ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Join food safety, foodservice, quality assurance and risk management professionals for the inaugural NACS Food Safety Conference—the first industry-specific event of its kind for the global convenience retail community—on Saturday, October 1, 2022, the first day of the 2022 NACS Show in Las Vegas.
Attendees can look forward to learning more about how a company’s food safety culture can support, align and contribute to a company’s vision and mission. They will also discover collaborative solutions to today’s safe food handling challenges, including supply chain issues, staffing and training and innovations that can help save time and costs.
The agenda is packed with renowned food safety and food safety culture professionals and academia who are experts in their field. The conference opens at 9:30 a.m. with remarks by Dr. Jay Ellingson, chief scientific officer at Kwik Trip Inc., and concludes at 3:30 p.m. with a panel of convenience retail food safety professionals from Kwik Trip, Wawa and EG America, who will talk about what’s keeping them up at night regarding food safety within their companies, followed by audience Q&A.
Here are a few sessions on tap for the NACS Food Safety Conference:
There are well-established food safety and quality protocols and processes within the convenience retail industry. That said, there is also a greater need for leadership to foster a top-down food safety culture that protects and sustains the future of the business.
Dr. Lone Jespersen, founder of Cultivate and a food safety culture expert, will share exclusive insights on the NACS Convenience Store Food Safety Culture Maturity Model, the first and only global convenience retail industry specific model that advances food safety culture by initially focusing on the leadership level. Dr. Jespersen will also highlight how a company’s food safety culture can support, align and contribute to its vision and mission.
- What the Pandemic Taught Us About Safe Food Handling
From recalls to managing the food supply, to the role of regulators and in-store food safety training, the global COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the food safety system. Dr. Ben Chapman, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University, will discuss what the industry has learned since March 2020 and how we can best prepare for the future.
Dr. Chapman is also the project chair of FoodCoVNET, which provides science-based strategies and practices to reduce the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on the food sector. He’ll share ongoing research on virus persistence, inactivation and transfer.
This event is tailored to industry professionals who are leading their company’s food safety and safe food-handling procedures and protocols. Registration for the NACS Show is required to attend the NACS Food Safety Conference.
The conference is open to retailers and suppliers who are registered to attend the NACS Show; suppliers must be NACS members and exhibiting at the NACS Show. Register today!