Date: September 23 – 24, 2026
Venue: Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel
7551 Westminster Highway, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
CPMA will be hosting its inaugural Food Safety Conference, an in-person event that will bring together industry, government, and academia to discuss food safety as it relates to the North American and global food system.
The target audience includes businesses that use fresh produce, food safety and quality assurance professionals, researchers, and government representatives.
For any questions, please reach out to Jeff Hall, CPMA’s Senior Director, Food Safety & Innovation at [email protected]
Registration Fee
- CPMA Member – No charge
- Government (F/P/T/M) Representative – No charge
- Non-Member ($500 +GST)
Program
| Time | Item | Speakers |
| 9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. | Opening remarks and host introduction | Stephanie Lariviere* - Erie James |
| 9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | Governing in a chaotic world | Chris Moran - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada |
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. | Panel: Food safety on a global stage | Dr. Amy Park - Dole Dr. Larry Goodridge – University of Guelph |
| 10:45 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. | Sponsor Message | |
| 10:55 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. | CPMA Canadian Food Safety Fund Research Update | CFSF Researchers |
| 11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Panel: GFSI Update | Heather Gale – CanadaGAP Rebbecca Anderson – GlobalGAP |
| 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Lunch | |
| 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Destination Inspection Services & Grade Standards | Luc Mougeot – Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) |
| 2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Sustainability & Food Safety | Dr. Tracy Shinners-Carnelley – Peak of the Market |
| 3:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. | Break | |
| 3:10 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. | Panel: Food safety - A North American Perspective | Ken Hall - Fresh Point (Sysco) |
| 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Cocktail Hour | |
| Time | Item | Speakers |
| 9:00 a.m. – 9:05 a.m. | Host Introduction | Robin Maile, Gwillimdale Farms |
| 9:05 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | CFIA Update and Question Period | Canadian Food Inspection Agency |
| 10:00 a.m. – 10:10 a.m. | CPMA Overview | Sue Lewis - Vice President, Marketing & Events |
| 10:10 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. | Crisis Communication – You’ve just hit the news, now what? | Amy Philpott - Philpott PR |
| 10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. | Sponsor Message | |
| 10:50 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. | Break | |
| 11:10 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. | U.S. FDA / Regulatory Update | Dr. Jennifer McEntire – Food Safety Strategy |
| 11:40 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. | Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement - Update & Test / Learn Program | Dr. De Ann Davis – Western Growers Association Tim York – Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement |
| 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. | Lunch | |
| 1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. | Panel: Food Safety & Mexico Update | Georgina Felix – Fresh Produce Association of the Americas |
| 1:45 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Retail Discussion - Let's talk about audits. | Avery Bruenjes – Retail Council of Canada |
| 2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. | How to protect food safety in a shifting geopolitical world? | Cameron Prince – The Acheson Group |
| 3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Event Wrap Up | Hugh Bowman - Global Citrus |