With over 88 hours of education spanning four days, the 2012 Food Safety Summit features six half-day workshops, fifteen 90-minute sessions and three certification programs. The meeting will take place April 17-19 in Washington, DC’s Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Featured speakers at this year’s program include Oscar Garrison, division director, Consumer Protection, Georgia Department of Agriculture; Mike Taylor, Esq., deputy commissioner, Office of Food, FDA; Yves Rey, chair of GFSI, corporate quality general manager, Danone, France; Warren Stone, director of science policy, compliance and inspection, Grocery Manufacturers Association; Marian Rowden, president and CEO of the American Association of Exporters and Importers; Jody Hall, director of global sourcing for H-E-B; Caroline Smith De Waal, Esq, The Center for Science in the Public Interest; and Mansour Samadpour, IEH Laboratories, to name a few.

Developed by the 2012 Executive Educational Advisory Committee (EEAC), the educational topics explore the realities of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), working with public health officials, strategies for pre-harvesting, food defense training for government and industry representatives, interactive food safety media training, orientation to and preparing for GFSI Audits and HAACP, among other topics. The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) has reviewed the Food Safety Summit education program and will offer up to 25 contact hours of Continuing Education (CE) to attendees.

Special programs offering certification include:

►The ServSafe Food Safety Training Program leads the way in providing current and comprehensive educational materials to the restaurant industry. The ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Exam is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-Conference for Food Protection (CFP). This training will take place on Monday, April 16 from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and will finish on Tuesday, April 17 from 8 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

►The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) will present Industry-Foodborne Illness Investigation Training (I-FIIT), a new training opportunity for the retail food industry. I-FIIT will provide a better understanding of a foodborne investigation process as a whole, setting the foundation for stronger collaborative efforts between corporations and public health professionals. This session will take place on Monday, April 16 from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

►For the first time, the Food Safety Summit will offer a 2 ½-day HACCP Certification Training Course providing the information professionals need for writing a new Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan or for conducting the annual reassessment of an existing HACCP plan. A Rutgers/IAHP Certificate will be provided to those passing the qualification exam. This course will be held Monday, April 16 and Tuesday, April 17 from 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 18 from 8:00 -10 a.m. All HACCP registrants will have full access to the Food Safety Summit program.

In addition to the conference program, the Food Safety Summit will showcase an expo hall with exhibitors offering the latest solutions for food safety professionals. The exhibit hall will be open all three days of the event with two Exhibitor Showcase Theaters on the show floor, offering attendees complimentary education sessions.

Visit the Food Safety Summit website for a complete description of the conference topics, speakers, courses and housing and registration information—or to submit a question for either FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael Taylor or USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety Dr. Elisabeth Hagen to address at the Town Hall scheduled for Thursday, April 19 from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.