2026 GFSI Conference Set for Vancouver with Focus on Unified Food Safety Action

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) announced that the 2026 Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Conference will be in Vancouver, Canada, from March 24 to 26. This event marks the 25th anniversary and is expected to bring together over 600 experts and decision-makers from more than 40 countries. The conference will turn a quarter-century of work into real steps to deal with current and new food safety problems. A main news outlet said that this event is a key global meeting point for big retailers, makers, and government bodies to work together.

The main idea will be about breaking down barriers in the industry to allow everyone to work together. This is a response to urgent problems, from new technologies to changing customer wants. GFSI Director Elizabeth Andoh-Kesson stressed that making sure everyone has safe and healthy food is a job for the whole industry. The conference will look at ways to handle risks in complicated global supply chains, the impact of new science, and changing rules. This shows the event wants to move from talking to actually putting food safety plans into action.

Conference Plans and Main Topics

The three-day conference will tackle the most urgent issues in global food safety through a series of focused talks. A main topic will be how big companies are finding and reducing food safety risks in their many supply chains. This means making things more clear, improving checks, and building strength against problems. The goal is to share good ideas that the whole industry can use to make safety better everywhere.

At the same time, discussions will look at how new science and updated rules are making food safety better. Experts will talk about how new scientific ideas become rules and action guides. Another big part of the plan will be the role of technology, like artificial intelligence, blockchain, and better ways to check things. These tools are becoming very important for keeping things safe in a global food system that is getting more complex.

Confirmed Speakers and Leaders

The conference will have talks from many top food safety leaders from well-known global companies and government groups. The speakers include senior executives like Deann Akins-Lewenthal, Senior Director of Global Food Safety and Quality Systems at Mondelēz International, and Mahir Bhagia, Vice President and Chief Food Safety Officer at PepsiCo. Their involvement shows that major makers are serious about food safety at the highest company levels.

To show how much everyone works together, important regulators like Dr. Joyce Irene Boye from Health Canada's Food and Nutrition Directorate will share thoughts on government policies. Senior people from retail and production, such as Robin Forgey from Costco Wholesale, Mark Fryling from General Mills, Mary MacIsaac from Loblaw Companies, and Dr. Alejandro Mazzotta from Chobani, are also confirmed. This mix of speakers from manufacturing, retail, and government means talks will be based on real-world, shared ideas.

The Meaning of the 25th Anniversary

The 2026 conference is a big event, celebrating 25 years of GFSI helping people work together internationally. This anniversary comes at a time when global supply chains, climate change, and new technologies make shared food safety rules more important than ever. The event in Vancouver is not just a celebration of past successes but a key moment to deal with future problems. The focus is on using what has been built to create real solutions for the next 25 years.

Reaching this point shows how important it is for everyone to work together on something that affects every customer. The conference has grown to attract over 600 professionals from more than 40 countries, showing that more and more people around the world agree on food safety ideas. The continued involvement from the world's biggest consumer goods companies means that food safety is seen as a basic need for market trust and good operations. The anniversary is a chance to build on what has been done and make faster progress on putting global standards into wider use.

Background and Industry Information

The Global Food Safety Initiative, run by The Consumer Goods Forum, was started to keep making food safety management systems better worldwide. Its main work involves checking and approving different food safety certification programs. This helps make standards consistent and reduces repeated checks for suppliers. For 25 years, it has given a special place for competing businesses to work together on the shared goal of safer food supply chains. The yearly conference is the main event where this teamwork is most clear and advanced.

Choosing Vancouver as the 2026 host city connects the event to a big economic center that focuses on food innovation and international trade. The conference helps with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially those about good health and thoughtful buying. In a time when customers are more aware and rules are stricter, the work done through GFSI provides a key structure for company responsibility. The upcoming conference is therefore a main date for industry leaders to agree on practices that keep people healthy and strengthen customer trust around the world.