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The Food Safety Consortium will take place October 21-23, 2026, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington VA directly across the Potomac River from  Washington, DC. The Program starts with several pre-conference workshops and training which leads into two and a half days of high-level panel discussions and educational presentations.

Organized by Food Safety Tech, the Food Safety Consortium Conference has been an educational and networking event since 2012 for Food Protection that has food safety, food integrity and food defense as the foundation of the educational content of the program.

Cannabis Quality is back!

The Cannabis Quality Conference and the Food Safety Consortium will take place under one roof and at the same time. With both food and cannabis markets innovating relentlessly with new technology and best practices to improve quality and safety, the two conferences running alongside each other will allow for a meeting of the minds like no other. CQC attendees will get full access to the Food Safety Consortium and vice versa. Mingle with your counterparts in other markets and see why the food and cannabis industries share so much in common.

“We are bringing two great conferences together under one roof,” says Rick Biros, president of Innovative Publishing and director of the Food Safety Consortium. “The Food Safety Consortium will continue its strategic meeting of the minds format, but we are complementing that with the practical, boots-on-the-ground Food Safety Hazards track. Co-location with Cannabis Quality allows attendees to take advantage of additional education on product testing and quality assurance in the burgeoning cannabis market, as well as pre-conference workshops delving into infused product safety and compliance, that will appeal to both food safety and cannabis professionals.”

On-site attendees have full access to both the Food Safety Consortium and Cannabis Quality sessions and presentations.

Use the interactive Agenda below.

Click on the session title and see a detailed description of the session along with the speakers and panelists.

Bring Your Team! New Team Discount: Register 3 or more team members and receive a 25% on all registrations.

Make it Conference to Remember! Bring the Family, enjoy the sights of our nation's capital and prepared to be wowed by the learning opportunities.

Tickets


Food & Beverage Industry Registration
Super Early Bird Registration
595.00 USD
Early Bird Registration
795.00 USD
Late Registration
995.00 USD

Cannabis Industry Registration
Super Early Bird Registration
595.00 USD
Early Bird Registration
795.00 USD
Late Registration
995.00 USD

Suppler, Vender, Service Provider Registration
Early Bird Registration
995.00 USD
Late Registration
1,195.00 USD

Exhibitor and Sponsor Staff Registration
Booth Staff
595.00 USD

Speaker & Staff Registration
Full Conference
0.00 USD

Online Table Top Booth Selection
Booth Selection Zone 1 In front of Meeting Rooms. Booth Numbers: 1-10 and 31-40
4,000.00 USD
Booth Selection Zone 2: SKYVIEW. Booth Numbers: 12-26
3,650.00 USD
Booth Selection Zone 3. Booth Numbers: 38, 39, 40
3,500.00 USD
Booth Selection Zone 4. Booth Numbers: 11, 29, 30, closest to CQC
3,250.00 USD

Academic/Government
Non-Profit Registration
595.00 USD

Pre-Conference Risk Workshop
Pre-Conference Risk Management Workshop
299.00 USD

Goal Oriented Leadership Communication Workshop
Goal Oriented Leadership Communication Workshop
295.00 USD

Women In Food Safety Individual's Donation
Platinum
500.00 USD
Gold
100.00 USD
Silver
75.00 USD
Bronze
50.00 USD

Agenda

Wednesday, October 21
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
9:00 AM
9:00 AM
9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
1:00 PM - 1:15 PM
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Coffee and Refreshments are offered in the Exhibits
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM
4:50 PM - 5:10 PM
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
Beer, Wine and Refreshments are offered in the Exhibits
Thursday, October 22
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
8:30 AM - 9:15 AM
9:15 AM - 9:30 AM
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
2:45 PM - 3:00 PM
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM
3:45 PM - 4:00 PM
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Friday, October 23
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
8:45 AM - 9:30 AM
9:30 AM - 9:45 AM
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
11:45 AM - 12:00 PM
1:00 PM
1:00 PM
1:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Sponsors

Corporate Sponsor
Consortium Partner
Media Partner

Speakers

Director of Food Policy
Vertical Segment Manager - Food
Hygiena
CEO
Culture Strategies Group, PEAK Consultant
Vice President, Food Safety, Quality, and Consumer Affairs
B&G Foods, Inc.
VP, Global Food Safety & Compliance
Walmart
Senior Director Global Quality and Food Safety Governance
McCormick
Senior Vice President Quality Assurance
Vitaquest International LLC
Atomic Spectroscopy Specialist
Agilent Technologies
Vice President, QA & Food Safety
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated
Partner and Senior Consultant
KTL
Vice President, Government Affairs
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
Conference Director & Publisher
Food Safety Consortium & Food SafetyTech
Events Manager
Agroknow
Founder and Principal
FoodSafetyByDesign LLC
Chief, Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Department Head Agricultural & Human Sciences
North Carolina State University
Associate Professor, Food Science & Technology
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
CEO
Peak Advisors
VP of Quality and Continuous Improvement
Southern Specialties
CEO
Starfish
Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Former CEO, Bluebell Creameries & Author
CEO
Stop Foodborne Illness (STOP)
Chief Scientific Officer, Former Undersecretary for Food Safety, USDA-FSIS
Mérieux NutriSciences
Director
JM Farber Global Food Safety
Head of Product
Genista Biosciences
Policy Analyst, Human Foods Program
FDA
Executive Vice President
American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI)
Attorney/Director
Gembala, McLaughlin & Pecora Co. LPA.
Principal
Gendel Food Safety LLC
President & Co-Founder
Catalyst, LLC
Sr. Vice President Scientific Affairs
American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI)
Managing Director - Product Recall Practice & Entrepreneurship
A.J. Gallagher
Vice President of Food Safety Digital Solutions
Neogen
Partner
Keller & Heckman
William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Departments of Food Science and Microbiology
North Carolina State University
Food and Beverage Liaison
MilliporeSigma
CEO
Karasu Consulting LLC
Scientific Program Manager and Food Microbiologist, Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences
Scientific Program Manager
IAFNS
Professor, Microbial Food Safety
University of Delaware
Independent Contractor
NSF International
Sr. Director, Regulatory Affairs
Conagra Brands, Inc.
Associate Professor
Emory | Rollins School of Public Health
Corporate FSQ Manager
Hormel Foods
Technical Development Director – Certification and Tailored Solutions
SGS North America
Senior Director, Consulting & Education
Merieux NutriSciences
Chief Product Officer
FlexXray
Executive Director
Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)
CEO
AgroKnow
Managing Partner
Marler Clark
Principal
Leavitt Partners/Partnership for Food Traceability
Director of Food Safety and Quality Policy
John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.
Shellfish Compliance Field Supervisor
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Founder
Food Safety Strategy, LLC
EVP, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs
The Acheson Group (TAG)
Director, Food Safety Services
Registrar Corp
President
Neumann Advisory Services, LLC
Partner
Hogan Lovells US LLP
Regulatory Affairs and Public Health Expert
MilliporeSigma
Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Food Science and Veterinary Public Health Vienna
Manufactured Foods Program Specialist, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Bureau of Food Safety Policy and Programs Division
Administrator, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)
Interim Assistant Director, NC Agricultural Research Service (NCARS) Associate Professor & University Faculty Scholar
North Carolina State University
CEO
Testo bioAnalytics GmbH
Director of Food Policy
Consumer Reports
Department of Food Science Chair, Distinguished Professor Extension Specialist in Food Science
Rutgers University
Technical Services
Mérieux NutriSciences
Director Global Food Safety
General Mills
Food Industry Attorney
Food Industry Counsel, LLC
Food Safety Professional
Commercial Food Sanitation
Chief Science Officer and Senior Vice President, Food and Product Safety Programs
FMI - The Food Industry Association
VP Food Safety and Quality
The JM Smucker Company
Director Food Safety and Contamination Prevention
Crisis24
Chief Commercial Officer
FlexXray
Gellert Family Professor in Food Safety, Food Science
Cornell University
U.S. Sales Director
Provision Analytics
President
ASI
Director of Business Development
ASI

No records found.

Registration Info

Registration: Team Discounts & Payment Methods

Registration: Team Discounts & Payment Methods

Payment Method: ACH, Check, Credit Card or PayPal.

  1. PayPal is our credit card processor.
  2. You can pay with your credit card and you do not need a PayPal account.
  3. The merchant name on your credit card statement will read "Food Safety" or "FS Consortium" depending on your bank.
  4. We can Invoice you and then you can pay via ACH or check.
  5. Contact us if you have any questions

Team Discounts:

We are offering a 25% discount for teams of 3 or more participants from the same company.  We are also offering a number of Pre-Conference Trainings and Workshops (Sunday) for an additional fee, that you will be able to add to your registration.

  1. When you register 3 or more participants from your company, you will receive a 25% discount per registration.
  2. You must register your team at the same time by selecting Add A Registrant
  3. If you register 3+ people at the same time, the system will apply the discount to ALL registrants.
  4. If you are adding team members after registering, please contact us.
  5. Please contact us if you need assistance registering your team.
FAQs

FAQs

Can I Cancel my Registration:

Cancellations minus a 20% cancellation fee are available until October 7. There will be NO refunds on Cancellations received after October 7. 

We will gladly substitute your registration to another colleague.

Do you have a room block at the hotel?

Attendees to the Food Safety Consortium Conference are offered a special group rate . You can also find the Discounted Hotel Block Reservation link at the top of the conference homepage at www.FoodSafetyConsortium.org.

Please note, in order to produce and host the conference at the hotel, the Food Safety Tech and AFFI have to financially guarantee the room block. We greatly appreciate it if you reserve your hotel room through the above link. 

Please do not use third party travel apps like Kayak, Hotel (dot com) or Marriott points to reserve your room. Those rooms are not considered part of the guaranteed Consortium room block. It takes a village to share food safety knowledge and you are doing your part presenting but also by reserving your hotel room through the room block. Thanks for your understanding.

Hotel & Travel Information

Hotel & Travel Information

Transportation information

The Crystal Gateway Marriott is only one mile from Reagan National Airport (DCA), two miles to Washington, DC and directly connected to the Crystal City Metro station. Ideally located in Arlington, VA, the hotel is steps to the exciting new National Landing development and Pentagon City; as well as a quick and convenient Metro ride to downtown Washington D.C. and Old Town Alexandria.

The hotel provides a complimentary Airport Shuttle, that runs daily between 5:00 AM to Midnight, every 30 minutes. You can schedule it by calling the hotel. 

You can also take a metro ride from the Airport by following the signs to the National Airport Metro Station. You will need to purchase a fare care from one of the machines at the station. The fare should be ~ $2.

You can take the Yellow Line (towards Mount Vernon Square) or the Blue Line (towards Largo). Depending on the time you arrive at the airport, trains will run between 5 to 15 minutes.

The hotel is the next stop, CRYSTAL CITY Metro Station. Exit the station via the S. Clark & 18 Street exit, Hotel is a 5 minute walk from the hotel across the metro station

A typical UBER ride to the hotel from the Airport will cost you between $10 - $45 depending on the time you arrive. Be aware that rush hour in the DC area runs between 6:30 am – 9:30 am and 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm.

You can also board a TAXI from the taxi stand at the airport. Fare should run you about $15.

You can also take Amtrak/ACELA trains to Union Station in DC and take the Metro RED Line (toward Shady Grove). Change trains to the YELLOW Line (toward Huntington) and get off at the Crystal City Station. Exit the station via the S. Clark & 18 Street exit, Hotel is a 5 minute walk from the hotel across the metro station.

HOTEL ROOMS

Attendees to the Food Safety Consortium Conference are offered a special group rate . You can also find the Discounted Hotel Block Reservation link at the top of the conference homepage at www.FoodSafetyConsortium.org.

Please note, in order to produce and host the conference at the hotel, the Food Safety Tech and AFFI have to financially guarantee the room block. We greatly appreciate it if you reserve your hotel room through the above link. 

Please do not use third party travel apps like Kayak, Hotel (dot com) or Marriott points to reserve your room. Those rooms are not considered part of the guaranteed Consortium room block. It takes a village to share food safety knowledge and you are doing your part presenting but also by reserving your hotel room through the room block. Thanks for your understanding.

If you need help making hotel arrangements, or to extend your stay, for the Food Safety Consortium, contact us, we're here to help!


MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TRAVEL TO THE NATION'S CAPITAL

DC has lots to offer! Here are a couple of things for you to explore:

If you would like to visit the National Air & Space Museum, make sure to make reservations in advance. Entrance is free but timed-tickets are needed to be able to enter the museum.

You can make reservation via this link

To visit the National Museum of African American History, you will need to make ticket reservations in advance. There are limited tickets and they tend to be gone pretty fast. Make sure to make reservations at least a month in advance via this link

To visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum, you can reserve timed tickets via this link

Floor Plan

Floor Plan

Floor Plan for Sessions and Lunch

Exhibit Floor Plan

Exhibit Floor Plan


Photos

Location

Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Richmond Highway, Arlington, VA 22202