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Seattle Food Safety Conference

By Marler Clark

Few subjects draw more immediate attention or concern than the safety of the food we eat. Recent years have seen a plethora of food warnings and recalls, raising new questions about the quality and integrity of our existing system for assuring food safety. In addition to explaining how our present system works, this program is intended to generate discussion on how changing consumer preferences are affecting the development and distribution of food, examine whether Federal, state, and industry oversight roles are changing, and discuss how regulatory and judicial processes can be most efficiently balanced. Participants include national and local representatives of government, the food industry, consumer organizations, and scientists.

Join Seattle University, Marler Clark, and Stoel Rives in welcoming renowned food safety experts from across the globe at the Seattle food safety conference:  Who's Minding the Store?  The Current State of Food Safety and How it Can be Improved.

Who should attend:
• Food Industry Professionals
• Regulators and Policy Makers
• Consumer Advocates
• Plaintiff & Defense Attorneys
• Public Interest Representatives

SPACE IS LIMITED; REGISTER EARLY.

Conference Agenda

April 11, 2008
8:15 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.

Welcome & Introductory Remarks

Kellye Testy, Dean, Seattle University School of Law

Barbara Kowalcyk, Director of Food Safety, Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention

Richard Raymond, MD, Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA FSIS

9:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Defining the Problem
How concerns about food safety are viewed by physicians, disease experts, state regulators, and consumers.

Tom Billy, President, International Food Safety Consulting LLC

Sandra McCurdy PhD, Extension Food Safety Specialist, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho

Carlota Medus PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist, Acute Disease Investigation and Control Section, Minnesota Department of Health

William Keene, PhD, MPH, Senior Epidemiologist, Oregon Public Health Services, Acute and Communicable Disease Program

Richard Siegler MD, Professor Emeritus, University of Utah School of Medicine

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. How the Regulation of Food Safety Works
The roles and responsibilities as seen by Federal and State regulators, industry, and consumers

Mansour Samadpour PhD, CEO, IEH Laboratories

Christine Bruhn PhD, Director, Center for Consumer Research, University of California-Davis

David Goldman MD, MPH, Assistant Administrator, Office of Public Health Science, Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA

Bala Swaminathan PhD, Vice President, Technical and Business Development, IHRC Inc.

Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest

12:30 - 1:45 p.m. Lunch, Seattle University School of

Kellye Testy, Dean, Seattle University School of Law

Luncheon Speaker: Governor Christine Gregoire

1:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Zones of Responsibility
What are the responsibilities of growers/producers, sellers, government, and consumers in the food safety system?

John Munsell, President, Montana Quality Foods & Processing; Manager, Foundation for Accountability in Regulatory Enforcement

Craig Wilson, Assistant Vice President / GMM, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, Costco Wholesale

Scott Rickman, Associate General Counsel, Del Monte Foods

Andrew Benson PhD, Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska -Lincoln

Devon Zagory PhD, Senior Vice President, Food Safety & Quality Programs, NSF Davis Fresh

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Roles of the Civil and Criminal Justice System
Different perspectives on foodborne illness litigation

Neal Fortin JD, Director & Professor, Institute for Food Laws & Regulations, Michigan State University

Bradley Sullivan JD, Managing Attorney, Lombardo & Gilles LLP

Denis Stearns JD, Marler Clark LLP PS

Sarah Brew JD, Partner, Greene Espel PLLP

Alan Maxwell JD, Weinberg, Wheeler, Hudgins, Gunn & Dial LLC

5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Reception, Seattle University School of Law Court Level Gallery

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Introductory Remarks

Patricia Griffin MD, Chief, Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. How is Food Protected Overseas?
International perspectives on food safety

Liu Zhouhui, Deputy Director General of Certification and Accreditation Administration, People’s Republic of China

Jorgen Schlundt, Director, Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases; Acting Director, Department of Nutrition in Health and Development, World Health Organization

Canice Nolan PhD, First Counselor, Food Safety, Health, Consumer Affairs, Delegation of the European Commission, Washington DC

Chris Griffith PhD, Professor, Head Food Research and Consultancy Unit, University of Wales Institute-Cardiff

Deon Mahoney, Principal Microbiologist, Food Standards Australia New Zealand

10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Role of Media in Public Health and Food Safety
The contributions of media and science writers to food safety

Douglas Powell PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, Kansas State University; Scientific Director, International Food Safety Network

Andrew Martin, Reporter, New York Times

Stephen Hedges, Reporter, Chicago Tribune

Philip Brasher, Washington Correspondent, Des Moines Register

Jim Pervor, Editor-in-Chief, Perishable Pundit

12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Lunch and Closing Remarks

John Kobayashi, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Health

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on March 04, 2008 (boomark / email).