FHA2010

Food Safety Forum

Food Safety Forum
21 – 22 April 2010 | Singapore Expo, Foyer 1, Level 2, Conference Hall C


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Day 1 (21 April 2010)

10.00	Welcome and Opening remarks by Conference Chairman Stephen Davidson, International Food Safety Consultant, Trainer and Managing Director, Food Safety Management Solutions
10.05	Welcome Address by Kee Ai Nah, Director of Lifestyle Division, Industry Development Group, SPRING Singapore
10.15	Keynote Presentation: A Global Rethink on Food Safety Risk Management A number of significant food borne illness outbreaks have been well publicised in recent years, such as the Melamine contamination of dairy products in China in 2008 and the US Salmonella Peanut outbreak in 2009. These outbreaks alone resulted in serious public health issues and devastating economic losses for those companies and governments involved. This keynote session considers the impact of such global food borne illness outbreaks in the context of food safety risk management and explores some of the current issues and challenges facing today’s food service industry. Discussion centers on understanding business risk and ensuring effective management of food safety within a business context, through the implementation of a multi-pronged approach to food safety risk management. Traditional food safety auditing strategies are challenged and an alternative concept promises to invoke further discussion. This keynote session is based upon the speaker’s opinions and personal experience, garnered from three decades as a regulator, consultant, trainer and international food safety auditor. Stephen Davidson, International Food Safety Consultant, Trainer and Managing Director, Food Safety Management Solutions
Food Safety Standards & Regulations Ensuring the standards and quality are maintained by following rules and regulations are essential. How do we know if food safety standards are met? Hear regulators share their knowledge on current issues and what needs to be done to ensure standards and qualities are maintained.
10.45	Opportunities and challenges facing food exporters The U.S. Congress is currently debating new food safety requirements for both U.S. and foreign manufacturers supplying food and beverages to the U.S. marketplace. If the sweeping changes are voted into law (as expected in early 2010), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be armed with significant new powers. This seminar will focus on the legislation and how it will likely impact foreign food manufacturers currently exporting, or planning to export, to the U.S.A. David Lennarz, Vice President, Registrar Corp
11.15	Ensuring Food Safety in Singapore Risk analysis of a potential hazard associated with the food safety problem identified comprises risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. Risk Assessment of the potential hazard involves assessment of data obtained from AVA's food surveillance programmes and Singapore's food consumption studies, as well as comparison of the assessment results with the acceptable daily intake (ADI) values established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). The risk management tools used by AVA are embodied in our food safety control programmes, namely, formulation and administration of food legislation, control of imported food and locally manufactured food, inspection and enforcement. To complete the risk analysis process, AVA conducts risk communication by engaging food traders and consumers through various information sharing platforms. In addition, AVA actively inculcates food safety awareness among consumers through publication of food safety information in the media and its other public education programmes. Food safety is a shared responsibility among the food authority, manufacturers, importers, retailers and consumers. AVA looks forward to the continued support by all parties concerned in ensuring foods safety in Singapore. *Lim Lee San , Head, Food Legislation Branch,* Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority**
11.45	Panel discussion A proactive approach to complying with government agencies Moderator: *David Lennarz, Vice President ,* Register Corp Panellists: Stephen Davidson,** International Food Safety Consultant, Trainer and Managing Director, Food Safety Management Solutions Lawrence Low, Principal Consultant, Gourmet Food Safety Consultancy Chu Sin-I, Deputy Director, Site Assessment & Licensing Division, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority Yohei Matsunobu, President, Global Network Associates Inc
12.30	Lunch
Production & Getting to the Market There is a direct correlation between cold chain management practices and what is delivered to the customer. Getting this process perfect is important. With the rash of recent food contamination and product recalls there is an urgent need to zoom into such issues. The safety, quality and security of the entire supply chain process are now under the radar
13.45	Food Safety and Security in Fresh Produce Chains Impacts of global recession coupled by the effects of climate change and economic inclination to manufacturing, plus the growing of food for bio-fuels has highlighted nagging issues long ignored, safe and secure food sources and effective food chains. The challenges faced by many producers include: weather conditions (draught, flood, dust/hail/tropical storms), tectonic movement, disease and the lack of priority by organisations on food supply conditions. Many tout the use of “technologies” as “solutions” while ignoring necessary corrective actions to be put into practice. At the same time we see wholesale and retail groups avoid cost issues relating to Fresh Food Producers & Growers’ efforts to make fresh food safe and secure whilst pushing for increases in their margins. Whilst raising quality and safety increase costs of ensuring safe and secure food supplies on one hand, some costs may be avoided by proper management. *Dr. Rodney Wee, CEO,* Asia Cold Chain Center**
14.15	Prevention of contamination during production Food safety issues due to contamination of food products during production processes has emerged as a global concern because of its effect on financial losses to the food manufacturers as well as the food industry as a results from product recalls and trade barriers. Contamination of food products will also have its economic impact when consumers’ health and safety are affected. Therefore prevention of contamination during production is one of the major areas to ensure food safety and quality. An all encompassing approaches which include detailed risk assessment, proper implementation of good manufacturing practices, well monitored cleaning and sanitizing operations as well as systematic adoption of HACCP will help to prevent contamination of food ingredients and final pre-cuts during the whole production process. Richard Khaw, Honorary Secretary, Singapore Institute of Food Science & Technology
14.45	Best practices by a top supermarket chain Assuring that food safety and quality has always been at the top of the mind for supermarket retailers, like NTUC Fairprice. it is important for retailers to realize that long term food safety improvement demands systemic change across the company as it not only change the way we do things , it should change our belief system to change culture. An effective food safety management system must recognize the inter-linked nature of food production to sales of food at the stores. It requires assessment and monitoring of risks to consumer health associated with materials, production practices and food handling methods or activities; it requires regulatory compliance to manage the risks; and it requires the establishment and operation of control systems to monitor and enforce the procedures for critical processes and at stores. It requires supermarket retailers to understand the shelf life of food products, thereby providing quality products to the consumers. Today, with so many potential dangers to food safety at every point from producer to consumer, the need for comprehensive control is important; hence supermarket retailers like us must implement a comprehensive approach to make a difference in food safety today while continue to plan for improvement toward shaping for tomorrow. Chong Nyet Chin, Director, Food Safety & Quality, NTUC Fairprice
15.15	*Tea Break*
15.45	Quality assurance of dairy products In many countries, chemicals in food are controlled through broad risk management structures operating at various levels of government and the food supply chain. When contamination events occur, such as when controls fail, the response should be commensurate with the risk presented. Risk analysis provides a structured framework applicable to a broad range of circumstances and can lead to effective response strategies. This presentation describes how Australia uses a national food incident response protocol and the risk analysis framework in responding to chemical contamination events. The international incident of the detection of melamine in dairy-based foods will be used as a case study. Edward Jansson, Director, Science & Technical, NSW Food Authority
16.15	The dynamics of supplier management High profile media exposure of food safety scandals has made consumers more sensitive to food industry claims and standards. Manufacturers need trusted suppliers who can substantiate statements of quality and safety with high quality standards that are applied to every aspect of day to day operations. A partnering supplier clearly needs to address these concerns head on, through giving a clear structure behind claims of high standards which need be visible at every level of the business. Food manufacturers look next to quality and safety for ways to ensure their product offering stands out and satisfies consumers requirements. Therefore a supplier needs to speak the language of the consumer by offering a wide spread portfolio backed up by science. Offering appealing solutions that work, DSM helps food manufactures to get to market faster. With the Health benefits solutions portfolio, DSM responds to the most important trends which are not only commercial but also societal. This builds and protects the brand reputation food manufactures and helps them take products confidently to market. Veronita Rusli, Manager, Science & Communications Strategy,DSM Nutritional Products.
16.45	Panel Discussion Maintaining product quality at all stages in the supply chain Moderator: Dr. Rodney Wee, CEO, Asia Cold Chain Center Panellists: Edward Jansson , Diretor, Science & Technical, NSW Food Authority Chong Nyet Chin, Director, Food Safety & Quality, NTUC Fairprice
17.30	Closing remarks and end of Day 1 of food safety forum

Thursday, 22 April 2010

10.00	Welcome and Opening remarks by Conference Chairman Clifford Seow, Regional Director, CrisisAsia Pte Ltd
Certification Why the need for certification? How does it affect the organization to be accredited? What constitutes a “good” certification? How would your customers know your certification makes a difference to them? Learn how to fulfill a regulatory requirement and improve your profit margin at the same time.
10.05	Certification and its benefits This presentation will highlight the benefits of certification. Certification will: Provides added assurance that the food safety management system is properly maintained and effective since external assessment is independent Demonstrates commitment to produce safe food Improves company / brand image - very beneficial when you are planning to expand your business on a global scale and a definite advantage if you are being evaluated as a potential supplier Improves reliability and maintains the discipline of the system. This will lead to improved overall performance and efficiency. A likely outcome will be cost savings so that staff will be more motivated and committed. Christine Woo, Management Systems Assessor, Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance Limited
10.35	The need and relevance of ISO22000 certification Awareness & implementation of ISO 22000 FSMS has been increasing popular in Asia region food industries. With reference to the different technique of implementing, the implementer could take reference to ISO 22004 food safety technical guideline, which more formalize implementation is needed. The different food type industries do give rise to challenges, where it’s critically important to implement the system with the correct selected Codex CAC/RCP standard. For instant catering industries shall be implementing CAC/RCP 39. In the review, the participant will be shared with the insight of the more popular food industries, Food Catering, Sauce, Beverage & Seafood & Cold chain processes *Lawrence Low, Principal Consultant,* Gourmet Food Safety Consultancy**
11.05	How does certification have an impact on your reputation & bottom line? Every food business knows that the most serious impact to their brand reputation would be a major food safety incident involving their products or services. Effective management and control of people and processes is the only way to prevent brand damaging incidents and food industry managers will have a range of techniques to monitor and manage their business. Food Safety Assurance Certification is sometimes seen simply as a pre-requisite to export food products, but the assurance techniques contained within the certification are also a very effective management tool that can help food industry managers to maintain control over the operation in an efficient and effective way. This presentation will highlight how HACCP techniques can be used as an effective management tool to gain maximum benefit from certification. Peter Bracher, Managing Director, NSF-CMi Asia Pacific
11.35	Panel discussion Certification – an effective tool in marketing? Is getting your customers to know of your certification as important as the certification itself? Incorporating certification into your marketing communications plan Moderator: Lawrence Low, Principal Consultant, Gourmet Food Safety Consultancy Panellists: Peter Bracher, Managing Director, NDF-CM1 Asia Pacific Christine Woo, Management Systems Assessor, Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Limited Anderson Tan, Managing Director, XpRienz Pte Ltd
12.15	Lunch
Preparation and Serving to the Customer Getting it right for the customer is the end and the most crucial part of the entire supply chain process. The public has to be educated on the proper handling of temperature sensitive products. Prevention and care has to be taken to ensure a customer is satisfied.
13.30	Defining Standards Through Training With a continuous increase in consumer demand for safe food, numerous food safety standards have been developed. These national standards generally recognize key elements to ensure food safety from plantation to plate and it include interactive communication, system management, control of food safety hazards through pre-requisite programmes and HACCP plans, and continual improvement and updating of the management system. With the implementation of these standards, any skills gaps identified should be narrow down with the use of training as a mean of filling them. The need of training for staffs is of great importance as it ensures that the staffs acquire the necessary and appropriate skills and knowledge to manage new circumstances. Increasing the skills levels in the business are beneficial to all concern. There are the benefits of personal and professional development for the staffs being trained and this will boost their morale which also leads to increase in the standard and efficiency of their work. As for the business, all these help to increase the business productivity, meeting and improving quality standards and customers’ satisfaction and confidence over time. *Anderson Tan, Managing Director, XpRienz Pte Ltd*
14.00	Food Bacteria’s Nature’s Prevention Yeow How Mong, Managing Director, Humico Pte Ltd
14.30	The Need for Developing Food Safety Criteria & Objectives Rules and regulations that have to be maintained Performance management Benefits in the long run John Sloane, Continental Director, Asia, World Association of Cooks Societies Board
15:00	Tea Break
Risk & Crisis Management Responding rapidly and effectively is important during a crisis. What to do next and how to manage the crisis are key issues that need immediate attention. How to deal with the media and get the right information across to the consumer? All these and more will be discussed in the following presentations.
15.30	What happens when a crisis occurs? How to make it right? We must be aware that food safety and security are becoming more and more susceptible to the progress of globalization and a challenge to predict and manage. How can we know we are in crisis when crisis really is occurring? Responding rapidly is important in the initial stage. What are the elements which prevent us from reacting properly? We must put the systems which enable food business and governments proactively to cooperate for preparation such as in early detection and prevention. Needless to say, joint efforts as the next step are critical for rectifying the crisis especially in mitigating the disaster. Delay in disclosure of information in the company and to the public especially to consumers easily creates distrust and chaos leading to most dreadful results. Failure in dealing with media will undoubtedly create the most serious damages to business. Some case studies will be shared in this session. Yohei Matsunobu, President, Global Network Associates Inc
16.00	The importance of traceability Product recall is a necessary component of the overall product assurance framework for food manufacturers and brand owners of food products. A Product Recall programme complements measures like HACCP and GMP and provides a life cycle approach to product Quality assurance. This session starts with a brief look at product recall making news across the world and how organizations deal with a food recall. It follows with a discussion on the need for product recall from both the brand and regulatory perspectives. It highlights key issues that both the brand owner and regulator have to deal with in delivering and monitoring food safety. The case study highlight sample product recall regulations available in the market today. The session includes a discussion on the various dimensions of a product recall. It highlights key imperatives that would be of concern across each of these dimensions. It also provides a 3 stage approach to managing product recalls. This includes a short clip of a live product recall deliberation. Finally, the session ends with a discussion on the need for a product recall exercise to validate the product recall plan. This includes the types of product recalls and infrastructure required to manage a product recall. *Clifford Seow, Regional Director, CrisisAsia Pte Ltd*
16.30	Panel Discussion Balancing the costs of preventive measures and reactive actions How much prevention is adequate? What is tolerable risk? Is your organization ready to react? How much financial and manpower resources are required? Moderator: Chong Kok-Yoong, Vice President (Food and Pharmaceutical Industries), Strategic Business Development,TUV SUD PSB Pte Ltd Panellists: Yohei Matsunobu, President, Global Network Associates Inc Clifford Seow, Regional Director, CrisisAsia Pte Ltd
17:15	Close of Food Safety Forum

*Programme is subject to change at the organiser’s discretion.

Whether you’re a producer or manufacturer of food, transporting or storing perishables/non-perishables, or a customer-facing establishment serving/selling food, the key issues discussed here are critical for you:

    * Food Safety Regulations
    * Production & Getting to the Market
    * Certification
    * Preparation & Serving to the Customer

If you have an interest to speak at this conference, please e-mail Theni at tk@sesallworld.com, along with your proposed topic and professional bio for consideration as a potential speaker.