Programme 2022

14-15 June 2022, Milan, Central European Time

07:45 - 08:35

Networking & 1-2-1 Meetings

08:35 - 08:45

Chair's Opening Remarks

Rachid Hassairi, Global Senior Director Food Safety & Quality Management - Supply Chain and External Manufacturing, Kraft Heinz

Kraft Heinz’s vision is: Sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally! Rachid is accountable for External Manufacturing & Supply Chain and with a senior professional team distributed across the globe to mitigate Food Safety & Quality risks, lead various improvement initiatives, govern various global processes, manage change and trouble shoot where required cross functionally and creates real long-lasting partnership wherever he goes.

As some of you may already know, Rachid is very skilled at making events he chairs interactive while working closely with the audience to stimulate conversation and enhance learnings.
We look forward to having Rachid back with us. Get ready for some exciting conference days!

08:45 - 09:30 - Panel Discussion

Leadership

Improving the Working Relationship between Food Safety & Quality and Innovation Teams to Launch Products Effectively

Rachid Hassairi, Global Senior Director Food Safety & Quality Management - Supply Chain and External Manufacturing, Kraft Heinz

Johan Sanders, Chief Product Officer, Dawn Foods Global

Paul van der Aar, Senior Global Lead Licenses & Quality Global Production, Heineken

Rani Saab, Head of Beyond the Core Zone EMENA , Nestlé

  • What are the challenges for food innovators from a safety & quality perspective and vice-versa?
  • How can communication and cooperation between departments be improved?
  • How can food safety/quality and innovation/NPD teams collaborate more effectively to decrease the concept to market time?
  • How can you unlock new ways to deliver disruptive innovation while remaining within regulatory standards?

09:35 - 10:05 - Case Studies

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Creating a Customer-Centric Culture of Quality

Luiz Guedes, Global Director, Head of Quality Assurance , Chr. Hansen

Economic uncertainty, digital transformation, and political tensions disrupt business processes and threaten quality cultures. To navigate these disruptions, companies need a strong culture of quality. In addition, customer satisfaction is recognized as a key to delivering growth. So the journey from product-centric to a customer-centric culture of quality is an important step to enhance the customer experience.

Microbiology

Establishing Global Standards that are Easy to Follow Across Countries and Regions

Bizhan Pourkomailian, Global Director Corporation Restaurant & Distribution Food Safety, McDonald's

Efficient management of standards across any company, will inevitably lead to continuous improvement.  Success has always been realised when standards are simple, practical and in harmony across markets, cultures, and languages.  The difficult but not impossible task of finding the common ground is the role of the centre.  The collaboration between the global and local departments will always improve and lead to the successful identification, acceptance and implementation of standards.

10:10 - 10:40 - Solution Spotlights

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

Unified QMS: Towards Predictive Quality

Geert Van Kempen, Head of Food & Beverage Strategy, Veeva Systems

Leading Food & Beverage companies are modernizing Food Safety & Quality with solutions that allow them to evolve their approach from reactive, to preventative and ultimately a predictive approach. This presentation will review some of the enablers for such a vision. We will address unifying assurance & control to have end to end visibility on Quality information. Secondly, we'll discuss creating a single source of truth when it comes to master data, such as material specifications, material transactions and suppliers. We will illustrate how such a roadmap to predictive Quality can be implemented using some real life examples.
 
Our top 3 reasons why you should join this session:

1. Learn how cloud-based solutions can unify Quality Assurance and Quality Control

2. How modern QMS can unify data from PLM and ERP systems

3. How a unified approach to Quality data enables predictive Quality

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Food Systems Shocks & Impacts – The Ever-Changing Risk Landscape to Deliver Safe Food

Kimberly Carey Coffin, Global Supply Chain Assurance Technical Director – Food, LRQA

As an industry we have been resilient in demonstrating the ability to pivot in the name of food safety, but continue to face unprecedented levels of challenge in supply and consumer driven demands for change which add new and inter-connected layers of risk that must be understood, monitored and measured to deliver safe food. 

The ‘dynamic’ risk landscape that technical teams must navigate – challenging organisational structures and resources

The food safety fundamentals ‘essential’ in times of new threats to supply and rapid change in operating models – where and what needs your focus

The future model for supply chain assurance –  applying a new lens to supplier risk and approval processes

10:40 - 11:30

Networking Break & 1-2-1 Meetings

11:30 - 12:00 - Keynote

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Regulatory of the Future: How to Marry Day-to-Day Compliance with Long-Term Advocacy Strategy? What Functional & Leadership Skills are the Best Set for 2022?

Jacek Czarnecki, Head of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, Nestle Polska

Food processing company Regulatory Affairs  (RA) function, in a traditional approach, focused on the compliance of recipes and labels with applicable regulations, particularly in terms of food safety and not misleading consumers. Usually, external contacts were limited to interventions in the case of official controls and occasional participation in technical committees of trade associations.

After 2000, the nutritional aspect of food law has increased, and in recent years, the regulations have included topics related to sustainable development, specific to the food sector. The accelerated pace of innovation processes as well as intensive work on new regulations impose the necessity of greater involvement of the RA function in the innovation processes. It is also necessary to have a greater impact on the new rules, therefore it is becoming more and more important to build substantive relations in the world of science and among opinion leaders.

In-depth knowledge of new subjects is a must as usual. In addition, to meet new challenges, it is necessary to build teams based on additional skills and competences that have not always been promoted among RA experts and managers, e.g. independence in action, creativity and negotiation skills, and these are the features that will contribute to the company's success and the individual development of experts.

12:05 - 12:35 - Solution Spotlights

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

The Digitalization of the Supply Chain: A Key Ingredient to Ensure Sustainability, Quality and Food Safety

Andrea Anfuso, Information Solution Sales Executive, Rockwell Automation

Tastes are changing, and consumers are now looking for more sustainable products - particularly in the food industry. Can you provide your customers with end-to-end traceability information? How can you demonstrate reductions in waste and consumption? Do you help your workers to follow standard operating procedures? Digitalization is a strategic necessity for any manufacturing company wanting to ensure quality throughout the supply chain.

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

HEIST™: Setting a new standard in Integrity Testing and Holding Time Verification

Paul Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer , Unison Process Solutions

Unison’s HEIST™ system is the world’s first fully automatic integrity self testing system for plate heat exchangers. This patented, innovative and cost-effective system is putting control of integrity testing in manufacturers hands together with preventing contamination, ensuring product quality, improving productivity and reducing downtime and costs.

The current industry standard for testing PHEs is only 1-4 times a year leaving PHEs vulnerable to cracks and other defects, in between tests, which can cause severe product contamination. Until now, plate failure and other defects were difficult to diagnose without dismantling the equipment — resulting in costly downtime. This time-consuming process also risked significant loss of production and product, along with potential equipment damage. Restrictions in accessing process equipment and the cost of each integrity test makes it unfeasible for companies to carry out tests more often.

To ensure product quality and prevent contamination, testing should occur much more frequently. With HEIST™ testing is daily.

The integrated system automatically tests pasteurizers and plate heat exchangers (PHEs) DAILY for cracks or other defects with minimum downtime and maximum accuracy.

HEIST™ also has the capability to carry out an automatic holding time test on the PHE at the start and finish of production.

12:40 - 13:10 - Case Studies

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

EAO Certification Could Help and Support the Security of the Logistics Flux

Virginie Rivas, Global Director Regulation , Food Safety and Customs  , Groupe Bel

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Regulations, Industry Standards, New Allergen Laws, Food Defence

Gideon Ashworth, Head of Food Defence and Regulatory Affairs , Bart Ingredients

13:10 - 14:10

Networking Lunch

Lunch & Learn Round Tables

Roundtable by Biometic
Food Safety Improvements and Process Optimizations through Unique In-line 3D X-Ray Inspection Solution

  • What distinguishes BIOMETiC Mito – the unique 3D X-Ray Food Inspection Solution, from conventional 2D Inspection Systems
  • How does Mito help you overcome Food Safety & Quality Challenges
    • Improved Glass-in-Glass Detection
    • Smart and Automatic Food Inspection – CT and AI Technologies applied to Food Products Inspection (e.g., baked, sweets, and confectionery products)
    • Concrete Optimization Results achieved among Different Customers in Terms of Numbers (%) and Detectable Foreign Material Dimensions
  • What Further Benefits and Services can you expect:
      • 24/7 Customer Support
      • Low Maintenance Costs of the BIOMETiC Solutions
      • Traceability and IT Integration with Customers’ ERP

Hosts:
Marco Facchin, Sales account Manager, Biometic
Andrea Quattrone, Sales Account Manager, Biometic





Roundtable by Infor
Hungry for Innovation
Host:

Philippe Michel, Director Solution Consulting, Infor
Franco Perusi, Solution Consulting, Infor

With the pandemic and now the war in eastern Europe, food companies are facing difficulties to get some ingredients. This is forcing them to adjust recipes and formulas with various impacts.

What is your situation today ? How complex are the problems you have to deal with regarding product development ? What are your initiative(s) to adapt to these changes?

how do your applications help you to manage this quickly and safely ? Please, Join us to discuss these topics, share ideas and more!

14:10 - 14:40 - Keynote

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Creating a Culture of Sanitation and Hygienic Design

Dr Jim Hartley, Global Sanitation Director , Mondelēz International

Sanitation-related topics are some of the top issues found within audits and government inspections across the food industry, and the driver of product recalls and bad publicity.  While these are sometimes caused by simple errors, they can often be symptoms of a deeper root cause driven by distracted leadership and a culture that doesn’t prioritise food safety.  By leveraging the benefits of good sanitation and hygienic design, and demonstrating the value of strong food safety foundations, it is possible to create the culture you and your consumers want.

14:45 - 15:15 - Solution Spotlights

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

How to Optimise the Use of Data and AI to Minimise Supply Chain Disruption

Paolo Bersighelli, BDM - Food & Packaging Retail Supply Chain, BSI

Digitalization is already having a transformative effect on supply chains across all sectors, improving efficiency and transparency, reducing cost, and boosting sustainability while creating conditions for more resilient business practices. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a correct use of data clearly enhanced our abilities to levels that we never thought making possible. We will see how digitalization will allow organizations in the supply chain to act dynamically where safety concerns arise, providing the ability to target their response accurately, thus minimising legal and reputational risks and costs involved.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Bacteriophage-Based Enrichment Coupled to Chemiluminescence Reaction Allows Rapid and Accurate Detection of Listeria Monocytogenes Salmonella spp.

Dr. Redouan Mahou, Senior Product Manager, NEMIS Technologies AG

Environmental monitoring is crucial as an early warning system for foodborne pathogen contamination in food production facilities. However, current methods are time consuming, require laboratory infrastructures, and should be conducted by qualified operators only. To overcome these limitations, NEMIS has developed a rapid and intuitive test, named N-LightTM, to detect Listeria monocytogenes or Salmonella spp. on-site within 24 hours. The method involves selective enrichment in a bacteriophage-based media followed by the addition of a chemiluminescent probe, AquaSparkTM, which reacts with target enzymes to generate light.

15:20 - 15:50 - Case Studies

Leadership

Overview of the FOP Schemes at Global Level. Where we are and Possible Implications on Trade

Michele Gherardini, Group Regulatory and External Affairs Senior Manager , Perfetti Van Melle

This work is aimed at providing an overview of the current status of the development of FOP schemes globally and relative discussions about their implementation in some markets. Furthermore, the goal of the presentation is to also highlight possible complications and barriers to trade raising by the mandatory application of the different schemes in markets belonging to the same geographic region.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

How to Manage Food Allergens to be in Line with Consumer Needs and Legal Requirements

Guenther Augustin, Director of Corporate Quality Assurance , Dr. Schaer

  • Legal allergen thresholds
  • Clear allergen labelling
  • Challenges to solve

15:50 - 16:40

Networking Break & 1-2-1 Meetings

16:40 - 17:10 - Case Studies

Safety, Quality & Compliance

The Importance of Supplier and Product Risk Assessment in Food Safety Assurance

Tanja Dinic, Director of the Internal Audit of Food Safety, Fortenova Group d.d.

Internal Audit for Food Safety has been established as an independent control within the Fortenova Group. Auditing of quality assurance, production processes and other identified risks in Operative Companies is performed based upon principles of Internal Audit. The overall mission of Internal Audit is to enhance and protect organisational value by providing risk-based and objective assurance, advice, and insight.  

The presentation focuses on the importance of supplier risk assessments and supplier audits, and present the methodology we use in our Group. Supplier risk assessment is beneficial for both the organisation and their business partners. Communication of clear expectations, improvement in supplier quality and elimination of unnecessary costs are three of the most important reasons and benefits of conducting a supplier risk assessment. Regardless of the business size or scope, the key to success is identifying and mitigating risks before threats reach crisis level, which is why the supplier and a product risk assessment is vital for selecting and managing suppliers. In particular, manufacturing companies must have a model to determine and evaluate suppliers to gain the most value.

 An organisation can also examine the quality of a particular supplier and the risk it presents to the organisation through supplier audits. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Quality Control experts were forced to perform remote audits and use them effectively to ensure reliable results. By using electronic methods and appropriate checklists, Quality Control units gathered evidence to assess the supplier properly and objectively. Above all, ensuring Food safety is our priority.

In conclusion, by establishing proper auditing, an organisation can significantly reduce risks, improve processes and create excellent value for their products and services.

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Environmental monitoring program design and implementation across an Enterprise

Johanna Ramirez, Director - Microbiology & Food Safety , The Coca-Cola Company

Environmental monitoring programs originated with the focus of preventing pathogens to get into ready-to-eat meals. As the benefits of an environmental monitoring program have been realized, the food and beverage industry has been on a journey to understanding microbial risks beyond food safety and mitigate food spoilage. How to design EMP in enterprises with a very diverse portfolio is always the balance and challenge within our industry, particularly when your products range from soft cheese, yogurts, juices, water, and carbonated soft drinks. A segmented and targeted focus across each platform is needed when implementing an environmental program across a supply chain that includes over 20 different processes platforms and the scope is more than 900 factories. In the regulatory arena, management of microbial risk is the responsibility of the food and beverage manufacturer, increasing the emphasis on robust Environmental monitoring programs. However, very limited references and procedures are available describing how to approach risk assessment and execution of a program across multiple processing platforms, in this session we will share how we approach this problem, insights into our programs, and lessons learnt through this journey.

18:00 - 18:05

Chair's Closing Remarks & End of Day 1

18:05 - 19:00

Evening Networking Reception

08:00 - 08:40

Networking & 1-2-1 Meetings

08:45 - 09:30 - Panel Discussion

Exploring the Food Industry's Biggest Challenges: Covid19, Global Conflicts, and Supply Chain Crises and what More to Come

Matteo Gori, Global Marketing Director, Barilla Group

Kiran Sanchit, Managing Director, Head of Food, Beverage & Agribusiness EMEA, ING Bank

Roy Kirby, Co-chair of the Global Food Safety Initiative, Fmr. Mondelez , GFSI

Senay Avcu, Quality and Food Safety Director, Europe & Asia, Bunge

  • The food industry has faced an unprecedented last 18 months due to Covid-19 but what are the key learnings to be taken away from such a tumultuous time?
  • How can we plan and respond to challenges such as global conflicts, worker shortages, busy ports, blocked shipping routes and trucking issues
  • What does the food industry need to do to ensure a smooth 2022 and beyond

09:35 - 10:05 - Case Studies

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Chasing Zero - Fit for Purpose Regulations and Consumer Trust

Kath Dunbar, Global Director Science and Regulatory Affairs, Ab-InBev

  • Delivering on Quality and Food Safety have long been priorities for responsible industry players, this session will provide some reflection upon the meaning of Zero in various contexts
  • Regulatory criteria are often based on limit of detection, as science and analytical equipment evolve how do manufacturers manage shifting goalposts and how well defined are the methods of analysis
  • NGOs and the media typically have no regard for regulatory thresholds if detecting 'undesirable' constituents in your products, how to address this together
  • What does zero mean in the context of claims?

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Alternative Proteins: Regulatory Challenges, Opportunities, and New Developments

Celia Martin, Global Regulatory Affairs Director , Lallemand

  • Regulatory approvals and hurdles for new proteins to access the market
  • Current and future developments (cultured meat, insect farming, microbial biomass) .
  • Sustainability aspects compared to plant-proteins

10:10 - 10:40 - Solution Spotlights

Microbiology

Rapid MALDI-TOF MS Solution for the Identification of Foodborne Bacterial Pathogens and Waterborne Microbes

Olaf Degen, Global Business Development Manager F&Ag, Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co KG

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reported in the “foodborne outbreaks report 2020” that the highest numbers are caused by Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Recent news in 2022 included a multi-country Salmonella outbreak linked to chocolate products plus showed that Salmonella and Campylobacter continue to show high levels of antibiotic resistance.

In fact, the highest number of deaths related to food are linked to Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella.

For drinking water the European Center for Disease and Prevention control (ECDC) has published Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Investigation of Infections caused by Legionella species.

We all need more rapid, specific and reliable identification of microorganisms. We will take a closer look on MALDI-TOF MS - a smart solution.

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

Prevent Recalls with Data & AI - The Salmonella-in-Choco Case

Mihalis Papakonstantinou, Data Services Leader, Agroknow

Recent outbreaks, like the Salmonella in chocolate products, caused the recall of more than 180 different products, distributed in over 110 countries. They are more frequent in the last years and they are reducing the confidence of the consumers for our food supply chain.

We will take a closer look at that case to prove the importance of data & AI to support the critical decisions for ingredients, suppliers, facilities and preventive measures. How can a manufacturer, producer or retailer use such techniques to continuously monitor the risks of both finished products as well as of ingredients and raw materials?

10:40 - 11:30

Networking & 1-2-1 Meetings

11:30 - 12:00 - Case Studies

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Food Safety Evaluations and the Difference Between EU, US and China

Tania Porsgaard Bayer, Global Director Regulatory Affairs, Arla Foods Ingredients

Leadership

To Create a Company-Wide Food Safety and Quality Culture by Engaging Workforce

Paul van der Aar, Senior Global Lead Licenses & Quality Global Production, Heineken

  • Increased consumer demand for transparency (role of social media)
  • Food Safety guarantee is on top of the pyramid; Passion for Quality
  • Continuous improvements by Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
  • Progressively from product control via process control towards condition management
  • Compliance and practical training are fundamental to create the culture

12:05 - 12:35 - Keynote

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Towards Zero Incident with Digitalization

Senay Avcu, Quality and Food Safety Director, Europe & Asia, Bunge

  • Challenges in Managing Quality & Food Safety
  • Why is Digitalization Inevitable?
  • Bunge Operations Digital Transformation Strategy
  • Towards Zero Quality Incidents through Digitalization
  • Digital Challenges and Learnings

12:40 - 13:10 - Case Studies

Safety, Quality & Compliance

Chemometrics and Food Quality

Emanuele Pagoni, Group QHSE Director , Fileni

  • What is Chemometrics
  • How I can use chemometrics in food quality
  • Case History

13:10 - 14:10

Networking Lunch

14:10 - 14:40 - Solution Spotlights

Microbiology

Biofilms: A Recurrent Issue in the Food Industry

Benoit Duculot, Director of Innovation & Technology Center, Realco

Biofilms is a complex structure of microorganisms enclosed in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Several studies have demonstrated the presence of biofilms in different ecosystem such as food industry, for example in brewing, dairy processing, fresh produce, poultry processing and red meat processing. Biofilms are considered as a source of microbial contamination leading to food spoilage, shelf-life reduction, and are also considered as a potential way of pathogen transmission. It is estimated that 60% of food-borne infections occurred due to microbial transfer from equipment surfaces to processed foods.

Conventional sanitizing methods seems to be inefficient against biofilms and moreover increases resistance to antimicrobial products. Nevertheless, the limitation of CIP procedures still is the residual microorganisms on the equipment surfaces, resulting in biofilm formation. Biofilms have been reported as possessing resistance towards antimicrobials that are 100–1000 times more than equivalent populations of free-floating counterparts. The CIP regime provided significant variation in reducing the viable cell numbers. The increased biofilm resistance to conventional treatments enhances the need to develop new control strategies. 

New strategies have been proposed to eliminate biofilms by using enzymes, phages or bioregulation. The use of enzyme-based detergents as biocleaners, also known as ‘‘green chemicals’’, can serve as a viable option to overcome biofilms in the food industry. Enzymes and detergents have been used as synergists to improve disinfectant efficacy. Formulations containing several different enzymes seem to be fundamental for a successful biofilm control strategy. This presentation will give an overview about the consequences of biofilms in food industries and some tools to detect their presence. Finally, some case studies will illustrate the power of enzyme strategies to eradicate biofilms in a food process.

14:45 - 15:15 - Keynote

Safety, Quality & Compliance

GS1 Digital Link the Standard for Visibility on Product Information

Andrea Ausili, Data & Innovation Manager, GS1 Italy

  • The importance of correct identification
  • The choice of using open standards
  • The bridge between physical products and online information

15:20 - 15:50 - Case Studies

Microbiology

Enhancing the Isolation Capability of Salmonella Isolates using ISO 6579-1: 2017 Reference Method in Combination with Dynabeads Anti-Salmonella

Mohammed B. Al-Angari, Section Head, Microbiology Lab, Saudi Food and Drug Authority

Salmonella isolation from poultry samples constitute a huge challenge due to the high background flora. This could cause the isolation process to be less accurate, time consuming, and more laborious, which eventually might lead to incorrect decisions made by the decision makers. This study aimed to perform immunomagnetic separation (IMS) technique using Dynabeads® anti-Salmonella after the pre-enrichment step to enhance the performance of the method, reduce the efforts, save the time, and reduce the cost. Fifty-seven samples of chicken (Caracas chicken, Shawarma and seasoned chicken) were collected from the local markets from different brands and were tested following two protocols; Protocol number one (Gold standard method) and Protocol number two (Enhanced method). The results of the two protocols showed total agreement in either the positive samples or the negative ones. Out of 57 samples, 32 samples were identified as positive for Slamonella using both protocols and 25 samples were identified as negative using both protocols as well. Protocol two had the advantage of being much clearer, faster and higher confidence in the detection and isolation of Salmonella. Samples with low background flora were not included in this study and thus further study may be required. Applying this method for samples with low background flora may reduce the testing steps by removing the selective enrichment step, however, this requires further validation studies.

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

Digitalization and Process Optimization for improved Quality Assurance Systems

Sagar Mahmood Khan, Head of Quality Assurance Compliance Centre , METRO AG

This session will provide an overview on recent developments of digitalization efforts related to food safety and the impacts of such efforts on enhancing accessibility to information and optimizing operation, whether from capacity building or food safety service or regulatory perspective. An overview on how Quality Assurance functions can be optimized with the digitalisations of the processes along the supply chain.

15:55 - 16:25 - Keynote

Manufacturing, Operations & Technology

Food Supply Chain: The Challenge of Guaranteeing Food Safety and Quality, During a Perfect- Long Lasting- Storm

Alessandro Ruggeri, Global Suppliers Quality Director, Barilla

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on people and communities.  Organizations have been facing significant disruptions and challenges that they need to quickly manage and respond to.

The food industry cannot stop and at the same time must not compromise production standards, worker safety and, of course, consumers protection.

Then, extreme climate events, borders restraints, reductions in workforce and fewer logistics options have been placing dramatic pressure on supply chains.

Sourcing and trading patterns are changing – and history shows us that whenever change on this scale occurs, it presents new risks, both from unintentional impacts and malevolent practice.

Let’s have a look together on what as Barilla we have learned and what we are doing, in order to be further prepared to face current and future challenges.

16:25 - 16:30

Chair's Closing Remarks & End of Summit