatory Compliance Supervisor, Wawa
Moderator: Jeremy Zenlea, Vice President Health and Safety, EG America
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12:00 pm
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Closing Remarks/Adjourn
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2024 Speakers
Speakers for the 2025 Food Safety Forum will be available by end of year 2024.
Show Bio
Jay Ellingson, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer at Kwik Trip Inc. in La Crosse, Wisconsin, 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, Jay 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.
Show Bio
Sarah Friedrich is a Food Protection Analyst for Kwik Trip Inc. and oversees food safety and quality initiatives primarily within the distribution center. Passionate about training, she actively educates employees on the critical principles of food safety and its profound impact on maintaining operational excellence and customer trust. Her commitment to these efforts reflects her dedication to advancing standards and practices within the industry.
Prior to joining Kwik Trip, Sarah accumulated valuable experience from the co-manufacturing beverage industry, holding diverse roles within the quality sector. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Show Bio
Melanie Harris, Food Safety Manager, Retail, at Casey's General Stores, is a food safety professional with more than 20 years of experience in retail regulatory compliance. She joined Casey’s in Ankeny, Iowa, in 2019 after serving as a regulatory inspector and foodborne illness response coordinator at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals.
Melanie’s career in industry food safety began five years ago as she transitioned from regulatory partner to industry partner. As a member of the Casey’s Food Safety and Quality Assurance Department, she shares her food safety knowledge and expertise with the FSQA team and operations leaders so that she can impact the safety of food products offered to Casey’s guests through collaboration and partnership.
Show Bio
David McIntyre is the Senior Health & Safety Specialist at EG America. He has more than 30 years of experience in culinary, retail, and noncommercial/contract foodservice management environments. David’s team was instrumental in developing and rolling out a risk-based internal assessment of food and workplace safety standards at EG America. He currently works with the Fastrac and Cumberland Farms banners in New York and oversees a field team in the Midwest and Western regions.
Prior to joining EG America, David worked as a third-party auditor with many Cumberland Farms locations and national and regional clients in the retail, restaurant and contract foodservice segments. He holds a NEHA CP-FS certification and enjoys teaching food safety, alcohol safety and career development courses at a local community college.
Show Bio
Chris Rapanick is the Managing Director of Research at NACS. His team is responsible for producing the NACS State of the Industry Report®, the NACS State of the Industry Summit and the Talent Insights Dashboard, as well as facilitating the Convenience Voices Shopper Insights Program, the CSX Benchmarking Database and other data-driven reports published by NACS.
Chris began his career in retail managing grocery stores for a prominent retailer in the southeast, and previously worked at Coca-Cola Enterprises before joining NACS 15 years ago.
Show Bio
Jeremy Zenlea is the Vice President of Health and Safety at EG America. He 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.
This year's Food Safety Forum is co-located at the NACS Show and requires a separate registration.
2024 Pricing:
- $329 for NACS retail members
- $658 for retail non-members
- $499 for NACS supplier member companies
- $2,500 for supplier non-member companies
If you are not a retailer or supplier, but are interested in attending, please reach out to Chrissy Blasinsky at cblasinsky@convenience.org for next steps.
Reserve your seat today!
Register Now
The 2024 NACS Food Safety Forum is co-located with the 2024 NACS Show in Las Vegas. If you are also attending the NACS Show, please register for the NACS Show after you complete your registration for the Food Safety Forum.
The 2025 NACS Food Safety Forum will be co-located with the 2025 NACS State of the Industry Summit in Dallas, Texas. Information will be posted as available. Sign up below to be notified once registration is open.