Food Industry & Research Summit

Highlights from FAACT's Global Food Industry & Research Summit

FAACT’s tenth annual Global Food Industry and Research Summit provided an open forum for food industry stakeholders to explore how to safely meet the needs of the food allergy community.

“This is the only meeting in the nation where everyone comes together, from the farmer to the scientist and researcher, pharma, FDA, USDA, manufacturers, food service, physician, and the consumer,” said Soheila Maleki, Ph.D. and Lead Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). FAACT’s tenth annual Global Food Industry and Research Summit provided an open forum to explore how to meet the needs of the food allergy community safely.

Presenters represented unique area of expertise, including staff from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USDA, and Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) at the University of Nebraska. Other participants included food manufacturers, inventors, food service experts, allergists, dietitians, researchers, scientists, retailers, food growers, pharmaceutical companies, advocates, and consumers.
 
Session topics included the latest food allergy research; patient quality of life; consumer perspectives; and the prevalence, severity, and distribution of childhood food allergy in the U.S. Scientific presentations covered diagnosis of nut allergy; the role of cross-reactivity and CODEX: Recommendations from FAO/WHO Expert Panel on Thresholds; food allergen detection methods; and cleaning studies in retail and food services operations. FAACT corporate sponsors provided updates on new technology, current treatments, and solutions for the food allergy community. The silver lining of this summit is the opportunities for each discipline to engage and explore research, policy, and best practices. There were presentations about allergen labeling, consumer communications, and manufacturers working to keep consumers safe.
 
FAACT is always humbled by the robust participation and in-depth conversations that take place during this two-and-a-half-day event. As members of this food allergy community, we offer a simple yet heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who attended and supported the summit to help improve the quality of life and safety of people worldwide with food allergies. FAACT remains inspired to continue creating a space for learning, sharing, exploring, and discovery in our food allergy world.

FAACT's eleventh annual Global Food Industry and Research Summit will be held
October 5-7, 2025 in Oak Brook, Illinois. 

For more information or learn how to get involved, please email
Eleanor.Garrow@FoodAllergyAwareness.org