The 2009 Food Safety Summit Features New Sessions and an Expansive Show Floor

DEERFIELD, IL--(Marketwire - April 8, 2009) - The 11th Annual Food Safety Summit, the industry's top gathering for food processing, retail, foodservice, academic, military and government professionals, will be held April 27-29, 2009 in Washington, DC. Pre-registration for the Expo Hall only is free and the early bird rates for the conference packages will end on Friday, April 10th.

Industry leaders will discuss "3rd Party Auditing and Certification: Industry Perspectives." Panelists represent Cargill, Inc.; CODEX; the FDA; the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA); the Food Marketing Institute (FMI); the Center for Science in the Public Interest; the USDA/FSIS and the National Council of Chain Restaurants. This session will provide an update on 3rd party certification and auditing harmonization efforts that include the GFSI. Attendees will hear how the industry is moving toward third party certification for imports and the progress towards harmonization of food safety and quality certification standards.

"We are honored to have this dynamic panel representing government officials and executives from several of the leading industry associations to discuss 3rd party auditing," said Scott Wolters, of BNP Media, producers of the Summit. "We encourage those in the industry to attend this important session and others that are being offered."

The newest session added to the conference program is "Sanitary Design Principles for Equipment Used in the Food Industry," presented by Joseph Stout of Kraft Foods. Stout will discuss how quality and food safety starts with the right equipment, a well-designed plant and robust formulation designs to improve equipment design.

On the show floor exhibitors will provide information about new food safety focused products and services in the Vendor Track Theater. Participating exhibitors include Ingersoll Rand, Thermo Scientific, Microbiology International, Alchemy, Orkin Commercial Services, Idaho Technology Inc., etc.

The Posters & Papers Research Presentation Program is returning to the Summit. Scientists in Industry, Academia, and Government are invited to submit their scientific findings to be displayed at the Expo. Scientists interested in submitting a research poster should visit www.foodsafetysummit.com or call 1-847-405-4000.

The Food Safety Summit is the nation's largest and most important Conference & Expo on food safety, quality assurance, and food security. The event is produced and managed by BNP Media.

Contact Information: Contact Amy Riemer 978-475-4441