September 16-18, 2026
In-Person (Philadelphia, Pa)
About
The FDA Food Protection Seminar is an annual training event designed for retail food safety professionals. It brings together stakeholders from state, local, territorial and tribal regulatory agencies, industry representatives, federal partners, and academia to focus on current and emerging issues in retail food protection. The seminar delivers critical updates on the Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards, Food Code revisions, and FDA initiatives while providing a collaborative forum to share experiences, discuss issues of mutual concern and strengthen retail food safety. Attendance is required for all FDA standardized Retail Food Safety Inspection Officers. The 2026 seminar is hosted in partnership with the Association of Food and Drug Officials, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the New Jersey Department of Health. FDA’s Division of Retail Food Protection Implementation leads seminar coordination and works closely with hosting state officials and partner organization in its planning and development.
Registration
Hotel
Presentations
Day One
September 16, 2026 @ 8:30 am – 9:30 am
Understanding and Managing Risks Associated with Cooling Hot Foods
SPEAKER
Dr. Donald Schaffner – Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist, Rutgers University
September 16, 2026 @ 9:30 am – 10:00 am
CDC’s Environmental Health Gateway: Field-tested practices to get the job done
SPEAKERS
Adam Kramer, Environmental Health Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Erin Moritz, Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
September 16, 2026 @ 10:30 am – 11:30 am
FDA and Indian Health Services Standardization Partnership
SPEAKER
Mike Cope, Acting Supervisory Sanitarian, Indian Health Service – Download presentation
September 16, 2026 @ 11:30 am – 12:00 pm
Retail Flexible Funding Model (RFFM) Update
SPEAKER
Maribeth Neisen, Office of Partnership, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
September 16, 2026 @ 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm
Application of Predictive Microbiology to Manage Food Safety Risks in Last Mile Delivery
Speaker
Dr. Donald Schaffner, Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist, Rutgers University
September 16, 2026 @ 2:15 pm – 3:00 pm
USDA General Updates
Speaker
Tom Collaro, Deputy Regional Director, Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA), U.S. Department of Agriculture
September 16, 2026 @ 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm
Program Standards (Standard 9 – Intervention strategies)
Panel Discussion Leader
Michael Touhey, Retail Food Specialist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Speaker PANEL
Jacob Schmidt, Retail Food Inspection Supervisor, Minnesota Department of Agriculture – Download presentation
Heather Sanders, Retail Food Program Specialist, PA Department of Agriculture – Download presentation
Margareta M. Slagle, MPH, REHS, Environmental Health Supervisor, Craven County Health Department, NC – Download presentation
Wendy G. Bell, MPH, REHS, Environmental Health Supervisor, Mecklenburg County Health Department, NC – Download presentation
Jessica Freer, MPH, REHS, Assistant Health Officer, County of Morris, NJ
Day Two
September 17, 2026 @ 8:15 am – 9:15 am
Ready for the World Stage: A Collaborative Approach to Food Protection for the World Cup
Panel Discussion Leader
Mary Leong, Retail Food Specialist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Speaker PANEL
Kenya Moon, Retail Food Specialist,
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Jessica Swift, Retail Food Project Coordinator, New Jersey Department of Health
Dawn Kiesewetter, Director, Environmental Health Services, Philadelphia Health Department
September 17, 2026 @ 9:15 am – 10:00 am
FDA Food Code Update
Speaker
Rebecca Vought, Biologist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
September 17, 2026 @ 10:30 am – 11:15 am
From Standards to Outcomes: National Evidence from NORS 2014-2023
Speaker
Manjit “Mike” Randhawa, MD, MPH, Project Director, NEHA
September 17, 2026 @ 11:15 am – 12:15 pm
Working Effectively with Amish and other Plain Communities in the Northeast
Speaker
Steven M. Nolt, Professor of History and Anabaptist Studies, Elizabethtown College
September 17, 2026 @ 1:45 pm – 2:15 pm
Fireside Chat with FDA’s Acting Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods
Moderators
Laurie Farmer, Director, Office of Retail Food Protection, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Dr. Don Prater, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Human Food, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
September 17, 2026 @ 2:15 pm – 3:30 pm
Root Cause Analysis
Speaker
Steve Mandernach, Executive Director, Association of Food and Drug Officials
September 17, 2026 @ 4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Interstate Travel Program
Speaker
Joseph Morin, Biologist, Interstate Travel Program, , U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Day Three
September 18, 2026 @ 8:15 am – 9:00 am
Risk Factor Study Deli Report
Speaker
Alisha Johnson, Retail Food Specialist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
September 18, 2026 @ 9:00 am – 9:30 am
FDA TCS Food Update
Speaker
Glenda R. Lewis, Acting Senior Advisor for Retail Food Policy, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
September 18, 2026 @ 10:00 am – 10:30 am
PA & NJ Program Updates
SpeakerS
Dr. Bilan Jessie, Director for PA Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Safety & Lab Service
Jessica Swift, Retail Food Project Coordinator, New Jersey Department of Health
September 18, 2026 @ 10:30 am – 11:00 am
Food Code Adoption in the States
Speaker
Doug Farquhar, JD, Director of Government Affairs, National Environmental Health Association
September 18, 2026 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Moving the Needle on Norovirus: Practical Solutions for Cleaning and Disinfection
Speaker
Mary Yavelak, Corporate Food Policy & Innovation Manager, Compass group
Contact Us
Questions about registration? Email kreed@afdo.org
Meet & Greet Sponsors
The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) is a statewide trade association advocating the views of the food and beverage industries. Our membership includes convenience stores, supermarkets, independent grocers, wholesalers, distributors, and consumer product vendors of all sizes operating in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Wonder is a New York–based food technology company operating a new kind of food hall, where guests can combine dishes from 30+ restaurant menus in a single order for delivery, pickup, or dine-in. Wonder is also the parent company of Grubhub, Blue Apron, and Tastemade.
