| 7:30 am to 8:30 am | Breakfast and Registration |
| 8:30 am to 9:00 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
| 9:00 am to 10:00 am | Digesting the Latest GRAS Reforms (Panel) - Lauren Petrin - Mary Beth Schultz |
| 10:00 am to 10:45 am | Plenary Session |
| 10:45 am to 11:15 am | Break |
| 11:15 am to 12:00 pm | The State of Alternative Proteins: A Survey of the Legislation & Litigation Effecting Cell-Cultured Meat This session will provide an in-depth look into the regulatory and statutory landscape for cell-cultured meat. It will examine the unique treatment of cell-cultured proteins on the federal level and will give a comprehensive overview of state laws related to cell-cultured protein bans and labeling requirements. Further, the session will update attendees on recent litigation related to the issue. - Emily Stone Staff Attorney National Agricultural Law Center |
| 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 pm to 2:00 pm | Food Safety and One Health This session highlights Michigan State University’s university wide One Health efforts with a focus on MSU Extension’s leadership in food safety. Learn how Extension translates research into practical, community based solutions - Wade Syers, DsocSci Extension Specialist-Food Safety MSU Extension |
| 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm | AI & Advertising: Navigating the Knowns (and Unknowns) of Legal Compliance in the Food Industry and Beyond (Panel) - Melanie Glover VacaGuzman |
3:00 pm to 3:30 pm | Break |
3:30 pm to 4:15 pm | Plenary Session |
| 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Meet and network with other conference participants in a relaxed setting. |
| 7:45 am to 8:45 am | Breakfast |
| 8:45 am to 9:00 am | Welcome and Recap |
| 9:00 am to 9:45 am | FDA’s Approach to Food Ingredient Safety How does the U.S. FDA determine whether the use of an ingredient in food meets the regulatory safety standard “reasonable certainty of no harm”? This session will introduce FDA’s conventional science‑based approach for identifying credible hazards and evaluating actual risk under the conditions of an ingredient’s use. Dr. Carrie McMahon will briefly outline FDA’s premarket authority under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act before turning to practical examples. Using familiar ingredients, she will illustrate how FDA has traditionally integrated scientific evidence to support its regulatory activities. The goal of this session is to inform the dialogue around the US’s evolving food regulatory landscape and its potential impact on the future of global food law. - Carrie McMahon Owner, Consultant Feed My Mind Regulatory Consulting, LLC |
| 9:45 am to 10:30 am | Inside USDA This session will provide an overview of major USDA developments during the second Trump Administration, focusing on the agency’s evolving approach to food safety, regulatory policy, and its growing alignment with MAHA priorities. The discussion will highlight USDA’s recent actions influenced by MAHA—including work with FDA on ultraprocessed food definitions, updates to nutrition guidelines, and organic certification—alongside other key shifts such as changes in salmonella policy, a court ruling invalidating USDA’s bioengineered food definition, and the operational impacts of widespread layoffs and reorganization. The session will also preview issues expected to shape the upcoming 2026 Farm Bill. - Mary Beth Schultz Partner Wiley Rein LLP |
| 10:30 am to 11:00 am | Break |
| 11:00 am to 12:00 pm | EPR Regulation (Panel) -Glenford Jameson |
| 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 pm to 2:00 pm | Food Dyes: Concern, Context, and Complexities Food dyes have been regulated in the United States for over 100 years, first with the Wiley Act of 1906 and subsequently by the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FD&C) of 1938. Recently, the use, safety, and approval of FD&C-approved, synthetic dyes have come under significant scrutiny, with a significant effort to transition to naturally occurring dyes. In this session, we will discuss the concerns surrounding synthetic food dyes, the nuance surrounding their safety, and why simply changing to something “natural” may not be a simple solution. - Joseph Zagorski Assistant Professor MSU Center for Research on Ingredient Safety |
| 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm | Brazil as a Global Food Power: Technology, Sustainability and the Future of Food Supply Chains The lecture explores how Brazil became one of the world's leading food producers and a key pillar of global food supply chains. It examines the factors behind this transformation, including scientific innovation, large scale tropical agriculture, and the rapid adoptaion of new technologies such as precision farming, satellite monitoring, biotechnology, and digital agricultural plattforms. The presentation also highligths Brazil's role in the production of green energy and its connection to sustainale agriculture systems. It concludes by discussing Brazil's potential contribution to global food security and energy transition. - Maria Lucia Padua Lima Associate Dean, International Affairs Office Fundação Getulio Vargas |
| 2:45 pm to 3:15 pm | Break |
| 3:15 pm to 4:00 pm | Plenary Session |
| 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Evening Social Event - Lansing Shuffle |
| 7:45 am to 8:45 am | Breakfast |
| 8:45 am to 9:00 am | Welcome and Recap |
| 9:00 am to 9:45 am | Plenary Session |
| 9:45 am to 10:30 am | Closing the “Certainty Gap” In an era of real-time data, digital traceability, and powerful analytics, the food industry has never had more tools to prevent outbreaks and protect public health. And yet - across the globe - crises still unfold the same way: early warnings are overlooked, critical signals go unheard, and action comes only after the damage is done. In this unflinching and unforgettable session, Dr. Darin Detwiler challenges attendees to confront a pressing question: Will leaders continue to react only to what’s convenient…or finally act on what’s true and urgent? Drawing on decades of work at the intersection of policy, public health, and innovation, Dr. Detwiler makes a bold argument: Tools can inform, but only leadership can transform. This keynote will expose the blind spots that persist across the food system, reveal the systemic failures behind preventable tragedies, and deliver a compelling vision for a future built not just on compliance, but on conscience. A culture of food safety excellence does not begin with algorithms. It begins with leaders who choose to act before the headlines…who see the invisible, hear the unheard, and lead with the conviction that every signal matters. - Darin Detwiler, LP.D., M.A.Ed. Adjunct Professor MSU College of Law |
| 10:30 am to 11:00 am | Break |
| 11:00 am to 12:00 pm | Plenary Session |
| 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:15 pm to 2:00 pm | From Data to Decisions: Integrating Food Exposure Assessment into Global Food Law for Emerging Risks This session explores how food exposure assessment serves as a critical bridge between science and regulation in addressing emerging food safety challenges. It will highlight how dietary exposure data informs risk-based decision-making for contaminants such as PFAS, pesticide residues, and substances in novel foods. The session will also examine the growing role of AI and big data in refining exposure models and supporting more dynamic regulatory frameworks. Through practical examples, participants will gain insight into how integrating exposure science into food law enhances transparency, strengthens consumer protection, and supports globally harmonized, evidence-based policies. -Elie Bou Yazbeck Assistant to the DG for Technical Affairs Food Sciences & Consumer Protection Expert Ministry of Economy and Trade-Lebanon |
| 2:00 pm to 2:45 pm | Global Food Law in Industry How the Global Food Law Program enhanced my career in an industry setting, influencing work in EMA and strengthening partnerships in industry, academia and regulatory spaces. - Katie Zammit, MJ Sr. Supplier Quality Specialist, Food Ingredients, Cargill |
| 2:45 pm to 3:30 pm | Plenary Session |