Nurturing a Culture of Food Safety: reCONNECT 2023 Sneak Peek

It's crucial to understand the importance of cultivating a culture of accountability and collaboration in the food safety space. By fostering open communication, setting clear standards, and involving all team members in safety initiatives, companies can ensure a collective commitment to quality and prioritize food safety across the organization.

At this year's 6^th annual Virtual reCONNECT, we're placing a spotlight on cultivating a culture of accountability and collaboration in the world of food safety. While the live reCONNECT event is over, you can still watch the on demand sessions and keynotes by registering for reCONNECT and checking your email for the access link and password.

Creating a Food Safety Culture from the Inside Out

To promote a culture of food safety in the industry, a company must begin within its own ranks. This year, reCONNECT kicked off with an inspiring journey into the heart of food safety culture with "Serving Up Trust: Transforming Food Industry Culture With Catalyst LLC." Catalyst founders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber of Catalyst LLC unveiled the secrets to driving a diverse and value-centric food safety leadership culture. Discover why the strength of a food safety program depends on its leaders in this exclusive keynote Q&A session.

On day two, John Zimmerman, VP, QA & Food Safety at First Watch, unveiled the essential elements of a robust food safety management system in his on-demand session: "Building Robust Food Safety Culture and Systems." Learn how accountability, consistent execution, training, proactive safety plans, and a dedicated culture combine to form a rock-solid foundation. Learn about the cornerstones of a strong food safety culture at these essential reCONNECT sessions.

Scaling Up Your Food Safety: Global Expansion and Enhanced Brands

International expansion can be an exciting time for food brands, but also brings with it a whole new set of challenges for meeting international industry regulations and establishing an international food safety culture. All of these complexities can lead to a daunting up-hill battle, but with a satisfying end result.

At reCONNECT, some of our on-demand sessions spoke to that complexity and offered some valuable insights into how to do it right. On day one IFT scientist, Sara Bratager, focused on this topic during the event "Global Food Systems & Building an International Foods Safety Brand." The session looked into strategies for enhancing food safety, expanding globally, and fostering transparent and intentional food safety brands through innovative traceability technology.

Also on day one, our audience learned about the fascinating journey of Whole Foods Market as they ventured into international markets, particularly the UK, in "Expanding Internationally: How Whole Foods Market Launched Recalls in Their UK Stores." Watch the on-demand event to learn about the unique challenges of international recalls and the pivotal role of software in ensuring food safety and compliance on a global scale.

Future of Food Safety: Reflections and Regulations

At reCONNECT, we also took a deep dive into the "Future of Food Safety." This was the focus of two compelling sessions that explored where the next phase of food safety will take us.

In "The State of Food Safety Today: How Far We’ve Come & What’s Next," industry experts Darin Detwiler and Bill Marler, both featured in the Nextflix Poisoned documentary, engaged the audience in a live Q&A discussion. The discussion explored the remarkable progress made in food safety over the past 30 years and provided insights into the challenges that lie ahead in our mission to provide safe and healthy food for all. You can still rewatch the recording of this live event, so register for reCONNECT so you don't miss the discussion.

The food industry is about to witness a monumental shift with the FDA's Food Traceability Final Rule, FSMA 204. To dive into the topic, Julie McGill and Angela Fields with the FDA explored their perspectives on how the industry is preparing for the rule with their session: "Fireside Chat on FSMA 204." Rewatch the event to discover what they're seeing, hearing, and how they're approaching traceability. 

Sneak Peek: Food Safety Sessions at Virtual reCONNECT 2023

While reCONNECT 2023 has ended, industry professionals can still access the essential insights and takeaways that will help them enhance their food safety efforts. As these highlighted sessions emphasized, technology alone is not enough; it must be combined with best practices and a commitment to excellence. So don't miss these discussions – register today to gain access to the recorded events and hear from a range of experts on how to grow professionally, enhance collaboration, and shape the future of food safety.