NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting

Held annually, the NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting provides an opportunity for regional partners to connect in person to discuss current training, education and outreach trends and activities related to the FSMA associated Produce Safety Rule and the Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule.

Register now! NECAFS Virtual Summer Check-In

Wednesday, July 16th 9:00 - 11:00am - Full regional NECAFS Meeting

Thursday, July 17th 9:00 - 11:00 - Topic based concurrent sessions (Produce Safety educators, Produce Safety regulators and program staff, and Preventive Controls educators and regulators).

The NECAFS Virtual Summer Meeting is designed to foster continued connection, collaboration, and communication across our regional network between our annual in-person gatherings. This meeting offers a valuable opportunity to share updates from NECAFS, engage in topic-based discussions, and strengthen relationships among partners.

This mid-year touchpoint supports our collective efforts by providing dedicated time for regional dialogue, peer learning, and strategic coordination. Whether you're involved in education, outreach, research, or implementation, this meeting is for anyone working to advance food safety and collaborative initiatives across the Northeast.

Registration

All participants are encouraged to register for two components of the NECAFS Virtual Summer Meeting:

  1. The Full Regional NECAFS Meeting – July 16, 2025
    This session is open to all and will include regional updates, shared learning opportunities, and time to connect across the Northeast produce safety community.
  2. A Concurrent Session Based on Your Role - July 17, 2025
    In addition to the full meeting, attendees should also register for one concurrent session that aligns most closely with their work within the produce community. These sessions are designed to provide focused discussions and peer exchange tailored to specific roles and interests.

Register for: Full Regional NECAFS Meeting Preventive Controls Educator and Regulator Meeting Produce Safety Educator Meeting Produce Safety Regulator and Program Staff Meeting Draft Agendas

SessionAgenda
Full Regional NECAFS Meeting
Produce Safety Educators
Produce Safety Regulators and Program Staff
Preventive Controls Educators and Regulators

Summary of 2024 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Portland, ME

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The 2024 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting was held in Portland, ME, January 23 & 24. The agenda and meeting materials are provided below.

Summary Evaluation Report for 2024 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting

Full Agenda with Slides
DateSessionMaterials
Jan. 23, 2024Welcome 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

  • Chris Callahan, Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS) (Slides)
  • Annie Fitzgerald, NECAFS
  • Sean Fogarty, NECAFS
  • Anna Loewald, NECAFS
  • Elizabeth Newbold, NECAFS
 Integrated Research and Extension for Enhanced Food Safety

Integrated Research and Extension for Enhanced Food Safety

Intent: Gain clarity around why it is important to integrate research and extension and how we might do it in our region.

Connecting Research and Extension

Case Study Panel: Cleaning and Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces in Apple Harvesting & Storage

  • Craig Kahlke (Cornell) (Slides)
  • Laura Strawn & Alexis Hamilton (VA Tech) (Slides)
  • Wendy Johnecheck (UNH), Moderator (Slides)

Translating Science: Development of Educational Tools

Risk-Based Decision Support Tool

  • Chris Callahan (NECAFS), Betsy Bihn & Laura Pineda-Bermudez (Cornell) (Slides)

Assessing Animal Intrusion and Contamination Risk Tool

  • Robert Hadad (Cornell), Lisa McKeag (UMass), Anna Loewald (NECAFS) (Slides)

The Agricultural Water Risk Management Tool

  • Phil Tocco (MSU), Don Stoeckel (PSA), Annalisa Hultberg (UMN) (Slides)
Jan. 24, 2024Integrated Produce Safety Regulatory, Educational, and Research Meeting

Intent: Understand how produce safety priority research areas are determined and how can observational data be used to frame a regional research roadmap.

A Look Inside Produce Safety Research Planning

FDA Organization and Research Function in Produce Safety

  • Adam Baker, Stephen Hughes, & Rebecca Bell (FDA) (Slides)

University Researchers and How Produce Safety Research is Prioritized by Academic Scientists

  • Kali Kniel (UDE) (Slides)
  • Shirley Micallef (UMD) (Slides)
  • Jennifer Perry (UME)

Review of Regional Data: Observations of On-farm Practices

Overview of Regional Aggregated Northeast Inspectional Observations from 2023

On-Farm Readiness Review and CONTACT Industry Survey Results

  • Meredith Melendez (Rutgers) (Slides)
 Preventive Controls for Human Food Workgroup Meeting

Processors’ Food Safety Toolkit

Overview and early usage trends

  • Annie Fitzgerald, University of Vermont and Beth Demmings, Cornell University (Slides)

Regional PCHF Course Evaluation Tool

Launch of regionally developed tool to collect PCHF evaluation and processor educational needs data 

  • Nicole Richard, University of Rhode Island (Slides)

Exploring Projects with Creative Approach to Implementation and Their Successes

Improving the Development of Food Safety Plans through the Advanced Preventive Controls School Initiative

  • Byron Chaves-Elizondo, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Slides)

Development and Implementation of a Hands-on Food Safety and Regulatory Curriculum for Members of Shared-use Commercial Kitchens in Florida

  • Matt Krug, University of Florida (Slides)

Building Capacity: Customized Food Safety Educaiton and Outreach in Rhode Island

  • Nicole Richard, University of Rhode Island (Slides)

Food Safety Management and Document Development for PCHF Rule Qualified Exemption-Eligible Food Facilities

  • Abby Snyder, Cornell University (Slides)

Multi-Modal Dairy Food Safety Plan Education to Support Small and Medium Dairy Producers

  • Sam Alcaine, Cornell University

Summary of 2023 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Hartford, CT

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Summary of 2022 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Virtual

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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.

All videos from the meeting are available on the NECAFS YouTube channel.

Summary of 2021 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Virtual

Summary of 2020 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Philadelphia, PA

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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.

All videos from the meeting are available on the NECAFS YouTube channel.

Summary of 2019 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Albany, NY

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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.

HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

Summary of 2018 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Baltimore, MD

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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:

VIDEO FROM 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND MEETING

Summary of 2017 NECAFS Annual Conference and Meeting - Boston, MA

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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.