Food Safety Tech and the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) are excited to announce that registration for the 2025 Food Safety Consortium Conference held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, from October 19-21 is now open.
The 2025 event will focus on the convergence of policy, science, and best practices. With the conference being held near Washington, D.C., this year’s program places a renewed emphasis on policy discussions, reflecting the growing need to address regulatory and legislative issues. The program will also prioritize the sharing of best practices, offering attendees the chance to learn from one another and engage in collaborative problem-solving on hot-button issues. The 2025 conference will continue the Consortium’s mission to:
- Facilitate the exchange of scientific information and best practices among food safety professionals.
- Address current challenges and advancements in food safety, technology, and compliance.
- Promote collaboration between industry, academia, and regulatory bodies to enhance public health outcomes.
Guiding the 2025 program was a newly formed committee:
- Jason P. Bashura, MPH, RS, PepsiCo R&D, Global Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Sr. Manager, Global Food Defense, PepsiCo
- Rick Biros, Content Director & Publisher, Food Safety Tech (Committee Co-Chairperson)
- Erika Blickem, Director of Food Safety, J.R. Simplot Company, Inc.
- Benjamin Chapman, Ph.D., Department Head, Professor, Food Safety Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences, North Carolina State University, NC State Extension
- Byron D. Chaves, PhD., Associate Professor & Food Safety Extension Specialist, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Donna Garren, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Science & Policy, American Frozen Food Institute (Committee Co-Chairperson)
- Melody Ge, Sr. Director, Food Safety & Quality Operations, TreeHouse Foods, Inc.
- Sanjay Gummalla, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs, American Frozen Food Institute
- David Hatch, Vice President, Digital Solutions Marketing, Neogen
- Jill Hoffman, Senior Director, Food Safety and Quality, B&G Foods, Inc.
- Justyce Jedlicka, NA Commercial Applications – Food & Beverage Regulatory, Science & Lab Solutions, BioMonitoring, MilliporeSigma
- Barbara C. Kowalcyk, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University
- Jeff Lucas, Technical Director, Mèrieux NutriSciences
- Michael L Rybolt, Ph.D., Sr. Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Tyson Foods
Donna Garren, Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Science & Policy at AFFI who co-chairs the program committee said “Last year’s attendees directed us to expand the program to support the education and learning of their entire food safety and quality assurance team. We responded by adding four new breakout sessions: Microbiological Track, Chemical Food Safety Testing Track, FSMA & Traceability Track and a Sanitation Track.” Garren added “I’m excited to announce our keynote speakers, Dr. Emilio Esteban and Ricky Dickson.”
Dr. Emilio Esteban, Chief Scientific Officer for Mérieux NutriSciences’ North America division, and Head of its Global Analytical Hub and former Undersecretary for Food Safety at USDA is the opening keynote speaker.
The closing keynote speaker is Ricky Dickson, Author and Former CEO of Blue Bell Creameries.
“The 2025 Consortium will build upon the success of previous events, which have featured high-level panel discussions, educational presentations, and pre-conference workshops.” said Rick Biros, Content Director and Founder of Food Safety Tech and co-chairperson of the program committee. Having the conference in the Washington DC area helps facilitate greater accessibility for FDA officials, other government representatives such as those from USDA and DHS, as well as industry associations.” Biros adds.
“The committee’s collective expertise in food safety and leadership will be essential in shaping the conference program. The Consortium has always been a key platform for the convergence of policy, science, and best practices, and in 2025, we will ensure that policy discussions take center stage, especially given the proximity to Washington, D.C. AFFI’s work is always grounded in science, and our commitment to evidence-based solutions drives everything we do. This conference will continue to reflect that focus while fostering collaboration across all sectors of the food safety ecosystem.” said Garren.
The full program is available at FoodSafetyConsortium.org
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