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Breakfast will be served in Midway West, near the Expo Hall. Grab coffee and breakfast on your way to the opening session!

Kick off SQF Unites with a dynamic opening main stage experience that brings the community together to learn, celebrate, and connect. The morning begins with an engaging conversation featuring Dr. Ben Chapman, exploring how food safety culture empowers people to consistently do the right thing and strengthens accountability across organizations.

 

We will also honor the newest recipients of the FMI Foundation Food Safety Auditing Scholarships, recognizing the next generation of food safety professionals. We'll conclude by recognizing excellence across the SQF community as we celebrate the 2026 SQF Excellence Award finalists and announce this year’s winners. 

 

Enjoy breakfast outside the session room before we begin, and stay afterward for a networking coffee break to continue the conversations and celebrations.

Cyber threats are no longer confined to the IT world; they’re a growing risk to every link in the food supply chain. This session explores how cyberattacks, data breaches, and system disruptions can impact food safety, production, and regulatory compliance. Learn how to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen defenses, and build resilience through practical cybersecurity measures tailored for food and agriculture operations. 

Learning Objectives: 

 Key performance indicators (KPIs) can do far more than track audit outcomes; they can drive continuous improvement and strengthen your food safety culture. This session explores how to identify meaningful KPIs that reflect true performance, align with food safety goals, and deliver actionable insights. 

Learning Objectives:  

Every recall carries valuable lessons for strengthening food safety systems. This session examines recent recalls and their relevance to SQF sites, uncovering the root causes and systemic gaps that lead to product withdrawals. Learn how to analyze recall events, address prevention challenges, and develop long-term corrective and preventive strategies that reduce risk and build resilience across your operations. 

Learning Objectives: 

Lunch will be served near the Expo Hall from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm.

 

Confusion between annual management reviews, monthly updates, and internal audits has been repeatedly identified as a gap during validation audits—impacting both auditors and sites. This session breaks down the unique purpose of management reviews, monthly updates, and internal audits, clarifying how each supports continuous improvement and compliance. Learn how Edition 10 refines expectations and discover best-in-class practices to bring clarity and consistency to your food safety system. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Highlight how these processes support continuous improvement. 

2. Apply Edition 10 changes to strengthen and align existing systems. 

3. Identify best in class practices for effectively managing and integrating these key processes.

Pests remain among the top non-conformances cited in SQF audits—proof that this persistent problem requires ongoing attention. Explore the latest pest control trends, discover where most facilities go wrong, and gain practical strategies to prevent infestations before they start. 

Learning Objectives: 

Transitioning to a new Edition of the SQF Code involves more than operational updates—it requires organization-wide changes. Learn how optimizing existing structured management practices can turn uncertainty into opportunity. A panel of industry leaders who’ve successfully navigated through past Edition transitions will share proven strategies to engage teams, communicate effectively, and sustain food safety culture while implementing Edition 10. 

Learning Objectives: 

Knowledge Swaps are casual small group meetings that give you the opportunity to sit down to visit with colleagues and peers who have been in your shoes. Exchange your day-to-day challenges, successes and best practices in Day One of Knowledge Swaps.

Find Knowledge Swap locations in the mobile app.

Unwind and connect with fellow attendees at the Networking Happy Hour, hosted in the Expo Hall! Explore innovative solutions, build new connections, and strengthen existing ones in a relaxed and engaging environment. 

What to Expect: 

• Exhibitor Highlights: Visit exhibitor booths to learn about cutting-edge products and services shaping the future of food safety. 

• Mix & Mingle: Network with industry professionals, share insights, and spark collaborations. 

• Delicious Refreshments: Enjoy a variety of complimentary beer, wine and light appetizers as you explore the Expo Hall. 

• Interactive Fun: Participate in booth activities and prize giveaways to make the most of your evening. 

 Don’t miss this chance to connect and celebrate food safety innovation! 

Breakfast will be served in the Expo Hall from 7:00 am to 8:30 am.

Join the hosts of the popular Risky or Not? podcast, Dr. Ben Chapman (NC State University) and Dr. Don Schaffner (Rutgers University), for a lively, interactive session on everyday food safety risks. In this live session, they’ll unpack real-world scenarios with humor and evidence-based insight—helping you sharpen your ability to assess and communicate risk in practical, relatable ways. Bring your own examples for an engaging discussion that blends science, storytelling, and on-the-spot analysis. 

Learning Objectives: 

Think you know CAPA? Think again. Edition 10 raises the bar on corrective and preventative action, emphasizing not just fixing issues, but stopping them before they start. This session challenges attendees to rethink their approach to root cause analysis and prevention. Using real-world examples, participants will explore how a stronger CAPA process supports compliance, strengthens food safety culture, and helps prevent costly recalls. 

Learning Objectives: 

Risk assessments are one of the most powerful tools in your food safety system, but only when used effectively. This session goes back to the basics to clarify their purpose, proper use, and documentation. Learn how to meet the core requirements of 2.4.2 and the new 11.1.1 in Edition 10 and leave with practical insights to strengthen your site’s risk-based decision making. 

Learning Objectives: 

The SQF Practitioner and their designated backup are foundational to the success of any SQF-certified site. Yet confusion persists around their responsibilities, qualifications, and strategic value. This session will clarify the roles and expectations of both the Practitioner and their backup, including how changes in Edition 10 impact them. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Explore the core competencies and responsibilities of the SQF Practitioner and backup, including Edition 10 changes. 

2. Introduce key components of the Certified SQF Practitioner credential. 

3. Identify strategies for effective communication to site leadership.

Lunch will be served near the Expo Hall from 11:15 am to 12:45 pm.

Get ready for a fast-paced, highly interactive deep dive into what’s changing in SQF Edition 10. In this speed dating–style roundtable, you’ll rotate through focused small-group discussions that break down key updates from Edition 9 to Edition 10, turning complex changes into practical, actionable understanding. 

This collaborative workshop is designed to help you move beyond awareness to real readiness. You’ll exchange insights with peers, explore resources and solutions, and leave with greater confidence in how to approach implementation at your site. 

In this session, you will:

• Gain clarity on what’s changing—and why it matters for your SQF system 

• Share best practices and real-world perspectives with fellow practitioners 

• Walk away with practical ideas and resources to support smoother implementation 

This working session is perfect for anyone preparing for the transition to Edition 10 and looking to learn through conversation, collaboration, and shared experience.

SQF Edition 10 introduces a new requirement for sites to document and implement a change management procedure. This process ensures that any change, temporary, emergency, unplanned, or resulting from corrective actions, does not compromise food safety or the integrity of the food safety system. 

In this session, you will: 

Join this session to strengthen your site’s ability to adapt, stay compliant, and maintain control under the new SQF Code Edition 10. 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping how the food industry predicts, monitors, and responds to risk. Building on conversations from 2024 and 2025, this session takes a deeper dive into real-world applications of AI across the supply chain from predictive analytics to compliance automation. Hear how regulatory perspectives are evolving and discover how to integrate AI responsibly within HACCP, FSMA, and SQF frameworks to enhance both accuracy and agility. 

Learning Objectives: 

The regulatory landscape is evolving fast—and your food safety program needs to evolve with it. Join industry experts for a forward-looking discussion on current and emerging regulatory priorities shaping the future of food safety. Gain insights into upcoming policy shifts, enforcement trends, and modernization efforts, and leave with clear strategies to strengthen compliance, protect consumers, and safeguard your brand reputation. 

Learning Objectives: 

Set sail with your peers on Wednesday evening at the SQF Unites 2026 Social. Held in Union Station near the aquarium, this cruise-inspired gathering lets you choose your own evening. Jump into the festivities or take time to explore the aquarium if you feel like wandering. 

A DJ will keep the music going, paired with specialty beverages and food, interactive activities and plenty of space to mix, mingle, and catch up after a full day of learning. 

Whether you are dancing, networking, or taking a stroll past the aquatic exhibits, this night is about unwinding and reconnecting with the SQF community. 

Suggested Dress Code: Cruise casual. Coastal colors, nautical accents, light layers, and comfortable shoes encouraged. 

Breakfast will be served in the Expo Hall from 7:00 am to 8:30 am.

Kick-off the last day of SQF Unites with Rod Wheeler moderating a high-level discussion focused on the signals shaping the future of food safety and quality. Drawing on experience across regulation, technology, and global supply chains, the conversation connects emerging trends to real-world implications for food safety leaders. The focus stays practical, clarifying what is changing, what is holding steady, and where attention should be directed now. 

Objectives: 

• Identify the external forces most likely to shape food safety and quality priorities over the next several years, including regulatory, technological, and supply chain shifts. 

• Distinguish between short-term noise and longer-term signals that warrant leadership attention and investment. 

• Understand how the role of food safety leadership is evolving and what capabilities organizations will need to stay credible and resilient. 

• Translate big-picture trends into practical considerations that can inform planning, risk management, and decision-making after the conference. 

A robust food safety plan is the cornerstone of any successful SQF-certified site—but even the best plans require regular evaluation and refinement. This session will guide attendees through the essential steps of building a compliant and effective food safety plan, identifying common deficiencies, and implementing strategies to strengthen existing systems.

A series of high-profile food safety incidents in recent years, from delicatessen meats to prepared pasta and infant formula, has highlighted how quickly contamination of ready-to-eat products can turn into major public health crises. In many cases, root causes can be traced back to breaches in sanitation practices and environmental controls. This session will examine what these events reveal about systemic vulnerabilities, highlight the critical role of strong sanitation and monitoring programs, and outline preventive measures and programmatic improvements needed to strengthen food safety systems and reduce future risk.

Learning Objectives:

- Highlight the importance of sanitation and environmental controls as critical factors in food safety management programs to prevent foodborne diseases.

- Best practices for sanitation programs and a robust and effective environmental monitoring program.

- Carrying out RCA and applying effective corrective actions.

- When obtaining ingredients, the importance of including sanitation and environmental controls as part of an effective supplier management program that includes supply chain controls.

A thriving food safety culture doesn’t happen by accident; it’s built through awareness, assessment, and accountability. With Edition 10 introducing new requirements for food safety culture assessment, this session outlines how to create a meaningful plan that drives real behavioral change. In collaboration with the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, hear examples of successful programs in action and gain tools to engage your teams in strengthening culture across your site. 

Learning Objectives: 

Join us for the highly anticipated closing session of SQF Unites – the Town Hall! This dynamic conclusion brings everyone together to explore the big questions and ideas shaping our shared future in food safety. Take part in an interactive, lively Q&A with industry leaders and peers.  

Expect to: 

• Gain Critical Insights: Receive up-to-date information from GFSI that aligns with the ever-evolving food safety landscape. 

• Engage in Open Dialogue: Participate in discussions that address your questions, fostering a deeper understanding of challenges and opportunities within SQF and GFSI. 

• Shape the Conversation: Share your perspective and hear from others on the path forward for food safety and certification. 

Questions for the Town Hall will be gathered throughout the conference, so watch for opportunities to submit yours. Let’s close SQF Unites 2026 empowered, informed, and ready for what’s next.