Managing food safety

Changes to the way governments and businesses operate have particular significance for food businesses and their management of food safety. To help you to navigate the food safety path, the 19th Australian HACCP Conference will deliver the expertise of 20 leading professionals and exponents of food safety from Australia, New Zealand and the USA. Conference attendees will learn about important legal and technical updates, new technology applications, risk implications from corporate change plus take a glimpse into the future for the Australian food industry.

• What: 19th Australian HACCP Conference
• When: 3-5 September 2012
• Where: Rosehill Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia
• Registration and more information: www.haccptown.com.au/Australia/html/conference.htm

The Australian HACCP Conference is the premier discussion forum for all Australian food industry professionals involved in food safety. Each year the conference attracts a loyal following together with a growing number of delegates involved in the development, implementation and maintenance of food safety programs. It is the largest dedicated food safety conference in the Asia-Pacific.

This year’s comprehensive program kicks off with essential preconference workshops focusing on food safety audits and food recall planning.

Conference topics

Brand protection through food safety

This conversation session will discuss issues that food safety presents for corporate branding, in particular: why food safety is so important to consumer perceptions and brand image, the implications of safety breaches and how food safety is managed across the organisation.

Career paths in food safety management

What are the key elements of a successful career in food safety management? This session will examine the pathway to professional status in the food safety arena.

Corporate management versus risk management

Significant changes within the food industry have occurred over the past 10 years relating to organisational structures, responsibility and, as takeovers have occurred, the globalisation of the food trade. Learn from two industry professionals about moving from local to global food safety management and managing a food business through corporate change.

Food production chain Q&As

At seemingly polar ends of the food chain conversation are the complex areas of preservatives and organics. As the messages about health and food increase, this session seeks to look objectively at both sides of the coin for each of these topics.

Foodborne outbreaks in produce - lessons learnt

During the past 18 months there have been two unprecedented foodborne outbreaks in the produce industry - one in sprouts in Europe and one in melons in the USA. Both led to a large number of deaths and have gone down in history as the worst foodborne outbreaks in those regions. This two-part session will examine the contributing causes to outbreaks and how the risks can be reduced to prevent outbreaks in the future.

Issues and advances in food control technology

All food manufacturing and food service businesses face changes in technology and in thinking how to manage GMPs on a daily basis. These case studies will explore advances in technology to manage issues such as breakdown in production floor surfaces and advances in cleaning technology.

Legislation and technical updates

Processes have been recently put into place to allow for changes to the Australian and New Zealand labelling laws under the Food Standards Code as well as in the way the food import inspection program is managed. Further to this, there has been ongoing research into food allergens leading to changes in threshold values as per the VITAL tool. These sessions will provide updates on these areas.

The future of the Australian food industry

What does the future hold for all the key players in the Australian food industry? Here we will examine the issues of food supply and the global food supply chain.

Associated master classes

Product recall planning

In this hands-on workshop you will get to explore many of the practical issues that companies face in a product recall situation. Based on a fictitious but realistic scenario involving a food company, you will participate in:

• investigating and assessing the risk
• weighing the options and deciding what action needs to be taken
• communicating with various stakeholders - from internal management to retailers, regulators, consumers and the media
• implementing the recall
• planning the ‘back to market’ campaign

Participants will learn how to improve their product recall plans, maximise the effectiveness of their training programs and reduce their risk exposure.

Understanding the full food safety audit process

Learn about all the key elements of a food safety audit, how they connect and what plans your organisation can implement to ensure audit success. This workshop will explore:

• client preparation for the audit process
• key elements of a food safety audit
• what to expect from your auditor (or deliver if you are an auditor)
• how to achieve a positive audit result

Visit the conference website to register to attend and to see the entire program.