By Dr. Jay L. E. Ellingson, Chief Scientific Officer, Kwik Trip Inc.

The continued expansion of foodservice across the convenience industry creates both tremendous opportunity and a deeper responsibility. A successful foodservice program cannot happen without a focus on delivering safe food to our customers. As we continue down the path of foodservice, our teams at the corporate and store level must have a solid grasp of regulations, food safety procedures and protocols to do it right.

With this in mind, I hope you will join me at the 5th NACS Food Safety Forum, taking place April 13-14 in Schaumburg, Illinois. This retailer-specific event is designed for the c-store channel and is a must-attend for anyone who is developing, growing and sustaining foodservice programs.

We are excited to welcome Amy Costello, senior director of food safety and quality assurance at Casey’s—the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States with nearly 2,900 c-stores across 19 states—as our new moderator. After four years of moderating the NACS Food Safety Forum, I am excited to pass the baton to Amy, who brings her passion for food safety in the c-store channel to this growing event.

Know and Understand the Risks

We all need to understand what is at stake if we are not focused on safe food handling, and that begins with recognizing and understanding the risks.

While there are many food safety risk factors that cause foodborne illness, these five are the most frequent culprits. Two of them account for most health inspection violations:

• Poor personal hygiene (handwashing is No. 1)
• Purchasing food from unsafe sources
• Failing to cook food adequately
• Using contaminated equipment
• Holding food at improper temperatures

We’ll hear from my colleague Evan Powell, retail food protection manager at Kwik Trip Inc., and Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D., department chair and distinguished professor at Rutgers University, as they share how focusing on these five factors can help position our organizations to better mitigate foodborne illness risk.

We will also turn the Food Safety Forum into a courtroom for a mock trial that allows attendees to serve as the courtroom jurors. This session, led by Shawn and Jessica Stevens of the Food Industry Counsel LLC, is a must-attend for industry leaders—especially CEOs, owners and senior leaders—to understand the potential for legal liability related to foodborne illness outbreaks at their retail stores and food facilities.

Perception vs. Reality of C-Store Foodservice

Despite the continued growth of foodservice, outdated “gas station food” perceptions still linger. By building trust in the quality and safety of our food, we can work together to change those perceptions industry wide.

Jeremy Zenlea, vice president, health and safety at EG America, and Professor Ben Chapman, department head and interim associate director of extension at North Carolina State University, will discuss how our industry can raise the bar on food safety and strengthen its reputation for exceptional food.

We will also hear from nutrition and allergy expert Betsy Craig, CEO and founder of MenuTrinfo, who will help us better understand the Big 9 allergens and how to mitigate risk across our operations.

Leading Change From the Top

Leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping food safety culture. I will moderate a conversation with Kwik Trip Inc.’s President, CEO and Chairman Scott Zietlow and Weigel’s CEO Doug Yawberry. These industry leaders will share their perspectives on the growth of foodservice at family-run operations, as well as their respective food safety strategies and cultures spanning a large, multi-state c-store operator and a smaller regional chain based in Tennessee.

There is more to come as we finalize the agenda for the 2026 NACS Food Safety Forum. If you have attended in the past, you’ll see how this event continues to grow. We are excited to deliver one and a half days of education, along with networking opportunities and tabletop exhibits from industry suppliers.

At the end of the day, remember that food safety is a shared responsibility no matter how many stores our companies operate. I look forward to seeing you April 13-14 at the NACS Food Safety Forum. If I you have questions, please reach out to me at jellingson@kwiktrip.com.

Dr. Jay Ellingson is responsible for the development and execution of Kwik Trip Inc’s Food Protection Management System, which includes all aspects of food protection: food safety, food safety science, food regulations and food defense/security.