Safe Food Canada 2013 on Feb. 26

Toronto – For the fourth consecutive year, the Guelph Food Technology Centre (GFTC) and Food in Canada are presenting Safe Food Canada 2013 at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton, Ont. on Feb. 26.

The full-day event brings together a selection of experts on food safety to tackle the pressing issues the food industry faces today.

This year’s theme is “Managing risk in an increasingly competitive marketplace.” Topics in the agenda include an update from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on the regulatory landscape, recent activities and what’s coming up. Frank Schreurs of the GFTC will look at what’s next after GFSI certification and what more needs to be done in the areas of management commitment, validation, ingredient risk assessment and customer specific requirements.

Karen Leacock-Bingham of the GFTC will offer food-packaging professionals an update on the new package auditing standards that apply to all facilities that manufacture packaging. And MNP LLP will cover the complexities of instituting a risk-based food safety program.

Keynote

This year’s keynote presentation will be from Ross Roxburgh of the Niagara Institute, a division of The Conference Board of Canada. His presentation, “Leading from the Middle: Today and Tomorrow’s Reality,” will take a look at middle management professionals and the role they play in a company’s food safety culture.

The conference will also include an update on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and two key proposed rules the FDA issued on Jan. 4 for public comment: Preventive Controls for Human Food and Standards for Produce Safety.

The event will also be host to the first ever GFTC Food Safety Recognition Awards.

The finalists for the awards were announced earlier in January and include Skilcor Foods Inc. and Weston Bakeries – Amherst, N.S. plant for the Excellence Award; Sani Marc Group and Axiom Millwrighting & Fabrication Inc. for the Allied Trades Award; and the Leadership Award, which will be announced at the awards ceremony.

In announcing the finalists, Paul Medeiros, director of Consulting Services, said the GFTC is “very pleased with the results from our first year of competition. The calibre of submissions was exceptional. We should be very pleased at how well Canadian companies are doing to ensure the safety of food in Canada.”