Few subjects draw more immediate attention or concern than the safety of the
food we eat. Recent years have included a plethora of food warnings and recalls,
raising new questions about the quality and integrity of our existing system
for assuring food safety. Seattle was the epicenter of the Jack in the Box E.
coli outbreak that sickened 600 and killed four 15 years ago. In addition to
explaining how our present system works, this program is intended to discuss
how changing consumer preferences are affecting the development and distribution
of food, examine whether Federal, state and industry oversight roles are changing,
and discuss how the regulatory and judicial processes can be most efficiently
balanced. Participants include national and local representatives of government,
the food industry, consumer organizations and scientists.
Friday, April 11 |
8:30 -
9:15 a.m. |
Welcome and Introduction of Opening Speaker
Welcome and Introduction
- Dean Kellye Testy, Seattle University School of Law
Opening Speakers
- Barbara Kowalcyk, Director of Food Safety, Center for Foodborne Illness
Research & Prevention
- Richard Raymond, MD, Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA FSIS |
9:15 -
10:45 a.m. |
Session 1: Defining the Problem: How the concerns about food
safety are viewed by physicians, disease experts, state regulators, and
consumers.
What is the scope of the problem? Do the different aspects of
food safety have opposing/competing perspectives on the issue? What is
the good news and bad news for food safety today?
Panelists
- Tom Billy, President, International Food Safety Consulting
- William Keene, PhD, MPH, Senior Epidemiologist, Oregon Public Health
Services, Acute & Communicable Disease Program
- Sandra McCurdy, Extension Food Safety Specialist, School of Family and
Consumer Sciences, University of Idaho
- Carlota Medus, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist, Acute Disease Investigation
and control section, MN Dept of Health Minneapolis, MN
- Richard Seigler, MD, Pediatric nephrologist, University of Utah. Salt
Lake City, UT |
11 a.m. -
12:30 p.m. |
Session 2: How the Regulation of Food Safety Works: The roles
and responsibilities as seen by Federal and State regulators, industry
and consumers.
How do the different food safety agencies function? Are there
gaps? Are consumer practices affecting policy? What are the challenges
and benefits of Federal and State agency consolidation? How has the response
to Homeland security/bio-terrorism threats impacted food safety practices?
Panelists
- Christine Bruhn, Director, Center for Consumer Research, Sacramento,
CA
- Caroline Smith DeWaal, Food Safety Director, Center for Science in the
Public Interest
- David Goldman, MD, MPH, Assistant Administrator, Food Safety and Inspection
Service (FSIS), Office of Public Health USDA
- Mansour Samadapour, PhD, President & CEO, IEH Laboratories, Seattle,WA
- Bala Swaminathan PhD, Vice President, Technical and Business Development
IHRC, Inc. |
12:30 -
1:45 p.m. |
Lunch
2nd Floor Gallery, Sullivan Hall, Seattle University
Luncheon Speaker
- Governor Christine Gregoire, Washington State |
1:45 -
3:15 p.m. |
Session 3: Zones of Responsibility: What are the responsibilities
of growers/producers, sellers, government, and consumers in the food safety
system?
How does the system actually work in practice? Those on the front
lines of regulation, production, industry and consumer safety discuss
challenges and successes.
Panelists
- Andrew K. Benson, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Food Science and
Technology, University of Nebraska. Lincoln, NE
- John Munsell, President, Montana Quality Foods & Processing; Manager,
Foundation for Accountability in Regulatory Enforcement. Mile City, MT
- Scott Rickman, Associate General Counsel, Del Monte Foods San Francisco,
CA
- Craig Wilson, Vice President, Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Costco
Wholesale Corporation. WA
- Devon Zagory, PhD, Senior Vice President, Food Safety & Quality
Programs, NSF Davis Fresh, Watsonville, CA |
3:30 -
5 p.m. |
Session 4: Roles of the Civil/Criminal Justice Systems: Different
perspectives on food borne illness litigation.
An overview of law relating to product liability. How do you
prove or defend a food borne illness liability case? What about causation?
What is the legal standard?
Panelists
- Sarah Brew, JD, Attorney, Greene Espel PLLP Minneapolis, MN
- Neal Fortin, JD, Director, Institute for Food Laws and Regulations at
Michigan State University. Lansing, MI
- Al Maxwell, JD, Attorney, Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial.
Atlanta, GA
- Denis Stearns, JD, Attorney, Marler Clark LLP, PS Seattle, WA
- Brad Sullivan, JD, Attorney, Lombardo & Gilles, Salinas, CA |
5 -
6 p.m. |
Reception for Speakers and Attendees
Court Level Atrium, Sullivan Hall, Seattle University
Speaker
- Robert Brackett PhD, Senior Vice President and Chief Science and Regulatory
Officer, Grocery Manufacturers Association |
| |
Saturday, April 12 |
8:30 -
9 a.m. |
Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Opening Speaker
- Dr. Patricia Griffin, CDC, Chief, Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch,
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention |
9 -
10:30 a.m. |
Session 5: How is Food Protected Overseas? International Perspectives
on food safety.
Experts from the EU, UK, Australia/New Zealand, China and the World Health
Organization discuss international food protection. How is food safety
maintained as products travel through the global marketplace?
Panelists
- Liu Zhouhui, Deputy Director General, Certification and Accreditation
Administration, People’s Republic of China
- Chris Griffith, Director of Food Research and Consultancy, University
of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Deon Mahoney, Principal Microbiologist, Food Standards, Australia and
New Zealand Canberra, BC, Australia
- Canice Nolan, First Counselor, Head of Food Safety, Health, and Consumer
Affairs, Delegation of the European Commission, Washington, DC
- Jørgen Schlundt, Director, Dept of Food Safety, Zoonoses, and
Foodborne Illness, World Health Organization - Geneva, Switzerland
|
10:45 a.m. -
12:15 p.m. |
Session 6: Role of the Media in Public Health and Food Safety:
The contributions of media and science writers to Food Safety.
How do reporters get the story, and get it right, in the middle of media
frenzy? How do they get the information they need to inform and protect
the public? What is the role of the media in disseminating public health
information?
Panelists
- Phil Brasher, Washington Correspondent, Des Moines Register. Washington,
DC
- Stephen Hedges, Reporter, Chicago Tribune
- Andrew Martin, Reporter, New York Times
- Douglas Powell, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology,
Kansas State University. Scientific Director, International Food Safety
Network, Manhattan, KS
- James Prevor, Editor-in-Chief, The Perishable Pundit |
The registration fee includes seminar tuition, materials, continental breakfast
and lunch.
You may cancel your registration and receive a full refund at any time up to
the seventh calendar day preceding the program (e.g., the Friday preceding a
program scheduled for a Friday). Thereafter, you may transfer the amount of
your registration fee to a subsequent program scheduled for that semester, provided
space is available. We regret that we cannot carry credits from one semester
to another.
For additional information about this CLE seminar, please contact Rebecca Parker
at the Office of Continuing Legal Education at parkerr@seattleu.edu
or by phone at (206) 398-4282.