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      Petfood Workshop 2011 200 wide

      Petfood Workshop 2011: Safety First

      April 13, 2011 - April 14, 2011

      Renaissance Schaumburg
      Schaumburg at 1551 North Thoreau Drive

      Learn from the experts how to prepare for the new US food safety legislation. This focused seminar follows right on the heels of Petfood Forum to give you in-depth knowledge of new regulations, inspections, testing, risk-based programs and other aspects of petfood safety. Join experts in small, interactive sessions designed to provide hands-on learning that you can take back to your own work. Petfood Workshop 2011 will take place at a brand new venue, the Renaissance Schaumburg near Chicago's O'Hare airport. You won't want to miss out!

    Registration is now open for Petfood Workshop: Safety First. If you're already registered for Petfood Forum, 2011, you'll save on your Petfood Workshop registration!

     

    To register online, click here. Download a form to register by fax, email or mail. 

     

    (For more information on Petfood Forum 2011, click here.)

     

    Registration to Petfood Workshop: Safety First includes access to all sessions plus breakfast and reception and two coffee breaks.


     

    Please check back frequently as we begin to confirm speakers and topics.

     

    Here is the schedule to date for Petfood Workshop: Safety First. All sessions and meals take place in the Renaissance Schaumburg. (Schedule is subject to change.)

     

    Wednesday, April 13 

    12:00-2:00 pm            Registration 

    2:00-3:00 pm              Opening general session: Best practices from the human food world on dealing with the new food safety law—Kantha Shelke, PhD, spokesperson for the Institute of Food Technologists and principal of Corvus Blue, a food science and research firm, provides an overview of how the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 is playing out in human foods and what petfood professionals can learn from that industry. 

    3:00-3:20 pm              Coffee break 

    3:20-4:35 pm              First round of breakout sessions (each an interactive workshop, attendees rotate among the four breakout rooms): 

    • Navigating the quickly changing regulatory landscape—Judi Lazaro, director of customer relations for AIB International, explains what the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2010 means for petfood regulations and safety requirements, along with other changing regulations. She will help you focus on what you need to do and when to ensure you’re meeting requirements for ensuring safe petfood products.
    • How to prepare for—and survive—an FDA inspection—Robert McDonald, managing director of Food Safety Validation, helps you plan for an inspection, surprise or otherwise, from the Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory authorities. What are your legal rights before, during and after the inspection? McDonald will share tips on surviving the experience with your business, reputation and sanity intact.
    • Establishing and improving a HACCP program—David Rosenblatt, DVM, director of training for Sher Consulting and Training, provides current tips and tricks for establishing, implementing, maintaining and improving a successful hazard analysis and critical control points program in a petfood plant. He will cover basic theory and demonstrate the formation of HACCP plans while practicing real, hands-on HACCP decision making.
    • Controlling Salmonella in low-moisture foods—Phil Elliott, PhD,  principal scientist, microbiology, with the Grocery Manufacturers Association, describes current practices to control Salmonella in dry production environments and low-moisture finished products. There have been several illness outbreaks attributed to Salmonella in low-moisture products, including petfood. Although Salmonella cannot grow in low-moisture environments, low cell numbers can cause illness, survive for long periods of time and may have greater heat resistance compared to that in high-moisture foods.

     4:40-5:55 pm              Second round of breakout sessions (see first round, above; attendees rotate among the four breakout rooms) 

    6:00-7:00 pm              Reception 

     

    Thursday, April 14 

    7:00-8:00 am              Breakfast 

    8:00-9:15 am              General session: Ask the experts panel—What safety problems are you experiencing in your facility? Is there a safety issue that’s been nagging at you, and you just don’t know where to turn for answers? Here’s your chance to pose your safety-related questions to our panel of experts from the petfood, human food, regulatory and safety/quality certification industries. Go ahead, pick their brains! Panel members include Will Henry, director of technology R&D for Extru-Tech Inc.; Jarrod Kersey, scientific and regulatory affairs manager for the Nutro Co.; Carole Koch, director of quality assurance for C.J. Foods Inc.; Anthony Pavel, HACCP and safety expert with K&L Gates; and Siohhan Reilly, PhD, president of IEH-FoodProtech.

    9:15-9:45 am              Coffee break 

    9:45-11:00 am            Third round of breakout sessions (see first round descriptions on April 13; attendees rotate among the four breakout rooms) 

    11:05 am-12:20 pm    Fourth round of breakout sessions (see first round descriptions on April 13; attendees rotate among the four breakout rooms) 

     

     

    Petfood Workshop 2011 moves to a new location: the Renaissance hotel and convention center in Schaumburg, Illinois, close to Chicago and O’Hare airport. Only five years old, this venue has plenty of space and is located in an area with more than 70 restaurants, a large shopping destination (Woodfield Mall) and plenty of other activities. Take a virtual tour of the facility here and check out the surrounding area, including a list of nearby restaurants and a free trolley to get you to them.

      

     

    PLEASE MAKE HOTEL RESERVATIONS SOON! 

     

    All hotel rooms at the Renaissance Schaumburg have been reserved. Petfood Forum/Workshop has arranged for rooms at special rates at the SpringHill Suites by Marriott Schaumburg and Residence Inn by Marriott Schaumburg, both just a few blocks away from the Renaissance. Free transportation will be provided between those hotels and the Renaissance.

    For reservations at SpringHill Suites, please call +1.800.581.3498 or +1.847.995.1500 (direct number for hotel). Or you can reserve a king suite online or a double suite.

    For reservations at the Residence Inn, please call +1.800.887-8014 or +1.847.517.9200 (direct number), or reserve online.

     

    If these hotels are unavailable, here are other suggested hotels to call. Please be aware that with these hotels, you may need to find your own transportation to the Renaissance. Please be sure to ask about transportation when you call.

    Hilton Garden Inn. Call Lauren Masserant directly at +1.224.520.6953.

    Wingate Schaumburg. Call +1.847.882.5000.

    Radisson Schaumburg. Call +1.847.397.1500.

    Hyatt Regency Woodfield. Call +1.847.605.1234.

     

     Ground transportation options to and from the airport 

    Petfood Forum/Workshop 2011 has arranged discounts or special pricing with specific transportation companies. For further information, email OutreachRegistration@niu.edu or call +1.815.753.7922.

    We recommend you reserve your ground transportation in advance and, if choosing to travel by taxi, use only the companies specified here. If you decide to select another taxi while at the airport, we strongly recommend you first confirm the fare to the Renaissance Schaumburg before taking that taxi.

    Taxis
    American Taxi Dispatch Inc.—US$26 from O’Hare Airport to Renaissance, US$24 from Renaissance to O'Hare; US$53 from Midway Airport to Renaissance, US$51 from Renaissance to Midway. Download a US$5 coupon here. 

     

    Reserve online here or via a smart phone at http://m.americantaxi.com. Or call +1.847.255.9614.

    When you arrive at the airport, call +1.847.255.9614 to confirm your arrival and receive a taxicab number assignment.

    Allstar Cab—US$29 from O’Hare to Renaissance for up to four people, US$27 from Renaissance to O’Hare; US$56 from Midway Airport to Renaissance, US$58 from Renaissance to Midway. (Difference in rates due to city tax increase from airports.)

    Reserve online here or call +1.847.658.1555 while at airport.

    303 Cab—US$31 corporate rate, not including gratuity, from O'Hare to Renaissance, US$27 from Renaissance to O'Hare. No charge for additional person.
    Call +1.847.256.8294 and give account #7001.

    Shuttle
    Airport Express—US$25.50 one way from O’Hare to Renaissance or back. Reserving a round trip is recommended for an additional savings of US$5.
    Reserve online here.

    Sedan
    Executive Chauffeuring—US$33 one way from O’Hare to Renaissance or back, including gratuity.
    Reserve online here.