Summit Agenda
Three days of inspiring talks, workshops, and networking opportunities
The Summit's 2025 Agenda
DAY 1 • Mon, Oct 20, 2025DAY 1 • Monday, October 20, 2025
Welcome Reception & Summit Registration
Let’s get this party started! Check in starting at 6:15 pm, then head into the welcome reception at 6:30 for drinks, bites, and good company. It’s the perfect way to ease into the Summit and meet your fellow food industry rockstars.
DAY 2 • Tue, Oct 21, 2025DAY 2 • Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Breakfast
Fuel up with coffee, breakfast, and good conversation before sessions kick off.
Genius Bar
Have questions? We've got answers. Stop by the Genius Bar to chat one-on-one with SafetyChain experts.
Welcome
Speakers
Welcome to the 2025 SafetyChain Summit! Join us in the main ballroom as we kick off Day 1 with a quick look at what’s ahead and a warm welcome to get things started.
Keynote: Ensuring Quality from Farm to Customer in a Global Environment
Speakers
In today’s global food system, one weak link can take down entire brands — fast. This high-impact keynote reveals how top food leaders are staying ahead of shifting regulations, emerging risks, and customer expectations to keep food safe from farm to customer. With real-world examples and lessons learned from the field, this session sets the tone for action, resilience, and smarter decision-making.
Streamline Data Like a Pro: Integration Tips for Total Plant Visibility
Speakers
Join Jennifer Martinez, Corporate FSQA Technology Integrations Manager at Seaboard Triumph Foods, as she shares how the company leverages advanced integrations, such as automated temperature monitoring, barcode scanning, dynamic workflows, and the Ignition platform, to streamline data collection across its plants. Discover how these technologies drive operational efficiency, improve yield, and support continuous improvement efforts.
What Happens When Bob Retires? Turning Gut Feel Into Systems That Scale
Speakers
Every plant has that person. Maybe it’s Bob, who knows the exact line speed just by the sound of the machine—and can tweak it without looking at a single chart. Or Maria, who can sequence a week’s worth of production in her head, balancing allergens, packaging changeovers, and shift availability without breaking a sweat. What happens when they retire, switch shifts, or finally take that vacation? This session is for anyone tired of running plants on memory and instinct. Drawing on experience from running barns, rebuilding equipment, and leading technology initiatives for global manufacturers, I’ll share what happens when critical know-how isn’t backed by systems—and how to fix it.
Break & Networking
Fuel up with another cup of coffee and visit our sponsors to learn about leading manufacturing partners.
How Ajinomoto Slashed Defects by 50% and Transformed Plant Performance
Speakers
Ajinomoto’s FSQA and operations teams achieved a 50% reduction in defects by shifting to a zero-defect mindset and fully digitizing their defect tracking. With custom forms tied to defect categories, real-time dashboards, and line-level visibility across plants, they empowered both leadership and frontline teams to take immediate action. In this session, Arin Backhaus, Corporate FSQA Manager will share how cultural and technical transformation streamlined continuous improvement efforts, improved customer satisfaction, and elevated quality performance.
Product Roadmap: Smarter Tools, Stronger Plants
Speakers
Get a front-row look at what’s coming next from SafetyChain. Our product team will preview the innovation available now and in the future —from smarter tools to features that give you tighter control, faster answers, and improved performance.
Inside The Innovation Lab: AI & SafetyChain
Speakers
Curious what’s cooking in SafetyChain’s Innovation Lab? In this session, we’ll show you what we’ve built so far and where we’re headed next.
Lunch
Take a break, grab a plate, and recharge. Lunch is a great time to relax, connect with other attendees, and swap takeaways from the morning sessions.
Lunch & Leadership Panel: Women Driving Change in Food Manufacturing
Speakers
[Women Only - Registration Due Oct 10th] Pull up a seat with women leading FSQA, operations, and quality across food and beverage. This session goes beyond inspiration—panelists will share the strategies they’ve used to overcome plant-level pushback, drive adoption of new processes, and strengthen their leadership impact. You’ll also network with peers and join an interactive Q&A to dig into the challenges that matter most to you. Space is limited; RSVP required.
Small Group Breakouts
Speakers
Choose the topic that matters to you and join a small group of peers for focused, real-world discussion. Each table has a different theme—sit where you’ll get the most value, share your experience, and learn from others facing similar challenges.
Break & Networking
Fuel up on coffee, meet with our sponsors, and head to the Round Table of your choice for group discussions on top-of-mind topics.
Produce Roundtable: Stay Ready, Stay Moving
Speakers
Fresh product, tight timelines, constant audits. Join produce leaders to trade ideas on handling traceability, supplier compliance, and real-time data without slowing the line. Bring your biggest challenges. We’ll face them together.
Protein Roundtable: Food Safety and Compliance Challenges for Protein Processors
Speakers
Protein Pros, This One’s for You! Join fellow leaders for a straight-talking roundtable on audit challenges, SafetyChain usage, and compliance wins. Bring your toughest questions and we’ll tackle them together.
Continuous Improvement Roundtable: Wins, Loses, And Everything In Between
Speakers
No fluff, just facts. Let’s swap real stories about what’s working (and what’s not). Expect lessons learned, practical takeaways, and new ideas you can put to work next week.
Co-Manufacturing & Co-Packing Roundtable: No Room for Guesswork
Speakers
Managing specs from a dozen brands? Still prepping for audits in spreadsheets? Join other co-man leaders to swap hard-earned lessons on staying compliant, avoiding holds, and getting more out of SafetyChain. Real talk only. No fluff. Just what’s working and what’s not.
Admin Roundtable: Challenges And Opportunities for SafetyChain Admins
Speakers
Join fellow SafetyChain Admins for an open conversation about what it really takes to manage SafetyChain day to day. We’ll dive into common challenges, share success stories, and swap ideas to help you get more out of your system—no matter how many sites you support.
Break & Networking
Fuel up with another cup of coffee and head back into ROOM NAME to visit with sponsors and wrap up day 1 of the Customer Summit.
A First Look at the New CAPA Experience
Speakers
In this session, we’re unveiling SafetyChain’s new CAPA offering — built to help food manufacturers close the loop on quality issues with less effort and more control. Get a first look at how the new module helps teams investigate root causes faster, assign actions with full accountability, and track resolution from start to finish. If you manage non-conformances, customer complaints, or audit findings, this is one you don’t want to miss.
Day 1 Wrap Up
Before we call it a day, join us to swap notes, share insights, and highlight the aha moments that moved the needle. Let’s set the tone for a big Day 2!
Dinner & Awards Ceremony
Join us in the courtyard at the Royal Sonesta between 6:00 and 6:15 PM to get ready for the Second Line parade! We’ll gather, line up, and kick things off with some New Orleans flair as we dance our way to the venue in true celebratory style. Don’t be late—you won’t want to miss the music, dancing, and unforgettable start to the evening! Sponsored by: mode40 Fillmore New Orleans 6 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130
DAY 3 • Wed, Oct 22, 2025DAY 3 • Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Genius Bar
Have questions? We've got answers. Stop by the Genius Bar to chat one-on-one with SafetyChain experts.
Breakfast
Fuel up for the day with a casual breakfast and coffee. Swing by, grab breakfast, and connect with fellow attendees before sessions begin.
How Digitizing FSQA Helps You Gain Respect, Time, and a Seat at the Table
Speakers
Implementing SafetyChain does more than check a box, it builds credibility, earns trust, and gives you a stronger voice in the plant and boardroom. In this session, we’ll explore how smart digital transformation can create lasting cultural and operational improvements across your entire organization.
Breaking Down Silos - How to Align Your Operations & Quality Teams for Maximum Impact
Speakers
Quality and operations teams are both vital to the success of any food & beverage manufacturer, and ensuring their efforts align is key to improved productivity on the production floor, and leads to better reporting for strategic decisions at the enterprise level. This presentation from Grantek and Inductive Automation will share examples of how SafetyChain can integrate with Ignition by Inductive Automation to easily automate operations on the production floor. Tips on how to use the tools you are already paying for to find quick wins at your facility will also be shared.
Ok, You've Got the Data - Now What?
Speakers
You’ve got data in SafetyChain — now what? In this session, we’ll dig into how to actually use that data once it’s been collected to drive better decisions every day and power long-term improvement. From dashboards to trend analysis and audits, we’ll show you how to make your data work harder for you.
The Future of the SafetyChain Summit
Speakers
Big changes are coming, and you're going to want a front-row seat. From our next big location to a growing community kicking off in 2026, this session pulls back the curtain on what’s ahead for the SafetyChain Summit. Join us for exclusive updates, customer-driven enhancements, and a roadmap to make next year’s event your most valuable yet.
Barcode Scanning to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Human Error
Speakers
In this session, Victor Guevara Castañón, Pet Food Plant Engineering Manager at Pilgrim’s Pride, will discuss how the use of barcode scanning for labeling and inventory has increased efficiency and reduced human error across multiple plants. We’ll also dive into the strategy, details, and results to date at Pilgrim’s Pride Pet Food and what's next.
Break & Networking
Master Advanced Workflows That Actually Work
Speakers
Ready to level up? Learn how to build smarter workflows with loops, forks, and in-process math. We’ll walk through a real hold-and-release use case and help you apply what you learn to your own processes.
Streamlining Operations: Task Scheduling for GMP, Pre-Op Checks, and More
Speakers
Join us in this workshop to discover how to leverage SafetyChain's traditional Task Scheduler for critical tasks like GMP, Pre-op checks, Environmental Monitoring, and risk assessments. Learn when and why to use each task type, and explore best practices for configuring Task Schedules to optimize your operations for compliance and efficiency. We'll also provide brief insights into future capabilities, including the new Production-Based Task Scheduler.
Your Forms, Your Way: Customizing Data Collection For The Real World
Speakers
Great forms = better data. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll cover smart design tips to make your forms easier to use and more powerful to report on. We’ll dig into resource tagging, dependencies, identifiers, and more. Bring your laptop—and your questions—and get ready to build together.
Lunch
Take a break, grab a plate, and recharge. Lunch is a great time to relax, connect with other attendees, and swap takeaways from the morning sessions.
Executive Round Table (Invite Only)
Speakers
(Invite Only) Join an exclusive group of senior FSQA leaders for a candid, off-the-record discussion on what’s really working (and what’s not) in today’s food and beverage operations. This closed-door roundtable is your chance to connect with peers who understand the pressures of leading food safety and quality at scale.
Customer Panel: Managing Customer Demands Without Losing Your Mind
Speakers
Meeting customer requirements isn’t optional—it’s essential. In this panel, SafetyChain customers share how they manage audits, specs, and ever-changing demands without losing their minds (or their margins). Hear real stories, lessons learned, and practical tips you can take back to your own team.
Break
Refill your coffee, network, visit our sponsor booths and join us for our next round of breakout sessions.
Optimizing Product Weight and Yield with SPC Tools
Speakers
Stop guessing and start controlling. In this session, you’ll learn how to leverage SafetyChain’s SPC tools—primarily SPC charts and dashboards, plus some Operation Charts—to identify and address weight variations before they lead to costly problems. We’ll dive into real-world examples, show you the best ways to use SPC in LINK, and provide you with the tools to implement it confidently. Plus, hear about upcoming SPC enhancements from our product team.
Barcode Scanning Best Practices to Prevent Errors and Support Traceability
Speakers
Want to reduce human errors and improve label controls? In this session, we’ll show you how barcode scanning works in SafetyChain to prevent mistakes and support traceability needs. We’ll walk you through best practices and demo a form with GS1 barcode fields, so you can see how to build scannable products that minimize errors and enhance accuracy in your processes.
Field & Upstream Auditing with SafetyChain: Extending Quality Beyond the Plant
Speakers
See how SafetyChain customers are extending quality and audit processes into the field—from fruit farms and growing patches to chicken houses and supplier sites. This session shows how mobile-first tools make it easy to capture upstream data, speed up decisions, and get ahead of quality issues before materials hit the plant. Perfect for teams ready to unify audits and leave behind disconnected systems.
Production: Operations + Quality = Success
Speakers
In this product product led session, explore how SafetyChain approaches aligning production and quality to meet your organization’s performance and quality goals.
Break
Refill your coffee, network, visit our sponsor booths and join us for our next round of breakout sessions.
Streamline Investigations and Actions with CAPA
Speakers
In this session, we’ll dive into SafetyChain’s new CAPA module. Whether you're managing quality events, audit findings, or non-conformances, this tool helps you close the loop faster, more consistently, and with full visibility.
How to Master SafetyChain Reporting Basics That Transform Plant Data into Actionable Decisions
Speakers
New to Report Builder? This session covers the LINK essentials- filters, charts, dashboards, and more- to help you turn your collected data into clear, actionable insights. You'll leave with the tools to start building reports for yourself, and your operators.
How to Prove It: Building and Measuring Food Safety Culture
Speakers
SQF Edition 10 raises the stakes with auditable requirements for food safety culture. This session explores how teams are starting to document culture with measurable goals, engagement evidence, and improvement plans that hold up during audits. We’ll also include time for open discussion and Q&A.
Form Building: Advanced Tools for Smarter Data Collection
Speakers
Build smarter forms that do the work for you. In this session, you’ll learn how to build dynamic forms that enforce consistency, calculate in real time, and reduce manual errors—all to deliver more reliable plant data, every time.
Break
Fuel up with another cup of coffee and visit our sponsors to learn about leading manufacturing partners, then head to the workshop of your choice.
Report Builder: Beyond LINK charts - intro to custom reports
Speakers
Turn raw data into insights that matter. In this session, you’ll learn the steps required to begin building custom reports in SafetyChain's report builder—starting with some basics. We’ll teach you the pathways to when and how to use report builder.
Finding the Gaps: Using Downtime & Production Data to Drive Performance
Speakers
Not using automated production tracking yet? No worries. This session shows you how to track downtime and production metrics manually with SafetyChain forms—and turn that data into clear, actionable insights using built-in charts and reports.
Tackle supplier problems head-on with SafetyChain's new SCAR features
Speakers
In this session, we'll preview how SCAR assists with resolving supplier issues.
GFSI and Beyond: Building Digital Programs for Always-On Audit Readiness
Speakers
Learn how SafetyChain customers are using Programs to stay organized and audit-ready. We’ll cover the most common program types, walk through best practices for building internal programs, and show you how to connect the right forms and documentation to make audits faster and easier.
Break
Summit Wrap Up!
Thanks for being part of the 2025 SafetyChain Summit! Head back to the main ballroom for a quick recap, a few final takeaways, and a look at what’s coming next.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Keynote Speaker: Jorge Hernandez, Vice President of Quality Assurance of The Wendy's Company
Keynote Speaker: Jorge Hernandez, Vice President of Quality Assurance of The Wendy's Company
Thank you to Silver Sponsor, SpecRight!
Thank you to Silver Sponsor, SpecRight!
Thank you to Platinum Sponsor, Grantek!
Thank you to Grantek for being a 2025 SafetyChain Summit Platinum Sponsor!
Dinner & Awards Ceremony
We are excited to announce that our SafetyChain Summit Dinner & Awards Ceremony will be hosted at the Fillmore New Orleans located at 6 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130 on Tuesday, October 21 from 6:45 - 9:45pm.
Join us in the courtyard at the Royal Sonesta between 6:00pm-6:15pm to get ready for a second line parade! We’ll gather, line up, and kick things off with some New Orleans flair as we dance our way to the venue in true celebratory style. Don’t be late - you won’t want to miss the music, dancing, and unforgettable start to the evening!
Thank You to Gold Sponsor, Safe Food Alliance!
Thank you to Safe Food Alliance for being a 2025 SafetyChain Summit Gold Sponsor!
New Speaker Added: Victor A Guevara Castanon, Pilgrim's Pride
Welcome to the stage, Victor A Guevara Castanon, Pet Food Engineering Plant Manager at Prilgri’s Pride. Victor will be discussing how Pilgrim’s Pride integrated barcode scanning into their processes to reduce human error.
New Speaker Added: Jennifer Martinez, Seaboard Triumph Foods
Welcome Jennifer Martinez, Corporate FSQA Technology Integration Manager at Seaboard Triumph Foods to the stage. Jennifer will be discussing how Seaboard Triumph Foods drives data efficiency through integrations.
Thank you to Bronze Sponsor, SQFI!
Thank you to SQFI for being a 2025 SafetyChain Summit Bronze Sponsor!
Thank you to Gold Sponsor, Inductive Automation!
Thank you to Inductive Automation for being a 2025 SafetyChain Summit Gold Sponsor!
Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor, mode40!
Thank you to mode40 for being our 2025 SafetyChain Summit Platinum Sponsor!