FAPC to host national food safety conference

Monday, August 13, 2007

Food industry professionals are invited to register for the Food Industry Trends Conference, which will be held Sept. 13-14 in Oklahoma City.

The Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center will host this new national food safety conference.

More than 100 food industry representatives are expected at the event, which will openly discuss new food safety issues and solutions, as well as food traceability technologies and regulatory issues driving those technologies.

“FAPC research and development focuses on food safety and effective pathogen interventions from raw and cooked food products to minimize food safety risks,” said Chuck Willoughby, FAPC business and marketing relations manager and conference chair. “We are pleased to offer a national conference that will encourage discussion and collaboration about food intervention strategies.”

The two-day conference will feature three keynote sessions, during which participants will hear from 13 national food industry leaders. Session topics include Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, changes in regulatory issues, the media’s impact on food safety, epidemiological traceability, probiotics, raw and ready-to-eat meat and seafood processing, and leafy greens processing.

David Acheson, Food and Drug Administration assistant commissioner for food protection, will discuss food safety regulatory issues. Yifen Wang, food safety expert for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, will discuss food traceability and identification technologies. A complete agenda and list of speakers are posted on the conference website.

“Because this conference focuses on trends in the industry and not just intervention strategies, we believe it will be of interest to not only quality assurance professionals but operations managers and CEOs as well,” Willoughby said.  

The conference is expected to sell out soon, and interested parties are encouraged to register now. Participants may register by phone at 405-744-6489.

Registration for the conference is $350 before Aug. 21 and $500 after that date. Registration includes all conference activities, program materials and lunch on Sept. 13.

Other sponsors include the Oklahoma Department of Public Health, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.