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NACS Food Safety Forum

About

The fast-growing role of foodservice in convenience stores continues to prove that it is a powerful growth engine, accounting for 28.5% of inside sales and 38.9% of inside gross profit margin, 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.

Blog

Food Safety Goes Hand-in-Hand With Foodservice Growth

NACS President and CEO Frank Gleeson emphasized the importance of food safety to consumer confidence and brand reputation at the 2026 NACS Food Safety Forum.

Sample Agenda

View sample agenda from the 2026 NACS Food Safety Forum.

Monday, April 13, 2026

1:00 PM	Registration & Exhibits Open
2:00 – 2:15	Welcome & Opening Remarks Frank Gleeson, President and CEO, NACS Amy Costello, Director, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Casey's General Stores
2:15 – 3:00	Understanding the Food Safety Risks Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D., Department Chair, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University Evan Powell, Retail Food Protection Manager, Kwik Trip Inc. The top five food safety risks are not only the most frequent culprits of a foodborne illness; they also result in the most health inspection violations. This session set the stage for discussions ahead by connecting how these risks influence everything from handwashing and sanitation to technology, allergens and leadership.
3:00 – 3:45	Building Consumer Trust With Your Food Ben Chapman, Ph.D., Department Head and Interim Associate Director of Extension, NC State Jill Sump, FSQA Supply Chain Manager, Casey’s General Stores Perceptions of the convenience industry shape whether customers believe “gas station food” is high quality and safe. This session explored how the industry can raise the bar on food safety, build trust and strengthen its reputation for exceptional food.
3:45 – 4:00	Networking Break
4:00 – 5:00	CEO Perspectives on Food Safety Moderator: Jay Ellingson, Chief Scientific Officer, Kwik Trip Inc. Panelist: Scott Zietlow, CEO, President and Chairman, Kwik Trip Inc. Panelist: Doug Yawberry, President and CEO, Weigel's Inc. Food safety starts at the top. Two industry CEOs shared how leadership, culture and accountability shape food safety strategies across their organizations—and how their approach drives trust, consistency and brand integrity.
5:00 – 5:45	Is It Risky or Not? Ben Chapman, Ph.D., Department Head and Interim Associate Director of Extension, NC State Donald W. Schaffner, Ph.D., Extension Specialist in Food Science and Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University Risky or Not is a short podcast where Dr. Don and Professor Ben answer your questions about whether something is risky or not. Cold pizza at midnight? A two-day old glass of water on the nightstand? Cooking stuffing Inside the turkey? Dr. Ben and Dr. Don used their expertise with a dose of humor to tackle real-world food safety scenarios.
5:45	Day 1 Wrap Up
5:45 – 6:45	Welcome Reception + Tabletop Exhibits

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

7:30 – 8:30 AM	Networking Breakfast & Exhibits Open
8:00 - 8:30	Table-Top Discussions (Optional)
8:45	Welcome Back
8:45 – 9:30	Keeping Food Safety at the Forefront of Foodservice Innovation Nancy Wilson, Senior Director of Quality Assurance, Risk Management and Safety, Wawa Inc. Foodservice innovation in the c-store industry is rapidly evolving in response to changing customer expectations, emerging food trends, and rising food costs. As these programs grow, the complexity and risk within the food supply chain also increases. This session covered supply chain food safety controls that are essential to support sustainable foodservice innovation.
9:30 – 10:30	Staying Ahead of Regulation Mandy Sedlak, Director, Global Food Safety and Public Health, Ecolab Margaret Mannion, Director, Government Relations, NACS Melanie Harris, Food Safety Manager, Retail, Casey's General Stores Amy Costello, Director, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Casey's General Stores This session explored the latest developments coming out of the Conference for Food Protection and potential changes to the FDA Food Code.
10:30 – 10:45	Networking Break
10:45 – 11:45	Allergens Under Control Betsy Craig, CEO & Founder, MenuTrinfo From bakery to commissary to prepared foods onsite, understanding the Big 9 allergens and how to mitigate risk are vital for all retailers. Craig, a nutrition and allergy expert, shared practical strategies for identifying, managing and communicating allergen information to help protect customers and build trust.
11:45 – 12:45 PM	Networking Lunch
12:45 – 2:30	Mock Criminal Trial Shawn Stevens, Food Industry Attorney, Food Industry Counsel LLC Jessica Stevens, Food Specialist/Paralegal, Food Industry Counsel LLC Event participants became courtroom jurors of a fictional mock criminal trial to better understand the potential for legal liability related to a foodborne outbreak.
2:30 – 3:00	Speaker Q&A and Closing Remarks What we saw, what we heard and next steps.

Past Speakers

Meet the speakers who presented at the 2026 NACS Food Safety Forum.

Partnerships

Webinars

As a NACS Food Safety Forum partner, your company will stand out as a leader in foodservice and safe food handling solutions for the convenience industry.

The NACS Food Safety Forum is one of a few NACS event partnership opportunities available, providing access to a concentrated audience focused on the latest food safety advancements and protocols. Your support positions your brand as an essential partner in elevating food safety and food protection programs across the convenience industry.

If you are interested in being future NACS Food Safety Forum partner, reach out to Brandi Mauro at [email protected]. Signage and tabletop opportunities are available.

Thank you to our 2026 event partners!

Platinum Partners

Ecolab works with customers in more than 40 industries to help ensure operational efficiency, safety, sustainability, product quality and guest satisfaction.

McLane Fresh delivers safe, high-quality fresh foods to convenience retail—delivered via our national commissary and cold chain—with robust FSQA expertise, streamlined operations, regulatory compliance, and end-to-end support that helps retailers protect consumers and elevate food safety performance.

Testo provides a complete, automated food safety monitoring solution. Our system, testo Saveris Cloud, combines smart sensors, intuitive software and expert service to continuously track critical food safety parameters across your operations. It delivers HACCP- and FDA-compliant monitoring, real-time alerts, reliable data storage and powerful analytics to help you optimize processes, reduce manual effort and maintain consistent food quality and compliance.

Diamond Partners

Sapphire Partners

Next year’s event is coming soon. Sign up to be notified as soon as dates and location details are announced.

NACS serves the global convenience and fuel retailing industry by providing industry knowledge, connections and issues leadership to ensure the competitive viability of its members’ businesses.

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