Lawmakers, regulators gather in Chicago to confront food safety issues…

The recent rash of foodborne illness outbreaks has led to unprecedented calls for reform of the government’s regulatory system – and placed enormous new pressures on all segments of the food industry. It began last fall, when an outbreak of E. coli associated with spinach set the fresh produce industry reeling. Weeks later, the U.S. midterm elections gave Democrats control over both houses of Congress, and the new leadership vowed to overhaul the government’s food regulatory powers and increase industry oversight to prevent future outbreaks.

Since then Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the new Chair of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee has led the criticism of FDA and USDA food safety activities and she will be among the keynote speakers at Food Chemical News’ 2nd Annual Food Law & Regulation Conference, to be held in Chicago, Illinois on October 1-2, 2007.

This conference is the Midwest’s premier food safety event, offering food industry executives a rare opportunity to listen and meet with high-level officials from Washington, D.C. Other Keynote speakers include, David Acheson, FDA’s newly appointed Assistant Commissioner for Food Protection; and Richard Raymond, USDA’s Under Secretary of Food Safety.

In 2007, major food safety-related recalls and controversies have continued unabated: a single recall of nearly six million pounds of ground beef due to possible E. coli contamination; the discovery of melamine-tainted animal feed and pet food products; a Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut butter, which caused a massive nationwide recall; and FDA’s recent decision to block imports of several species of Chinese farm-raised seafood until importers can prove they do not contain prohibited substances.

The impact of these events – and how the food industry can weather the storm while still maintaining healthy profits – will be discussed in detail at the conference which will feature presentations from a host of experts on a wide variety of subjects, including developments in food packaging regulations and nutritional labeling requirements; USDA’s risk-based inspection program; RFID and animal ID; and practical instruction on allergen control, preparing for food safety inspections, and much more.

For further information contact Holly Craven on +44 (0)20 7017 7500, email marketing@foodregulation.com or visit www.foodregulation.com/usfoodlaw


Note to Editors: Agra Informa Inc. (formerly FCN Publishing) produces a range of reports and conferences and has earned a worldwide reputation for independent, reliable and insightful reporting of news and data on the regulation of food and pesticides. ###