“Risk Culture: How to Balance Risks for the Safety of Consumers, Team Members and the Environment” will be the focus of the keynote presentation taking place on Wednesday, May 10 during the 25th annual Food Safety Summit in Rosemont, Ill. Michael Eckhardt, senior vice president, chief legal and risk officer, and secretary, Wawa Inc.; Randy Huffman, Ph.D., chief food safety and sustainability officer, Maple Leaf Foods; and David McDonald, president and chief operating officer, OSI Group, will join Lone Jespersen, Ph.D., principal, Cultivate SA, who will lead the conversation. 

“Managing risk is such an important topic for food safety professionals at all levels of business, and we look forward to Lone Jespersen leading this conversation with these three dynamic panelists who are committed to balancing risk and safety,” says Gillian Kelleher, CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC and chair of the Summit Educational Advisory Board (EAB).  

“The keynote session will focus on a conversation with forward-thinking executives on the topic of balancing risks for the safety of consumers, team members and the environment. Participants will hear how successful food companies manage risks that sometimes compete for investments and leadership attention,” explains Jespersen. “Learning how to partner with colleagues from human safety and sustainability is a must for a company to improve food safety performance and mature a company’s food safety culture. The executives will also share specific challenges and wins from their respective organizations, along with the cultural solutions that help them successfully manage risk.” 

The three days of educational sessions include an opening workshop on “Got Root Cause?” featuring a panel of leaders from FDA, Cargill, Dole Food Co., USDA, Yum Brands and J&J Snack Foods, who will review how getting to the root cause is a cost-effective approach to management/operations in any organization. In addition, the 11TH annual “Town Hall: A Conversation with Top Regulators and Advisors” will be held on Thursday, May 11, with insights from FDA, CDC, USDA and AFDO. 

The summit’s closing session on Thursday afternoon will focus on “Legal Insights to Sharpen Your Food Safety Focus—and Stay Out of the Courtroom.” The panel discussion with prominent, internationally recognized attorneys who work on behalf of consumers and industry will discuss the common gaps or weaknesses they see in company operations, culture and regulatory adherence that lead to adverse events, such as foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls. 

For access to the full program and attendee registration, visit https://www.food-safety.com/food-safety-summit. For information on sponsorship or exhibiting opportunities, contact Kim Hansen at hansenk@bnpmedia.com or Adam Haas at haasa@bnpmedia.com. For updates on the 2023 event, visit www.foodsafetysummit.com or follow the event on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 

 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.