Registration is NOW OPEN for the in-person NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting which will be held jointly with our Northeast Region State Produce Implementation Cooperative Agreement Program (CAP) partners. The meeting will be held January 18-19, 2023 (with a welcome reception on Tuesday night, January 17th) at the CT Convention Center in Hartford, CT.
This meeting is not limited to only those in the Northeast. It is an open meeting and absolutely anyone interested is welcome to attend.
Conference Venue and Hotel Details
CONFERENCE VENUE
CT Convention Center
100 Columbus Blvd
Hartford, CT 06103
Registration fee: $260
HOTEL BLOCK
Hartford Marriott Downtown
200 Columbus Blvd
Hartford, CT 06103
Government rate: $132 per night
Non-government rate: $248 per night
HOTEL ROOM BOOKING LINKS
Government rate:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1670528742995&key=GRP&app=resvlink
Non-government rate:
https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1670529040489&key=GRP&app=resvlink
For those paying for their own hotel room please note: We have a block of rooms reserved at the Hartford Marriott Downtown and you will need to make your own hotel reservations through the booking links provided above. The Government rate is only available to those with a government ID. We also have a block of non-government rate rooms for our non-government partners.
For those using NECAFS financial support (see financial support section below for more information on eligibility) and NOT paying for their own hotel room please note: NECAFS will make hotel reservations on your behalf at the Hartford Marriott Downtown based on the information you provide as part of the conference registration process. If you need to change your hotel reservations after completing your registration, please email Elizabeth Newbold with any adjustments to your reservation. Do not call the hotel directly.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
If needed, registration and lodging financial support are available. We will provide financial support for those without funding (grant or otherwise). NECAFS strives to make the Annual Meeting accessible for all partners. So, if you are working in food safety but do not have funding to pay registration and lodging costs, please select "NECAFS will be paying for my registration" when you register. If you do NOT need financial support because you will be paying with CAP funding, external grant funding, or another source, please select "I will be paying for my registration" when you register.
REGISTRATION
Direct Link: https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=726610&
AGENDA
January 17th - 4:00 - 6:00pm
- Welcome Reception
January 18th - 8:00 - 3:30pm
- NE Produce Safety Regulator and Program Staff Meeting - (Click for agenda)
- Educator Meeting for Produce Safety and Preventive Controls - (Click for agenda)
- 4:00 - 6:00pm - Poster Session
January 19th - 8:00 - 3:30pm
- Produce Safety Workgroup Meeting - (Click for agenda)
- Preventive Controls Workgroup Meeting - (Click for agenda)
CONTACT
If you have any questions at all, please email Elizabeth Newbold
Summary of 2022 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Virtual
The 2022 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held jointly virtually, January 18th, 19th, & 20th, jointly with the Northeast Regulator One-Day Working Meeting. The agenda and meeting materials are provided below.
| Date | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 18, 2022 | Regulator One Day Meeting | Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Drafting a Memorandum of Understanding Between States and Lead State Determination Tool Development
Breakout Group Sessions
Summary of Regional Misunderstanding and Noncompliance Issues Observed During Inspections
NASDA Update Presentation
FDA Presentation – Office of Regulatory Affairs and State Field Work
Breakout Group Session by Authority
Closing Remarks
|
| Jan. 19, 2022 | Welcome and Plenary Session | NECAFS Background & History, Current Work Plan, and Connection to Past Annual Meetings and to the current work of THIS YEAR’s Annual Meeting (Slides)
|
| Produce Safety Workgroup Meeting | Welcome and Review Group’s Previous Discussion Recap of 2021 Produce Safety Workgroup discussion and NECAFS activities (Slides)
Regional Consolidation of Inspectional Observations (Slides)
Initiatives to Address Worker Training in 2021 (Slides)
Regulatory Overview of Worker Training
Inspector Panel - Articulation of Worker Trainings Issues Seen On-Farm across Northeast
Breakout Group Sessions
| |
| Preventive Controls for Human Food Workgroup Meeting | State Preventive Controls for Human Food Inspector Panel Roll out of Preventive Controls inspections, what they are seeing on the ground, areas of noncompliance and misunderstanding
Snapshot of Food Processing and Safety in the Northeast (Slides)
Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance Update General FSPCA Updates (Slides)
FSPCA Curriculum Update
Working Group Introduction and Updates (Slides)
Evaluation subgroup update
Resources subgroup update
Awareness subgroup update
| |
| Jan. 20, 2022 | Plenary Session | FDA CFSAN Northeast Update (Slides)
|
| Produce Safety Workgroup Meeting | Bridging the Gap between Research and Application Summary Overview of NECAFS Work (Slides)
Risk-Based Thinking and Applying Process to Example Scenario
Breakout Group Sessions (Slides)
| |
| Preventive Controls for Human Food Workgroup Meeting | Needs Assessment, Review of findings
Discuss current workgroup activities, needs, new activities, and structural changes
|
Session Video Recordings
All videos from the meeting are available on the NECAFS YouTube channel.
Summary of 2021 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Virtual
The 2021 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held jointly virtually, February 16th, 17th, & 18th, jointly with the Northeast Regulator One-Day Working Meeting. The agenda and meeting materials are provided below.
| Date | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 16, 2021 | Regulator One Day Meeting | Welcome and Introductory Remarks
Mandatory Farm Registration
Group Exercise and Break Outs on Topics where Guidance is Lacking
Program Standards
Research and Education Needs
Concurrent Meetings
|
| Feb. 17, 2021 | Welcome and Plenary Session | Summary of next steps articulated at past Annual Meetings, NECAFS 2020 project outputs and collaboration exercises
|
| Produce Safety Workgroup Meeting | Welcome and Review Group’s Previous Discussion
Review of audit data from USDA
Report-out from regulator one-day working meeting, a consolidation of inspectional observations from across the region
Break Outs Groups
Break Out Groups
Break Out Groups
| |
| Preventive Controls for Human Food Workgroup Meeting | General FSPCA Updates
FDA Update: Overview and description of PC inspectional roll-out in the Northeast
PC Needs Assessment: Review of findings and gaps in data
Review of PC Sub-group Goals
Supgroup Updates | |
| Feb. 18, 2021 | Federal Updates | FDA CFSAN Northeast Update
|
Session Video Recordings
All videos from the meeting are available on the NECAFS YouTube channel.
Summary of 2020 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Philadelphia, PA
The 2020 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held February 10-12 in Philadelphia, PA, jointly with the Northeast Region Produce Safety Workgroup. The agenda and meeting materials are provided below.
Summary Report of 2020 Annual Conference and Meeting Evaluations
| Date | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 11, 2020 | Breakfast and Welcome Remarks |
|
| Welcome and Plenary Session | Summary of next steps articulated at past Annual Meetings, NECAFS 2019 project outputs and collaboration exercises
| |
| Project Updates from the Region | Summary of projects across the region Project specific presentations
| |
| Produce Safety Workgroup Meeting | Produce Safety Alliance Update
Summary of On-Farm Readiness Review Evaluations
Growers Perspective – OFRR and Farm Inspections
Produce Safety Research Consortium
Group Discussion
| |
| Preventive Controls for Human Food Workgroup Meeting | Needs Assessment Review and Summary Results
FDA Update
FSPCA Update
Supgroup Updates | |
| Feb. 12, 2020 | Federal Updates |
|
| Produce Safety Needs Assessment Workgroup Meeting | Summary of Local Food Safety Collaborative Needs Assessment Survey Report
NECAFS Food Safety Needs Assessment Systematic Review
| |
| Buyer Workgroup Meeting | Welcome and Introduction to Meeting and Review of 2019 Albany Meeting and Developing a Handbook of Produce Safety Standards for Buyers
Vermont Produce Program: Buyer Outreach Initiative Development of State Implementation Matrix
|
Session Video Recordings
All videos from the meeting are available on the NECAFS YouTube channel.
Summary of 2019 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Albany, NY
The 2019 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held February 4-6 in Albany, NY, jointly with the Northeast Region Produce Safety Workgroup. The agenda and meeting materials are provided below.
Summary Report of 2019 Annual Conference and Meeting Evaluations
| Date / Time | Session | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| February 4 | Welcome Reception | None |
| February 5 | Plenary | NECAFS Highlights, Look Ahead, and Meeting Expectations - C. Callahan |
| State and Regional Updates | Summary of Regional State Updates (Report) - E. Newbold | |
Project Specific Presentations Rhode Island - L. Pivarnik, S. McCormick, A. Fraser National Young Farmers Coalition - C. Fraver - Slides Cornell Cooperative Extention - B. Williams Penn State Extention - M. Gorgo-Gourovitch Notes (included in State and Regional Update notes) | ||
| Produce Safety Workgroup | ||
Regulatory Focus Agenda | ||
| Preventive Controls for Human Food Workgroup | Slides | |
| February 6 | Federal Updates | FDA Updates - S. Hughes USDA AMS Updates - K. Peterson USDA NIFA Updates - J. Williams |
| Buyer Workgroup | ||
| Educational Approaches to Training Delivery | ||
| Summary of Workgroup Outputs and Next Steps | Notes |
Highlight Video
Summary of 2018 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Baltimore, MD
The 2018 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held Jan. 23-25 in Baltimore, MD, held jointly with the Northeast Region Produce Safety Workgroup. Agenda for the Conference and Meeting included:
Tuesday, January 23rd
- Focused meeting day, in two parallel tracks, dedicated to:
- Produce Safety, and
- Preventive Controls for Human Food
Wednesday, January 24th
- Joint conference session:
- Keynote speaker
- Updates from each state regulatory, research and extension
- Three panel sessions featuring producers, processors and buyers.
Wednesday Evening, January 24th
- Poster session that
- Highlighted poster presentations on extension, education and outreach activities across the region
Thursday, January 25th
- NECAFS Steering Team Meeting
Evaluation from 2018 Annual Conference and Meeting
Attendees at the 2018 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting completed program evaluations. This evaluation asked questions about the Annual Conference and Meeting as well as overall NECAFS programming. Please download the full report here.
NECAFS Summary Evaluation Report
Video from 2018 Annual Conference and Meeting
All videos from the meeting are available on the NECAFS YouTube channel.
Summary of 2017 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Boston, MA
The 2017 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held January 10, 2017 in Boston, MA. Below is a full summary report and presenations from the meeting.
