9:30 am – 10:00 am

10:00 am – 11:00 am

Why Food Safety Culture?
There are well-established food safety and quality protocols and processes within the convenience retail industry. That said, there is also a greater need for leadership to foster a top-down food safety culture that protects and sustains the future of the business.

Dr. Lone Jespersen, founder of Cultivate and food safety culture expert, will share exclusive insights on the NACS Convenience Store Food Safety Culture Maturity Model, the first and only global convenience retail industry specific model that advances food safety culture by initially focusing on the leadership level.

11:00 am – 11:10 am

Break

11:10 am – 12:10 pm

W​hat the Pandemic Taught Us About Safe Food Handling
From recalls to managing the food supply, to the role of regulators and in-store food safety training, the global SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the food safety system. Dr. Ben Chapman, a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University, will discuss what the industry has learned since March 2020 and how we can best prepare for the future.

Dr. Chapman is also the project chair of FoodCoVNET, which provides science-based strategies and practices to reduce the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19 on the food sector. He’ll share ongoing research on virus persistence, inactivation and transfer.

12:10 pm – 12:45 pm

Lunch

12:45 pm – 1:00 pm

EcoSure and Retailer Q&A
Lisa R. Robinson, vice president of global food safety and public health at Ecolab Inc., will be joined onstage by Dr. Jay Ellingson to talk about the state of food safety in our stores.

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Are You Prepared?
NACS State of the Industry data cites foodservice accounting for 22.5% of in-store sales in 2021—significantly higher than the 16.8% reported a decade ago. Foodservice in convenience stores, let by prepared foods, accounts for 35.5% of in-store gross profits, compared to 29.2% in 2011. The growth of food in convenience stores is in tandem with safe food handling, protecting public health and enhancing your brand. In this session, industry food safety experts will guide attendees through round table discussions to discover collaborative solutions that are relevant to today’s food safety challenges:   

• Dr. Jay Ellingson, Chief Scientific Officer, Kwik Trip Inc.
• Nancy Wilson, Director, Quality Assurance, Risk Management & Safety, Wawa Inc.
• Jeremy Zenlea, Director, Head of Health and Safety, EG America

2:15 pm – 3:00 pm

• Dr. Jay Ellingson, Chief Scientific Officer, Kwik Trip Inc.
• Nancy Wilson, Director, Quality Assurance, Risk Management & Safety, Wawa Inc.
• Jeremy Zenlea, Director, Head of Health and Safety, EG America

3:00 pm

Conclusion