24th - 25th November 2026
Agenda
DAY 1
08:00 - 08:50
REGISTRATION
08:55 – 09:00
CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS
09:00 - 09:30
QC as a change agent or harmonization in an ever changing world
- Dsm-firmenich – historical context
- The vision: QC data – available Real Time for Operational Excellence, Business Enterprise applications, Innovation and Performance Analysis.
- Key input:
• Validated harmonized methods – maximisation of production and multiple site world-wide flexibility
• Using QC Digitalization to directly support production decisions
• Using actual QC digital data supporting Innovation, Process and Product improvement
Erica Fritse, Director QC Excellence , dsm-firmenich Taste Texture and Health division
Kristoffer Lindner, Vice President Global Operational Excellence Quality, dsm-firmenich- group Quality
09:30 - 10:00
Transforming Quality with AI: Insights, Efficiency, and Real-Time Monitoring
- Predicting food safety risks with AI-driven insights and forecasting
- Streamlining quality control processes for greater efficiency and accuracy
- Tracking ingredients and products from source to shelf in real-time
- Utilizing data to proactively resolve issues in FSQA operations
- Meeting regulatory standards with advanced monitoring and automated reporting
- Integrating AI tools to enhance collaboration across FSQA teams
Christian Mahr, Head of Food Safety & Quality, Ferrero OHG mbH
10:00 - 10:30
From Digitalised Programs to Living Food Safety Ecosystems
- Explore how food safety programmes can move beyond isolated digital tools and reactive incident investigation towards a connected, risk-based ecosystem.
- Examine how environmental monitoring, sanitation, audit and operational data can be brought together to provide a more complete view of site-level food safety performance.
- Understand how integrated data can help identify early warning signals, prioritise risks and strengthen root cause analysis.
- Consider how digitalisation can support cleaning validation, improve audit readiness and enable faster, more confident decision-making.
- Highlight the importance of meaningful data collection, clear objectives and robust management processes to ensure technology drives real corrective and preventive action.
- Explore how digital food safety programmes can evolve into living systems that continuously support prevention, verification and improvement.
Carmela Pennacchia, Technical Excellence Food Safety, Ecolab
10:35 - 11:25
COFFEE BREAK
11:30 - 12:00
Developing Agile Quality and Regulatory Strategies to Meet Global Compliance, Ensure Safety, and Build Brand Trust
- Adapting quality and regulatory programs to shifting global standards and market requirements
- Building a proactive compliance culture that minimizes risk and accelerates innovation
- Integrating digital tools to enhance traceability, transparency, and regulatory reporting
- Fostering cross-functional collaboration between quality, operations, and R&D teams
- Balancing speed-to-market with strict quality and regulatory expectations
- Strengthening consumer trust through transparent labelling, claims management, and product integrity
12:00 - 12:30
Identifying and Mitigating Contamination Risks Through Advanced Microbial Analysis Techniques
- Leveraging advanced microbial analysis to detect and prevent contamination risks
- Implementing effective strategies for early identification of microbial hazards
- Utilizing cutting-edge tools to monitor and control contamination across production stages
- Training teams to interpret and act on microbial data for improved safety
- Enhancing compliance with industry standards through advanced microbial risk management
12:30 - 13:00
AI in food quality: Real cases from teams already putting it to work
- More and more food companies have AI on the agenda and quality teams are no exception. But between “we need to do something with AI” and what actually happens on the floor, there’s still a wide gap.
- This highly practical session makes it concrete and goes straight into real-world cases from food companies already using AI in their quality operations.
- From incoming supplier documents and customer questionnaires to complaints, incident response and tender requirements, you’ll see what these teams actually use it for, what worked, what didn’t and where human judgement still makes the call.
- Think of it as a peer playbook for AI in quality. You’ll leave with plenty of ideas to take back to your own site. Hosted by Backbone. Meet the team at the booth after the session.
Siska Lannoo, Co-founder, Backbone AI
PLANNED INVESTMENT AREAS
- Sustainable Packaging
- Risk Management
- Quality Assurance Systems
- Clean Air
- Aseptic Lines
- Cloud ERP
- Food and Worker Protection
- Product Inspection & Detection
- Food-grade Robots (Pick & Pack)
- Origin Verification
- Temperature Control
- Food Ingredients & Flavouring
- Air Purification
- Digital Technology
- Environmental Monitoring
- Sanitation Preventive Controls
- Hygienic Zoning
- Compliance & Regulations
- Sustainability 4.0
- Cold Chain Management
- CGMP
- Food Safety Standards
- Food Supply Chain Traceability/Visibility
- Plant Safety & Inspection
- Big Data & Manufacturing Information
- Manufacturing Automation
- Waste Sanitation
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
- Elemental Analysis
- Microbiology
- Food Sanitation/Hygiene
- Laboratory Analytical Testing
- Food Innovation
- New Product Development
- Certification in food safety, health, environmental and quality management standards
13:05 - 13:55
LUNCH
14:00 – 14:30
Consumer Facing AI
- Intro – How AI is used in food safety and ecommerce
- Practical applications – Menu builder, allergen predictor, photography
- Possible concerns: data integrity, safety-critical accuracy, IP infringements
- What is coming next: future state.
Steven Glass, Global Food and Product Safety Director, Just Eat Takeaway
14:30 – 15:00
Food Safety by Design: Preventing Contamination from Farm to Factory (Cocoa Focus)
- Food-safe design, quality management & GMP fundamentals
- Cocoa thermal CCP validation in the cocoa network
- Mitigation of cross contamination
- Excellent lab practices & verification control
- Building a food safety culture
Vesela Tzeneva, Global Food Safety Expert, Olam Food Ingredients (ofi)
15:00 – 15:30
Microbial hazards, risks and spoilage – what are the common links?
- Differentiation between hazards and risks
- Food safety risks and business risks
- Significance of products and uses in evaluating hazards
- Significance of (microbial) numbers in evaluating hazards
- Example sporeformers: hazard, risk or spoilage concern – or all?
Anett Winkler, Food Safety Advisor, Cargill Germany GmbH
15:35 - 16:25
COFFEE BREAK
16:30 - 17:00
Uniting Sustainability Drives with Food Safety Protocols: Preparedness In An Age Of Global Agricultural Instability
- Concoct practical and conceivable approaches to improve sustainability efforts whilst continuing to make profits and grow reputation through green marketing
- With food security becoming an increasing concern in the UK, how can food manufacturers minimise food waste without compromising on quality and safety?
- As pressure mounts in the agricultural sector, how can food companies mitigate the effects on ingredients and the supply chain?
17:00 - 17:30
Maintain Compliance in the Face Of Ever-Changing Regulations & Ensure Consistently High Food & Drink Standards Across Complex & Intersecting Legislation
- How can the food industry keep pace with evolving frameworks and guidance to ensure we’re always able to respond to and deliver against regulatory changes from DEFRA and other bodies?
- Balance profit, quality, and product innovation with strong guard-rails and consistent regulatory compliance
- Stay vigilant with UK regulations whilst aligning with international legislation to allow for export and global growth
PLANNED INVESTMENT AREAS
- Sustainable Packaging
- Risk Management
- Quality Assurance Systems
- Clean Air
- Aseptic Lines
- Cloud ERP
- Food and Worker Protection
- Product Inspection & Detection
- Food-grade Robots (Pick & Pack)
- Origin Verification
- Temperature Control
- Food Ingredients & Flavouring
- Air Purification
- Digital Technology
- Environmental Monitoring
- Sanitation Preventive Controls
- Hygienic Zoning
- Compliance & Regulations
- Sustainability 4.0
- Cold Chain Management
- CGMP
- Food Safety Standards
- Food Supply Chain Traceability/Visibility
- Plant Safety & Inspection
- Big Data & Manufacturing Information
- Manufacturing Automation
- Waste Sanitation
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
- Elemental Analysis
- Microbiology
- Food Sanitation/Hygiene
- Laboratory Analytical Testing
- Food Innovation
- New Product Development
- Certification in food safety, health, environmental and quality management standards
17:30 - 18:00
Achieving Unmatched Excellence in Food Safety and Quality Across Global Markets
- Understanding the growing importance of food safety and quality assurance in a globalized market
- Addressing the evolving challenges of complying with FDA FSMA and international standards
- Exploring best practices for managing food quality and implementing effective HACCP systems
- Navigating the complexities of global compliance to ensure consistent product safety and quality
- Enhancing risk management strategies to minimize threats to food safety across supply chains
- Leveraging innovative technologies and data to drive continuous improvement in food safety standards
18:00 - 19:00
DRINKS RECEPTION
DAY 2
08:55 – 09:00
CHAIRPERSON’S OPENING REMARKS
09:00 – 09:30
The Human Side of Food Safety & Quality Culture - Small, practical changes that build lasting habits
- What food safety & quality culture really is — what people do when no one is watching.
- What drives behaviour — why only telling people what to do doesn’t change culture.
- Making the right behaviour the easy one — removing barriers to good practices.
- The power of small, practical changes — nudges and habits that last.
- Real-life examples from Nestlé’s global experience.
Laurence Blayo, Senior Quality Manager Competence Development and Communication, Nestlé
09:30 - 10:00
Mastering your License to Operate in a rapidly evolving landscape
- Specialized Nutrition: a highly regulated industry, serving the most vulnerable consumers & patients
- Rapid regulatory evolutions, high expectations from consumers & NGOs in a world in turmoil
- Calling for a strong risk anticipation process and collaboration between functions and companies
- Challenges & solutions
- Keys for success
Ivo Muller,Quality, Food Safety & Food Integrity Director, Danone
10:00 - 10:30
Beyond Clean: How Digital Tools Are Transforming Cleaning Verification, monitoring and Validation
- Explore the role of cleaning validation as a foundation for food safety, while recognizing its limitation as a point-in-time assessment.
- Highlight how changing production environments, personnel, equipment conditions, and operational pressures can affect sanitation performance over time.
- Show how digital monitoring and connected sanitation programs can provide real-time visibility into cleaning effectiveness.
- Demonstrate how cleaning process data and operational metrics can help identify risks before they impact production.
- Explain how digital tools can strengthen compliance, improve cleaning consistency, and support ongoing validation and verification activities.
- Position the future of food safety as a shift from proving cleaning worked in the past to continuously ensuring it works every day.
Nathany Tavares, Digital Sales Accelerator Food & Beverage Europe, Ecolab
10:35 - 11:25
COFFEE BREAK
11:30 – 12:00
How Microbiological Analysis & Chemical Containment Surveillance Can Impact the Business
- Keep pace with regulatory updates on Whole Genome Sequencing and other microbiological testing and tracking methods.
- How can food companies mitigate lab errors and prevent safety surprise to reduce recalls?
- Guard against unnecessary safety risks with recent advances in rapid microbiological testing
12:00 – 12:30
Tackle Food Fraud & Ensure Authenticity to Protect the Integrity of your Product & Avoid Negative Consumer Feedback
- Fight food fraud through complete control of the supply chain and user transparency in all matters of food processes
- How can food companies ensure ethical and authentic sourcing of ingredients – as far back as livestock feed and overseas plantations – now that customers expect a higher level of information and a more controlled approach to our ingredients?
- Protect yourself and your supply chain – with geopolitics in such an unstable position, is supply chain insurance something that we will see more of in the food industry?
12:30 – 13:00
Why contamination control matters
- Understanding personnel as a major source and vector of contamination
- Identifying microbiological, particulate and cross-contamination risks
- Selecting garment materials and designs based on the production environment
- Managing gowning, laundering, inspection and garment replacement
Remi De Bock, Technical & Market Development Manager Contamination Control, alsico Europe
PLANNED INVESTMENT AREAS
- Sustainable Packaging
- Risk Management
- Quality Assurance Systems
- Clean Air
- Aseptic Lines
- Cloud ERP
- Food and Worker Protection
- Product Inspection & Detection
- Food-grade Robots (Pick & Pack)
- Origin Verification
- Temperature Control
- Food Ingredients & Flavouring
- Air Purification
- Digital Technology
- Environmental Monitoring
- Sanitation Preventive Controls
- Hygienic Zoning
- Compliance & Regulations
- Sustainability 4.0
- Cold Chain Management
- CGMP
- Food Safety Standards
- Food Supply Chain Traceability/Visibility
- Plant Safety & Inspection
- Big Data & Manufacturing Information
- Manufacturing Automation
- Waste Sanitation
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
- Elemental Analysis
- Microbiology
- Food Sanitation/Hygiene
- Laboratory Analytical Testing
- Food Innovation
- New Product Development
- Certification in food safety, health, environmental and quality management standards
13:05 - 13:55
LUNCH
14:00 – 14:30
Making Food Safety Visible in a Changing World
- Food safety risks are increasing and becoming more complex
- Food safety is no longer a technical issue — it is a business risk
- The biggest paradox: food safety creates value… but that value is invisible
- We must move from measuring compliance to communicating impact
- Food safety becomes strategic when it shapes decisions
Catarina Petisca, Global Food Safety Manager, Puratos
14:30 – 15:00
Taking efficiency and quality to the next level with operational excellence
- Implementing lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste and improve overall process efficiency
- Leveraging data analytics to monitor performance and drive continuous improvement across operations
- Developing a culture of accountability and empowerment to sustain high standards of operational excellence
- Integrating advanced technologies like automation and AI to optimize production workflows and reduce downtime
- Balancing cost management with quality control to ensure consistent product excellence
- Enhancing cross-functional collaboration to streamline processes and improve overall operational agility
Konrad Gwozdzinski, Global Microbiological Food Safety & Laboratory Manager, Barry Callebaut SSC Europe 