What does sustainability mean to the foodservice industry? What are practical safeguards for fresh produce? Can best practices at the unit level be your best preventative measure against a Norovirus outbreak?

These were just a few of the issues tackled at the Ecolab-sponsored Nation’s Restaurant News Food Safety Symposium September 15-17 at the Charlotte, N.C., campus of Johnson & Wales University. This second annual event was held as part of National Food Safety Month and attracted foodservice operators from across the United States.

“With food safety issues continuing to dominate local and national headlines, it is imperative that business leaders and top companies come together to find workable solutions to address these concerns for the benefit of the entire industry,” said Dr. Katherine M.J. Swanson, Vice President of Food Safety for Ecolab. “That’s why Ecolab is so passionate about partnering with NRN to host this symposium. It’s an event that complements the work Ecolab does everyday through our 360° of Protection program, which applies a comprehensive approach to help customers recognize the potential food safety threats before they become major problems.”

This year’s keynote speaker at the symposium was Dr. Donna Garran, Vice President of Health & Safety Regulatory Affairs for the National Restaurant Association. In her address, “Collaboration for the Greater Good of the Industry,” Garran also discussed how the sharing of information and best practices among foodservice operations will be key factors in helping maintain customer satisfaction and growth for the industry in the coming years.

Other symposium topics included a panel discussion on “Making the Case for Food Safety within your Organization,” moderated by Robin Allen, Executive Editor/Enterprise Reports for the NRN and featuring Bob Sherwood, Vice President and General Manager for EcoSure, the food safety arm of Ecolab; and a panel discussion on “Norovirus: Can Best Practices at Unit Level be your Best Preventative Measure?,” moderated by Peter Romeo, Executive Editor of NRN Online, and featuring Ecolab’s Swanson. The conference ended with a “Crisis Management Workshop” where all attendee’s were invited to participate in an interactive, roundtable discussion to share information and solutions on a variety of safety concerns.

With sales of $5 billion and more than 13,000 sales-and-service associates, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to the foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.

(ECL-C)