Edition overview
On April 29 and 30, 2024, Cancún became the Latin American epicenter of food safety, quality and agri-food sustainability. Organized by Grupo Delcen, the Latam Food Safety Congress 2024 brought together global leaders, regulators, certification bodies, industry executives and academics for two days of intense technical, strategic and networking exchange.
A World-Class Plenary Program
The event began with an institutional opening led by Francisco Javier Calderón Elizalde, Director General of SENASICA, and Joaquín Nava, CEO of Grupo Delcen, giving way to a robust agenda focused on the sector's most pressing challenges:
- Food Safety Culture and Leadership: Keynotes by leaders such as Frank Yiannas (former FDA Commissioner) and José María Pérez (B&G Foods), focused on the cultural transformation of organizations and modern leadership as a cornerstone of management systems.
- Global Regulatory Harmonization: Discussion panels with the strategic participation of the FDA, USDA, SENASICA (represented by Leandro David Soriano) and Tom Heilandt (former Secretary of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission), covering the FSMA legal framework, business continuity and cross-border trade.
- GFSI Standards and Certification Bodies: Debates with key representatives of BRCGS (Merce Sánchez), FSSC Foundation (Juliani Arimura), SQFI (Julián Poveda and Luis Cruz) and IFS (Daniela Poblete), discussing the FSSC v6 update, the suspension of certification bodies and deeper food safety audits.
- Emerging Technology and Industry 4.0: Sessions on Artificial Intelligence applied to the food chain, next-generation traceability (Smarter Food Safety) and food fraud vulnerability assessment with Nikos Manouselis (Agroknow), John Spink (Michigan State University), Sterling Crew (Food Authenticity Network) and Quincy Lissaur (SSAFE).
- Sustainability, Packaging and New Challenges: Specialized analysis of emerging contaminants (MOSH/MOAH), sustainable packaging, adoption of the GLOBALG.A.P. scheme (Marcos Villegas) and socio-environmental strategies to reduce food loss together with the Mexican Food Bank Network (BAMX).
- Women Leaders in Food Safety: A standout panel highlighting the careers, passion and leadership impact of women executives from iconic companies such as Sigma Alimentos, PepsiCo, WestRock and StarKist Co.
Venue: Cancún, Quintana Roo. Dates: April 29–30, 2024.
A Space for Strategic Connection
Beyond the academic program, the congress offered a first-class Trade Expo and Networking area, capped by an Opening Cocktail that fostered strategic alliances between solution providers, auditors and the main decision-makers of the agri-food supply chain in Mexico and Latin America.
The Latam Food Safety Congress Cancún 2024 strengthened Grupo Delcen's commitment to raising technical and compliance capabilities in Latin America, pointing the way toward a safer, more transparent and sustainable food industry.
439
Attendees
26
Speakers
20
Exhibitors
22
Talks
Program
Day 1 — April 29
- 8:00 – 8:30
Opening ceremony and message from Francisco Javier Calderón Elizalde, Director General of SENASICA
Speaker: Joaquín Nava, CEO of Delcen, and Francisco Javier Calderón Elizalde, Director General of SENASICA
- 8:30 – 9:30
The impact of food safety culture on food chain organizations
Speaker: Frank Yiannas, Former FDA Commissioner
- 9:30 – 10:00
Modern leadership. A cornerstone of culture programs
Speaker: José María Pérez, Food Safety, Quality and R&D Manager, B&G Foods
- 10:00 – 10:30
Food safety culture. Beyond surveys: key aspects and a development path
Speaker: Joaquín Nava, CEO of Delcen
- 10:30 – 11:00
Coffee break in the trade expo area
- 11:00 – 12:00
Panel: Suspension of certification bodies and the need for deeper audits
Speaker: Jessica Burke (BRCGS), Juliani Arimura (FSSC), Luis Cruz (SQFI) and Daniela Poblete (IFS)
- 12:00 – 12:40
FSSC Foundation: Challenges in version 6 of the scheme
Speaker: Juliani Arimura, FSSC Foundation
- 12:40 – 13:20
SQFI: Food safety and profitability — real conflict or misunderstood synergy?
Speaker: Julián Poveda, South America Representative at SQFI, and Luis Alberto Cruz, Mexico and Central America Representative at SQFI
- 13:20 – 14:00
BRCGS Food Safety V9: Review of the main non-conformities in certification audits
Speaker: Merce Sánchez, BRCGS
- 14:00 – 15:00
Lunch on your own
- 15:00 – 15:45
European lessons on food authenticity and fraud
Speaker: Sterling Crew, President of the Food Authenticity Network
- 15:45 – 16:30
FFVA vulnerability assessment. Practical cases with the SSAFE tool
Speaker: Quincy Lissaur, Executive Director of SSAFE
- 16:30 – 17:00
Coffee break in the trade expo
- 17:00 – 17:30
Artificial Intelligence: key trends and 2024 outlook
Speaker: Nikos Manouselis, CEO of Agroknow
- 17:30 – 18:30
Panel moderated by Frank Yiannas: Emerging technologies and the Smarter Food Safety era
Speaker: Frank Yiannas, Nikos Manouselis, John Spink, Erik Westblom
- 18:30 – 20:30
Opening cocktail
Day 2 — April 30
- 8:00 – 9:30
PANEL: FDA FSMA, USDA and Senasica. Regulatory challenges and next steps for Mexico and Latin America
Speaker: Frank Yiannas, Former Deputy Commissioner Food Policy & Response FDA; Dr. Emilio Esteban, USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety; Tom Heilandt, Former Secretary of Codex Alimentarius; Leandro David Soriano García, Director of Agrifood, Aquaculture and Fisheries Safety at SENASICA
- 9:30 – 10:15
Food standards mean safety, quality and business continuity
Speaker: Tom Heilandt, Former Secretary of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission
- 10:15 – 11:00
Coffee break in the trade expo
- 11:00 – 12:00
PANEL: Women leaders in food safety. Passion and collaboration that builds
Speaker: Damaris del Castillo, Director of Quality Culture and Food Safety Systems of Sigma Alimentos; Herlinda Hernández, Integrated Management Systems Manager at WestRock; Itzel Castillo, R&D Sr. Director FSQA LATAM PepsiCo; Melody Ge, Food Safety Quality Manager StarKist Co.
- 12:00 – 12:30
SQF certification in primary production, manufacturing, packaging or services: adoption or conversion
Speaker: Julián Poveda, South America Representative at SQFI, and Luis Alberto Cruz, Mexico and Central America Representative at SQFI
- 12:30 – 13:00
Risk management in packaging materials: key elements to consider
Speaker: Daniela Poblete, Latin America Representative
- 13:00 – 13:30
Challenges and solutions in managing emerging environmental contaminants: MOSH and MOAH
Speaker: César Omar Gálvez
- 13:30 – 14:30
Lunch on your own
- 14:30 – 15:00
Sustainability from the GLOBALG.A.P. approach
Speaker: Marcos Villegas, Key Account Manager Mexico GLOBALG.A.P.
- 15:00 – 15:30
Challenges of plastic packaging and nanoparticles in the food chain
Speaker: Angela Anandappa, Chief Executive Officer & President of the Alliance for Advanced Sanitation
- 15:30 – 16:00
High socio-environmental impact actions to reduce food loss and waste
Speaker: Mariana Jiménez Cardénas, Director General, Mexican Food Bank Network (BAMX)
- 16:00 – 16:30
Coffee break in the trade expo
- 16:30 – 17:15
Future trends in food safety, Industry 4.0 and emerging technologies
Speaker: Quincy Lissaur, Executive Director of SSAFE
- 17:15 – 18:00
Supply chain disruptions. The new normal
Speaker: John Spink, Michigan State University
- 18:00 – 18:15
Closing
- 18:15 – 19:00
Networking in the trade expo