Spoiler Alert Food Safety Summit

March 5, 2026
Caboto Centre
Winnipeg Manitoba

Where food safety takes centre stage

This one-day summit brings together food industry professionals to explore current challenges and emerging priorities in food safety, quality assurance, and quality control. Expert-led discussions will focus on a comprehensive array of topics including regulatory compliance, sanitation, pest management, and preparedness for audits, offering practical insights to support continuous improvement and a stronger food safety culture.

Join us for a day of knowledge sharing and information building for food safety, quality assurance and control, and regulatory professionals.

This one-day summit brings together food industry professionals for a focused program of keynote presentations, in-depth technical sessions, and an exclusive “fireside chat panel” to finish the day. It will be an amazing day of knowledge sharing guided by industry experts from across Canada.

Designed for processors, quality assurance and control, food safety leaders, and operations teams, the event explores both regulatory requirements, real-world implementation and future trends and innovations.

Food safety is fundamental to protecting your brand, your customers, and your operations. Beyond the financial risks of recalls or production disruptions, strong food safety systems reinforce the quality, integrity, and trust that consumers expect from today’s food and beverage companies.

The Spoiler Alert Food Safety Summit, presented by Food & Beverage Manitoba, is a focused one-day event bringing together food safety leaders, QA/QC professionals, processors, and food entrepreneurs from across Canada. The agenda explores practical, forward-looking topics and practical insights on sanitation, food defence, digitization, allergen management, inspections, and much more.

Join us on March 5, 2026, at the Caboto Centre for expert presentations, interactive workshops, and peer discussion covering a wide range of critical food safety priorities and innovations.

Feature keynotes and presentation on:

Biofilms on food contact surfaces and sanitation effectiveness
Food defence and food fraud prevention
Digitization of food safety and quality management systems
Allergen management guidelines and control plan implementation
Government inspection readiness and expectations
Industry panel discussion and Q&A on current food safety challenges

Conference Schedule - March 5, 2026

8:30 am	Registration & Breakfast
9:00 am	Opening Remarks
9:15 am	Presentation: Biofilm and Sanitation
9:45 am	Presentation: Food Defence/Food Fraud
10:15 am	Networking
10:30 am	Presentation: Digitization of Food Safety Programs
11:00 am	Presentation: Food allergens management
12 pm	Lunch
1 pm	Presentation: What to expect at an inspection
1:35 pm	Technical Stream (Workshop A): Sani Marc, DGH Engineering, Burnbrae
1:35 pm	Food Safety Culture and Quality (Workshop B): Exceldor, Poulin's, Thermo Design
3:05 pm	Networking
3:30 pm	Leadership and Food Safety Panel Discussion
4:20 pm	Closing Remarks

Insightful Keynotes and Practical Workshops Advancing Food Safety

Our feature keynotes and presenters will expertly present on topics such as biofilms on food contact surfaces and sanitation effectiveness, food defence and food fraud prevention, digitization of food safety and quality management systems, allergen management guidelines and control plan implementation, government inspection readiness and expectations, and an industry panel discussion with Q&A on current food safety challenges — delivering practical insights, regulatory updates, and emerging best practices that help food processors strengthen compliance, protect consumers, and advance a resilient, future-ready food safety culture.

Claudia Narvaez

Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba Food Microbiologist

Dr. Claudia Narvaez is a full Professor of Food Microbiology at the University of Manitoba with extensive experience in food safety research and industry collaboration. Her research examines the persistence of foodborne pathogens in food processing environments, with a strong focus on biofilm formation on food contact surfaces and the effectiveness of sanitation and intervention strategies. She works closely with industry partners to translate research findings into practical solutions that support food safety and regulatory compliance.

Presentation: Biofilms and Persistent Pathogens: Challenges for Sanitation Programs

Sum Yin Yang

Burnbrae Farms, Processing Plant Manager

With over 16 years of experience in the food industry, Sum Yin Tang has been involved in supporting change management and continuous improvement initiatives across quality and operations. She holds certifications as a PMI Project Management Professional, ASQ Food Safety and Quality Auditor, and BRCGS‑certified professional. While working at Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods as a Quality Management System Manager, she had the opportunity to contribute to improvements aligned with the BRC Global Standards and was honored to be part of a team recognized with the Best Use of the BRC Global Standards to Drive Change Award.

Currently, Sum Yin serves as the Processing Plant Manager at Burnbrae Farms, where she focuses on fostering a strong food safety culture and supporting ongoing process improvements. One of her contributions includes helping implement a fully electronic quality management system, enabling a paperless and audit‑ready approach that supports efficiency and compliance.

Melissa Joaquin

Exceldor Director of Food Safety, Quality, and Animal Welfare

Melissa Joaquin is the Director of Quality Assurance and Animal Welfare at Sofina Foods, bringing nearly three decades of expertise in pork and poultry manufacturing in Manitoba. Throughout her 29‑year career with various companies, she has held progressive leadership roles—including HACCP Coordinator, Production Supervisor, Customer Service Manager, and Quality Assurance Manager—building deep expertise in meat processing operations, Canadian regulatory compliance, export requirements, GFSI standards, and environmental monitoring programs.

Melissa is an active contributor to Canada’s food industry. She previously served as Chair of the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council’s Processing Operations Technical Committee (2019–2022) and as Chair of the Manitoba chapter of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology (2006–2008).

Melissa is a graduate of the University of Manitoba with a B.Sc. in Agriculture (Food Science).

beatrice Povolo

Director, Food Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Food Allergy Canada

Beatrice is the Director, Food Safety & Regulatory Affairs at Food Allergy Canada. In this capacity, she leads the organization’s food safety initiatives, working with both government and industry stakeholders, with a specific focus on access to accurate ingredient information in food labelling and foodservice. She is actively involved in international discussions related to allergen management as a member of the Health Canada delegation for the CODEX Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) and collaborates internationally with other patient organizations globally. Beatrice is currently the Project Management Lead for a multi-stakeholder initiative for the development of Allergen Management and Precautionary Allergen Labelling Guidelines for the Canadian food industry. She graduated from the University of Toronto, with an Honours BA in political science and economics.

Silvia dominquez

Research Associate, Université Laval

Dr. Dominguez is a food engineer specialized in food safety risk assessment, allergen management, statistical analysis, and data modeling. She holds an MSc and a PhD in Food Science from Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA). After graduation, she worked as a food microbiologist for the food industry in the United States, before returning to research and consulting in 2016. She currently works as a research associate at the Food Risk Analysis and Regulatory Excellence Platform, hosted by the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) of Université Laval (Quebec, Canada), where she manages research projects on allergens and food fraud, industry outreach activities, and food safety capacity building initiatives for competent authorities at the international level.

lincoln poulin

President, Poulin's Pest Control

Lincoln Poulin has been exclusively active in all areas of pest management for over 26 years. He is the President of Poulin’s Pest Control, a 3^rd generation pest management professional (aka Exterminator), and provides a variety of pest management services across western Canada.

Lincoln was responsible for developing protocols for bed bugs when they broke out in Canada for hotels, apartments, hospitals, low-income housing, and numerous other locations.

Recently, he has been consulting/working with Alberta rat control and ensuring Alberta is rat-free.

Lincoln holds pesticide licenses in 4 different provinces in a variety of different categories.

Danni kneeland

Co-founder, Food Safety Solutions

Danni Kneeland, co-founder of Food Safety Solutions has extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in all aspects of food safety, including operational food safety management, auditing and regulatory compliance. She is a natural trainer and is passionate about teaching; in fact, she facilitates almost all of Food Safety Solutions certified training programs. Danni loves working with industry leaders to help them build and manage sustainable food safety programs. She is a great Project Manager and has lead many companies to successfully attain GFSI certification. Danni excels at helping food businesses navigate the complicated food safety regulatory landscape and works closely with all of the consultants to help them achieve compliance goals.

tanguy etoga

Founder, Normex

Tanguy Etoga founded NORMEX to modernize how the food industry protects consumers, drawing on early career experience in food safety compliance where he encountered the challenges of audits, supplier management, and fragmented systems. These experiences shaped his view that food safety extends beyond regulatory compliance to a direct responsibility for public health. He developed NORMEX as a software platform that replaces manual records and spreadsheets with real-time, actionable workflows, helping organizations strengthen compliance, improve efficiency, and foster a stronger culture of safety. Grounded in practical industry experience, Etoga promotes environments where accountability, vigilance, and pride in food safety are embedded across teams, and through speaking, mentorship, and continued innovation, he advances the principle that every improvement in food safety ultimately protects consumers, families, and communities.

greg adrian

Food Safety Branch, Manitoba Agriculture

Greg holds a BSc in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba and began his career with the Food Safety Branch as a field inspector, conducting nearly 1,000 inspections across Manitoba in facilities ranging from beef and bakeries to breweries and specialty products. His experience includes both processed food inspections and meat hygiene oversight in provincial abattoirs. For the past decade, he has served in a supervisory role and currently leads the province’s team of five food processing inspectors. Greg has also contributed to enforcement efforts as a lead investigator on tickets and court cases, and remains committed to supporting inspectors and processors while helping maintain public confidence in Manitoba’s food safety system.

Scheduled Workshops to Inspire and Motivate

Join our dynamic workshops designed to inspire innovation in the food processing industry, one of Canada’s largest manufacturing sectors. These sessions dive deep into cutting-edge technologies, strategies, and solutions driving the future of food production. From improving efficiency to tackling sustainability challenges, our workshops connect industry leaders and changemakers to create a unified focus on building a sustainable, more resilient future. Be part of the conversation shaping the path forward for sustainable growth in food processing!

Featured image for “Spoiler Alert Food Safety Summit”

2025 Food Tech Eco-systems in Canada

Presented by CFIN

10:30 am

The Foodtech in Canada: 2025 Ecosystem Report is a comprehensive exploration of Canada’s rapidly growing foodtech sector. This session will delve into the report’s key takeaways, highlighting significant achievements, ongoing challenges, and groundbreaking innovations that are reshaping how food is produced, shared, and enjoyed. From plant-based proteins to upcycled ingredients, attendees will gain insights into how Canada is addressing global challenges and advancing its position as a foodtech trailblazer. Emerging Canadian CEOs who are leveraging foodtech to gain a competitive advantage will join CFIN CEO Dana McCauley to discuss how the report’s insights are impacting real Prairie businesses.

Panelists:

Shawn Leggett: Shawn is the President and founder of GroundUp eco-ventures, an agri-food startup that utilizes leading edge cleantech to eliminate waste streams from the coffee and craft brewery industries. GroundUp is the only company in North America that currently upcycles spent coffee grounds into both an essential oil and a functional flour and is also a leader in the upcycling of spent grain in Canada. Shawn holds a diploma in Petroleum Engineering Technology from SAIT and an MBA from Royal Roads University.

Giving Food More Time: Tackling Food Waste Through Innovation

Presented by Apeel Sciences

2:15 pm

Food waste is a global challenge with staggering environmental and economic implications. If food waste was a country, it would be the biggest emitter. Join this illuminating workshop led by Apeel Sciences, a company revolutionizing how we think about food preservation. By giving produce more time, Apeel not only helps prevent food waste but also reduces the waste of valuable resources and the greenhouse gas emissions that come with it, all while challenging us to rethink what needs to be refrigerated and what does not.

Founded in 2012, Apeel Sciences' mission has been to provide safer and more sustainable alternatives to traditional post-harvest solutions, with the ultimate goal of using plant-based ingredients to reduce food waste and increase access to fresh produce for all. In 2023 alone, Apeel's products prevented 60 million pieces of produce from going to waste, resulting in an avoidance of 9,000 mT CO₂-eq GHG emissions (equivalent to planting 151,600 trees) and a savings of 2.7 billion liters of water (equivalent to 1,100 Olympic-sized swimming pools).

Whether you’re a producer, retailer, or food enthusiast, you’ll leave this session inspired to tackle food waste with practical, innovative tools that benefit people, the planet, and your bottom line.

Jenny Du is Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Operations at Apeel Sciences. Jenny earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Chemistry and her PhD in Chemistry from Queen’s University, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California Santa Barbara prior to co-founding Apeel Sciences. She has also been recognized on Inc.’s 2021 Female Founders 100 List and as Produce Business' Top 40 Under 40 Class of 2021. More than anything, Jenny loves what she does and hopes to share that excitement and enthusiasm with others.

ESG Fundamentals for Competitiveness and Productivity

Sponsored by BDC and CANZA

2:15 PM

As businesses face regulatory uncertainty south of the border and a Canadian election spotlighting the Carbon Tax, this workshop will explore why ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) reporting and strategy are critical, regardless of political outcomes. Join our industry experts from BDC and CANZA as they share insights into how ESG fundamentals not only enhance compliance but drive productivity and competitiveness in the agri-food and agri-food processing sectors.

Workshop Objectives

Understand ESG’s Strategic Importance: Learn why ESG should be a core part of your business strategy, irrespective of shifting political dynamics in Canada or the U.S.
Focus on Productivity and Competitiveness: Explore how ESG principles can enhance operational efficiency, productivity, and market positioning.
Bridge Regulatory and Market Gaps: Gain clarity on emerging ESG regulations and practical approaches to prepare your business.
Leverage ESG as a Market Advantage: Learn how creating markets for ESG-related benefits can transform value chains and support sustainable growth.

CANZA is Canada’s leading multi-stakeholder agriculture alliance focused on progressing a resilient agri-food system. They bring together farmers, industry, government, and academia to co-create and accelerate solutions toward a sustainable, profitable, and productive agri-food future. We are a solution space of Generate Canada, a charitable organization that seeks to generate solutions for a strong and inclusive economy that thrives within nature’s limits.

Nick Betts, Managing Director, CANZA: Nick is the inaugural Managing Director for the Canadian Alliance for Net-Zero Agri-food. He is an action-driven, strategy-guided leader in building and deploying opportunities that drive positive climate impact across the agri-food industry. With a background spanning roles in farm associations, agricultural ministries, international industry associations, and global climate consulting, Nick’s unique perspective and experiences catalyze innovative and implementable solutions from boots to the boardroom. Through his 15+ years working in agricultural sustainability, Nick brings a robust international industry and academic network, experience in leading global initiatives in regenerative agriculture and a deeply seeded understanding and awareness of Canadian agriculture and farming communities.

Philippe Achkar currently serves as the Director of Innovation & Impact within the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)’s Advisory Services practice. He leads key projects on sustainability, artificial intelligence and industrial automation, helping Canadian SMEs drive growth and productivity while strengthening their resilience to the significant challenges of our times. Philippe’s diverse background includes strategic roles in the aviation and aerospace sector, focused on market penetration strategies across emerging markets, as well as public policy roles focused on business taxation, foreign direct investment attraction and the integration of southern goods, products and produce in global value chains.

Beyond the Plate: Redefining the Protein Paradigm through Whole-Resource Utilization and Innovative Thinking

Presented by Protein MB

10:30 am

Join us for a dynamic panel discussion with industry experts, researchers, and innovators. This session will highlight groundbreaking research and out-of-the-box thinking that could transform how we produce, consume, and perceive protein. From leveraging the whole plant or animal to creating new markets for by-products, this conversation aims to inspire and challenge conventional approaches, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient protein industry.

Panelists

Dr. Filiz Koksel, MSc, PhD, EIT
Associate Professor Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
Food and Human Nutritional Sciences Department
University of Manitoba

Dr. Poonam Singh, Ph.D., MSc, BSc
Professor & Researcher Horticultural Sciences
Russ Edwards School of Agriculture & Environment
Assiniboine College

Dr. Jitendra Paliwal, Ph.D., P.Eng., FEC
Vice President, Research and Innovation
University of Winnipeg