HOUSTON – The chief executives of seven multinational food companies are scheduled to speak at the 2017 Global Food Safety Conference hosted by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF). The event will be held in Houston, Texas from Feb. 27 to March 2.

Speakers will include Dave MacLennan, CEO of Cargill, Emmanuel Faber, CEO of Danone, Doug Baker, CEO of Ecolab, John P. Bilbrey, CEO of The Hershey Company, Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Mondel?z, Tom Hayes, incoming CEO of Tyson Foods and Danny Wegman, CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. The focus of the conference is the role of food safety leadership through the Global Food Safety Initiative.

“Our conference theme this year is “Leadership for Growth,” Peter Begg, GFSI board member and chair of the conference Programme Committee said in a statement. “The work that GFSI is doing on food safety is not only about compliance to regulations and standards, but supports the efforts to feed a growing population that according to estimates will reach 9 billion people by 2050. We have structured the program to address many of the areas that will enable the food industry to meet these challenges in the coming years. As food safety is non-competitive and one food safety problem can impact every company in the food chain, we must collaborate to ensure that on food safety, all boats rise with the tide.”

More than 1,000 delegates from more 60 countries are expected to attend the 2017 conference. The conference also will be the site for working group meetings, special sessions, networking events and off-site tours before, during and after the conference.