The third annual Food Safety Exchange, sponsored by Mettler Toledo on June 17-18 in Philadelphia, brought professionals from the food industry, including manufacturers, processors, retailers, standards owners, auditors, consultants, trade organizations and other practitioners, to network with fellow professionals and learn from industry experts more about the current food-safety regulatory environment.
A central focus of the presentations was updating attendees about current regulation and certification information from the major food-safety certification bodies, as well as discussing the effect of the upcoming deadlines for implementing the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations. Presentations were followed by question-and-answer periods.
James Cook, food scientific, regulatory affairs and global food technologist for SGS, delivered the keynote address, ”Food Safety Modernization Act: Understanding the Challenges and Achieving Compliance,” which addresses changes to the original FSMA 2011 law and the preventive controls regulations that will go into effect in August 2015. He was followed by George Ganser of IFS, discussing IFS PAC Secure; Jacqueline Southee of FSSC 22000, speaking on “FSSC 22000 and Its Role in the Global Market”; “Food Safety Supply Chain Management” by Jane Griffith of ASI; and “GFSI Certification as a Strategic Business Tool,” by John Kukoly of BRC.
More information is available from Mettler Toledo’s Product Inspection Group at www.mt.com/pi.
