Industry NewsFood Safety

Food Safety Summit brings together industry leaders

The 2026 iteration featured a lineup of workshops, educational sessions, and more.

Food Safety Summit draws industry leaders for collaboration — Photo by Jenni Spinner

More than 1,300 food safety professionals from across the food and beverage industry, representing more than 100 countries, gathered in person last week at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, for the 28th annual Food Safety Summit, joined by an additional 3,055 participants online.

Produced by Food Safety Magazine and BNP Media, the four-day conference and trade show—an industry event dedicated to education, collaboration, and advancing food safety practices—featured a dynamic lineup of workshops, educational sessions, networking events, and interactive exhibit hall experiences focused on the most pressing issues impacting food safety today.

This year’s Summit placed strong emphasis on emerging technologies, regulatory developments, supply chain transparency, sanitation, workforce culture, and industry collaboration. The opening workshop, “Leveraging AI for Food Safety: From Strategy to Impact,” which brought together experts from industry, academia, and government to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming food safety programs and decision-making.

“The energy and engagement throughout this year’s Summit were exceptional,” says Stacy Atchison, publisher of Food Safety Magazine, producer of the Food Safety Summit. “Attendees came ready to learn, exchange ideas, and collaborate on solutions that will strengthen food safety across the industry. From the educational sessions to conversations on the exhibit hall floor, the sense of community and shared commitment to progress was truly inspiring.”

The Summit opened with five certificate programs, including two new courses: AI in Food Safety: Ethical and Efficient Food Safety Document Writing, presented by Cornell University, and the FSPCA Food Traceability Rule Participant Course. Additional certificate programs included FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food, Food Fraud Prevention, and Application of the Principles of Hazard Analysis.

The educational program featured more than 20 in-depth sessions, workshops, certificate courses, keynote presentations, and the Town Hall. The Town Hall brought together leaders from FDA, USDA-FSIS, CDC, and AFDO to discuss the current state of food safety, along with the key challenges and opportunities shaping the industry’s future.

Attendees also participated in guided exhibit hall tours focused on Food Safety Technology and AI, as well as Sanitation and Hygiene Solutions. The exhibit hall remained a central hub for learning and networking, featuring the Tech Tent, Solutions Stage, Podcast Theater, and Community Hub discussions.

The Summit also continued its commitment to giving back. During the Food Safety Summit Gives Back Networking Reception, attendees helped raise $7,070 for STOP Foodborne Illness, supporting the organization’s mission to prevent illness and support victims of foodborne disease.

Additional highlights included the presentation of Food Safety Magazine’s Distinguished Service Award to Larry Keener, recognized for his longstanding contributions to food safety science.

“The success of the Food Safety Summit is made possible through the dedication of our Educational Advisory Board, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and attendees,” says Gillian Kelleher, chair of the Food Safety Summit Educational Advisory board. “This event continues to provide a unique forum where the food safety community can come together to share knowledge, challenge ideas, and help move the industry forward.”

The 2026 Food Safety Summit featured more than 150 exhibiting companies showcasing the latest technologies, services, and solutions designed to help organizations strengthen their food safety programs and operational performance. Sponsors included Gold Sponsors Sherwin-Williams and Share-ify; Silver Sponsors Instant Recall and QAD Redzone; and Bronze Sponsors Clinisys, FlexXray, FSS, GS1 US, NSF, Nulogy, Provision, Rootwurks, SGS, Trustwell, WorkForge, and Zeroic.

For those unable to attend in person, five Summit sessions were livestreamed, including Leveraging AI for Food Safety, Navigating Food Allergens, Effective Pathogen Control, Foreign Material Maturity Model, and the closing session, FSMA at 15. View the full streaming schedule at Food Safety Summit Streaming Sessions. In addition, STOP Foodborne Illness and the FDA livestreamed their webinar, which is available at this link.

The Food Safety Summit is owned and produced by Food Safety Magazine and BNP Media. The event brings together food safety professionals from across the supply chain to explore education, innovation, and solutions that advance food safety programs and help protect public health. BNP Media is one of the country’s leading business-to-business media companies, serving professionals across more than 60 industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events, and market research.

The 2027 Food Safety Summit is scheduled for May 10-13 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. For more information, visit food-safety.com/food-safety-summit.