Arizona Tribune - Food Safety Summit Unveils Robust Education Program for 2026 Event

ROSEMONT, IL / ACCESS Newswire / January 27, 2026 / Registration is now open for the 2026 Food Safety Summit, taking place May 11-14 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Recognized as the leading educational event for food safety professionals, the Summit will deliver a highly anticipated education program featuring dozens of interactive sessions, workshops, and certificate courses designed to provide practical, actionable solutions to the most pressing food safety challenges facing the industry today.

"We thank our incredible Educational Advisory Board, comprising the best and brightest food safety leaders in the industry, who worked tirelessly to create a dynamic education program," said Gillian Kelleher, CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC and Chair of the Food Safety Summit Educational Advisory Board. "This year's program will feature more than 100 subject matter experts who will share innovative and timely solutions for today's most important issues. We look forward to bringing the food safety community together to learn from industry peers, exchange ideas and achievements, discuss the challenges we face, and engage in collaborative problem-solving."

The Educational Advisory Board represents leaders from foodservice, retail, manufacturing, distribution, produce, trade associations, regulatory agencies, and academia. Several new members helped plan the program for the 2026 Summit, including representatives from McDonald's Corporation, Yum! Brands, Walmart, Mars, PepsiCo, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and North Carolina State University, further strengthening the depth and diversity of perspectives shaping this year's education program.

Five Certificate Courses will be offered on Monday, May 11, including two new courses-AI in Food Safety: Ethical and Efficient Food Safety Document Writing and Allergens and Allergen Management. Food Fraud Prevention Workshop and Certificate Course; FSPCA's Preventive Controls for Human Food Version 2.0; and Application of the Principles of Hazard Analysis - Beyond the Basics will also be offered.

On Tuesday, May 12, the day will begin with a three-hour, interactive workshop focused on Leveraging AI for Food Safety: From Strategy to Impact, bringing together leaders from industry, academia, and government to explore how artificial intelligence can be effectively and responsibly applied across food safety systems. Afternoon workshops will address navigating food allergens, communicating the economics of food safety risk mitigation programs, building psychological safety and resilience among frontline workers, and strengthening pathogen control through improved identification and management of sources and harborages within processing environments.

The Summit's keynote presentation will take place on Wednesday, May 13, featuring Joan Menke-Schaenzer, Chief Quality Officer at Van Drunen Farms, who will present Food Safety is a Team Sport: Leading with Courage, Collaboration, and Curiosity in a Changing World. Moderated by Jesse Newman, Food Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, the conversation will explore why food safety success depends on collaboration across plants, suppliers, regulators, and global partners, and how leaders can foster cultures that support shared responsibility and continuous improvement.

On Thursday, May 14, the Summit will host the 15th Annual Town Hall: A Conversation with Regulators, offering attendees direct insights and updates from federal and state regulatory leaders. Participating and invited speakers include Steven Mandernach, J.D., Executive Director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO); Megin Nichols, D.V.M., M.P.H., D.A.C.V.P.M., from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Kyle Diamantas, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); and Mindy Brashears, Ph.D., Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The session will be moderated by Gillian Kelleher and will provide a forum for open dialogue on current priorities, emerging risks, and regulatory collaboration.

The Summit will conclude on Thursday afternoon with "FSMA at 15," a forward-looking discussion examining the Food Safety Modernization Act's original vision, progress to date, remaining challenges, and whether its long-term goals have been achieved. The session will feature Steven Mandernach, J.D. of AFDO; Michael Taylor, former FDA Deputy Commissioner; Sandra Eskin, CEO of STOP Foodborne Illness; Brian Ronholm, Consumer Reports; Roberta Wagner, International Dairy Foods Association; and Courtney Bidney, General Mills, offering a multi-stakeholder perspective on FSMA's impact across the food system.

In addition to workshops and featured sessions, Wednesday and Thursday will offer 21 concurrent education sessions covering timely and critical topics. For the first time, sessions have been organized into filtered topic areas to make it easier for attendees to navigate the program, including AI in Food Safety; Food Safety Validation, Risk and Compliance; Leadership, Culture and Workforce; Biological, Chemical, and Physical Hazards; and sector-specific sessions for retail, produce, and other segments of the food industry.

The Exhibit Hall will feature over 150 solution providers showcasing the latest products and services, including Gold Sponsor Sherwin-Williams; Silver Sponsor Instant Recall; and Bronze Sponsors FlexXray, FSS Inc., NSF, Provision Analytics, Rootwurks, SGS, Trustwell, WorkForge, and Zeroic. Educational programming will also take place on the show floor at the Solutions Stage and Tech Tent, while live recordings of Food Safety Magazine's Food Safety Matters podcast, featuring Summit speakers and industry leaders, will take place on the podcast stage.

Networking opportunities will include an opening night reception in the Exhibit Hall, offering a relaxed setting for attendees and exhibitors to connect, as well as the Food Safety Summit Gives Back networking reception on Wednesday evening, benefiting STOP Foodborne Illness. Proceeds from the event support the organization's mission to prevent foodborne illness and to serve as the voice of individuals and families affected by foodborne disease through collaboration with industry, academia, and government. Click here for more information or to donate.

Registration for the 2026 Food Safety Summit is open at https://www.food-safety.com/food-safety-summit, with Early Bird savings available through Tuesday, March 31, 2026. One-, two-, and three-day conference packages and group discounts are available. A conference pass includes access to half-day workshops, education sessions, Keynote and Town Hall presentations, networking receptions, the Exhibit Hall, Solutions Stage and Tech Tent programming, lunch in the Exhibit Hall, and NEHA continuing education credits.

The Food Safety Summit is owned and produced by Food Safety Magazine (www.food-safety.com) and BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across 60+ industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events, and market research.

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Amy Riemer
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SOURCE: Food Safety Summit

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N.Mitchell--AT