Dubai International Food Safety Conference 2026

Dubai International Food Safety Conference 2026 takes place on 16–17 November 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai. B2DB lists 111 speakers and 141 sessions announced so far.

The Dubai International Food Safety Conference (DIFSC) is organised annually by the Food Safety Department of Dubai Municipality to foster international collaboration on reducing the burden of foodborne illness. The programme combines scientific sessions, symposia, workshops and poster presentations with an exhibition, and the conference is organised in collaboration with FAO, IAFP, NEHA, IFEH and ICMSF. The 2026 edition takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre on 16–17 November under the theme 'Future foresight in Food Safety'.

Key facts

Keynote speakers

• Naseem Rafee Acting CEO of Environment, Health and Safety Sector, Dubai Municipality

Speakers (111)

Compiled from the published agenda; speakers can claim and verify their own entry.

• Naseem Rafee Acting CEO of Environment, Health and Safety Sector, Dubai Municipality
• Bobby Krishna Senior Food Safety Specialist, Dubai Municipality
• Rola Arab Regulatory and Government Affairs Expert, RA.Consulting
• Rouaa Daou Lecturer, Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU)
• Samuel Godefroy Professor, University of Laval
• Alison Watson QHSE Director, Silal Food and Technology
• Fatma Almahri Dubai Municipality
• Mira Alkhatib Microbiology Analyst, Dubai Municipality
• Rameez AlDaour Food Consultant/Educator, SEE Food
• Julian Cox Associate Professor, UNSW
• Michael Rivera Senior Applied Nutrition and Food Safety Awareness Officer, Dubai Municipality
• Basem Azzam Managing Director, TSI Quality Services
• Layal Karam Associate Professor of Food Safety, Qatar University
• Dr. Hussein Hassan Full Professor, Lebanese American University
• Nimish Shah Consultant - Regulatory Affairs, Hindustan Unilever (HUL)
• Hakim B. Mufumbiro Head, Food and Agriculture Standards Division, Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS)
• Anett Winkler Food Safety Advisor (EMEA Microbiologist), CARGILL FINANCIAL SERVICES EUROPE LIMITED
• Glen Neal Founder, Glen Neal Group
• Lone Jespersen Principal and Founder, Cultivate
• Tareq Osaili Professor, Jordan University of Science and Technology
• Arooj Abid DHA Licensed Clinical Nutritionist, Slices Catering
• Marcel Zwietering Professor, Wageningen University & Research
• Thomas Struckmeyer Implementing One Health., NEMIS Technologies
• Dr. Vera Dickinson Founder & CEO, INNOVA-Q
• Judi Lazaro Vice President of Sales, AIB International, Inc
• Alison Cousins L&D Consultant, Senara Learning Ltd
• Dominique Walch Founder and Chief Quality Explorer, TERRA QUALITA
• Elie Bou Yazbeck Food Science Expert / Nutrition and Food Safety Specialist, Food Safety Lebanese Commission (FSLC)
• Ali El-Keblawy Professor of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Sharjah
• Chandan Pandey HOD, Food and Drugs Administration, Mathura, UP, India, FDA
• Dr. Ruba Goussous Food Safety Consultant and Operations Director of GFoRSS, Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS)
• Rance Baker Director, Entrepreneurial Zone, National Environmental Health Association
• Mustafa Sultan Scientific Director, Near East Region, Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS)
• Stephen Ritz Founder / TV Host, Green Bronx Machine
• Ann McDonald Program Manager - Markets and Integrity, Australian Meat Processor Corporation
• Sajid Maqsood Assistant Professor, UAE University
• Shaima Askar Principal Food Chemical Analyst, Dubai Municipality
• Ahmed Kazim Director of Strategy & Corporate Excellence, Dubai Customs
• Rangarajan Ramanujam Product Manager – Spectroscopy, Metrohm Middle East FZC
• Minori Ohshima Technical Sales Promotion Manager, Kikkoman Biochemifa Company
• Asem Al Natour Sales Development Manager, QIAGEN
• Darrell Donahue Regional Coordinator, Western SARE
• Dr Aysha Al Kaabi Director‏ of policies and Regulatory Affairs Division, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA)
• Frank Yiannas CEO, Smarter FY Solutions
• Manan Sharma Senior Director, Produce and Food Safety, The Acheson Group / and International Association for Food Protection
• Vincent Hegarty Professor, Michigan State University
• Dr. Samah Tahri
• Aamna Alshehhi RAK Municipality
• Amine Kassouf Scientific Director, Global Food Regulatory Society
• Amira Ahmed Assistant professor, Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University
• Amona Yousef
• Andrew Mathieson
• Asli Solmaz-Kaiser CEO, iComplai
• Asma Al Mulla Laboratory Studies Specialist, Dubai Central Laboratory
• Blessy Melapurakkal Ravindran Senior Analyst, Abudhabi Quality Conformity council
• Caludia Ruiz Reyna Professor, University of San Luis Potosí (UASLP), Mexico
• Carlo De Villa Learning and Behavioral Specialist, My School Food
• Deepa Thiagarajan Consultant, Food Safety Services
• Dr Buthaina Al Ajlan
• Dr Faisal Al Rashidi
• Dr Faisal Al Sari
• Dr Khadija Al Kandari
• Dr Mariam Barsoumi
• Dr Suzanne Baaghil
• Dr. Abdel-Razak Kadry Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland School of Public Health
• Dr. Ahmad Al-Husain
• Dr. Greg Paoli CEO, Risk Science International
• Dr. Intisar Algharibi Director-General of Food Safety and Quality Center Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, Oman
• Dr. Mark Flanagan Chief Executive Officer, FCIEH, FIFST, CEnvH
• Dr. Markus Lipp
• Dr. Mohamed Saad Senior Toxicologist and Adjunct Associate Professor, Michigan State University
• Dr. Muna Al Olan Acting Head, Policies, Standards and Risk Management Section, Food Safety, Ministry of Public Health, Qatar
• Dr. Reem Abuizz Head of food packaging division at the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA)
• Dr. Safwan Dababneh Director of the NCD-Directorate at the Ministry of Health
• Dr. Tamador Maayah Advisor to the Director General of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA)
• Eng. Abdulla Salem Janan Director of Food Safety, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in UAE
• Eng. Ibrahim Al-Yazidi Director, Beekeepers Foundation
• Eng. Ikram Riahi Manager Food Policy and Label Review/ Scientific Expert, CPMA / GFORSS
• Eng. Sharif Al Muhairat Technical engineer - Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization (JSMO)
• Erwa M. Mohamed Ras al Khaimah Municipality
• Fahed Bizzari Author
• H.E Marwan Bin Ghalita Director General, Dubai Municipality
• His Excellency Sheikh Fahim Al Qasmi Seafood Souq
• Ibtesam Saeed Senior Analyst, ADQCC
• Intisar Salim Al Gharibi Director General, Food Safety and Quality Center, Oman
• Ishfaq Sheikh Professor, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University
• Joseph Touma Deputy Manager of Food Microbiology Laboratory, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) - GfoRSS Science Team
• Mamodou Bah Director General, Food Safety and Quality Authority of the Gambia & Chairperson, FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa
• Manal Obaid Yaroof Director, Dubai Municipality
• Mariam Hassan Food Chemical Analyst, Dubai Central Laboratory, Dubai Municipality
• Mariza Fraser Founder & Director, Shaka International
• Masami Takeuchi Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Moez Sanaa Founder and CEO, International Food Risk Analysis Consortium
• Mr Yasser Shazly
• Mr. Benazzouz El Maati Head of the Food Safety and Quality Committee, FENAGRI, Morocco
• Mualla Gültan Consultant
• Nada Al Katheeri Dubai Municipality
• Nicolle Tulve Senior Research Fellow, International Risk & Toxicology Institute, LLC, USA
• Ohoud Abdalla Al Ali Director of Agricultural Control Division, ADAFSA
• Stella Mariem Manager Food Safety, Buhler Group, Buhler
• Victor Bandaly Campaign Manager EMEA, Bio-Rad - Food Science Division
• Vittorio Fattori Food Safety Officer, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Vladimir Surcinski Vice President and CEO, ENFIT - International Supply Chain Safety
• Amal Rashid Mohmmed AlAbri Al Dhahirah Municipality, Oman
• Dr. Ahmed Abdelmoneim Assistant Professor and Clinical Veterinary Toxicologist, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Louisiana State University
• Dr. Shaimaa Al Asfour Director General public Authority for Food and Nutrition (PAFN) Kuwait
• Dr. Sonia Baldi Expert-Regulatory and Administrative Affairs, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), UAE
• Eltahir Mohamed Ahmed RAK Municipality
• H.E Dr Muza Al MuhairI Deputy Director general organizational and administrative affairs, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) - tbc
• Lea Milan
• Wadha Marhoun Ali Al Alawi Al Dhahirah Municipality, Oman

Most represented companies

• Dubai Municipality — 9 speakers
• Al Dhahirah Municipality, Oman — 2 speakers
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) — 2 speakers
• Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS) — 2 speakers
• Michigan State University — 2 speakers
• RAK Municipality — 2 speakers

Agenda (141 sessions)

Day 1 — Monday 16 November 2026

• OPENING CEREMONY - حفل الافتتاح 09:45–10:45 · Main Hall — H.E Marwan Bin Ghalita
• Opening Video - عرض الفيديو الافتتاحي للمؤتمر 10:00–10:05 · Main Hall
• Keynote Address - الكلمة الرئيسية 10:10–10:15 · Main Hall — Naseem Rafee
• DM Food Elite Program Recognition Ceremony - تكريم الفائزين بجائزة دبي للتميز في الأنظمة الغذائية 10:15–10:22 · Main Hall
• Sponsors and Supporters Recognition Ceremony - تكريم الرعاة والداعمين 10:22–10:30 · Main Hall
• Behind Every Success Is a Story ورا كل نجاح قصة 10:30–11:30 · Youth Zone
• Founders Recognition - تكريم مؤسسي المؤتمر 10:30–10:35 · Main Hall
• YOUTH IN ACTION! 10:30–13:00 · Youth Zone
• KHDA & Dubai Municipality 10:45–11:00 · Idea Hub
• Memorandum of Cooperation Signing Ceremony 10:45–12:15 · Idea Hub
• The Food Ecosystem: Exploring Future Scenarios, Risks and Opportunities 10:50–11:15 · Main Hall
• Dubai Central Laboratory & Emirates Flight Catering 11:00–11:15 · Idea Hub
• JORDAN'S EXPEREINCE IN ADVANCING FOOD REGULATIONS AND MARKET OPPORTUNITIES 11:00–13:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Rola Arab
• JFDA's regulatory Roadmap for 2027 and priorities in food regulations 11:00–11:15 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Tamador Maayah
• Update on the national nutrition strategy and upcoming nutrition policies shaping the food sector including the nutrient profile model and food reformulation 11:15–11:30 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Safwan Dababneh
• From Hindsight to Foresight: How Data and Tech Can Prevent Outbreaks? 11:15–11:45 · Main Hall — Frank Yiannas
• Dubai Municipality & Emirates Bustanica 11:15–11:30 · Idea Hub
• Regulatory developments and upcoming policy changes with practical guidance to the food and beverage industry 11:30–11:45 · Abu Dhabi A — Eng. Sharif Al Muhairat
• UAE Food Bank 11:30–11:45 · Idea Hub
• AI Empowerment for Leaders: From Using AI to Commanding Its Power 11:45–12:45 · Main Hall — Fahed Bizzari
• Advancing plastic packaging recycling and the role of recycled PET (rPET) in sustainable packaging and upcoming changes shaping circularity and responsible packaging 11:45–12:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Reem Abuizz
• Dubai Municipality & SFS 11:45–12:00 · Idea Hub
• Youth Debate: Should We Expand the Use of Recycled Water to the Agricultural Industry to Strengthen Food Security?هل نوسّع استخدام المياه المعاد تدويرها إلى مجال الزراعة لتعزيز الأمن الغذائي؟ 11:45–13:00 · Youth Zone
• Q&A and Developing recommendations 12:00–13:00 · Abu Dhabi A
• Dubai Municipality & Higher Colleges of Technology 12:00–12:15 · Idea Hub
• Strategies to Reduce Food Waste- UAE Food Bank 12:30–13:00 · Idea Hub — Manal Obaid Yaroof
• The Future of Food: Changing Children's Choices 13:00–13:20 · Youth Zone
• LEADERS’ SESSION: SHAPING TOMORROW’S FOOD CHOICES 13:00–14:30 · Youth Zone — Julian Cox, Michael Rivera, Stephen Ritz
• Growing a Healthier Future: Leadership Through Food and Education 13:20–13:40 · Youth Zone — Stephen Ritz
• Preventing and Fighting Food Safety Fires 13:30–14:30 · Idea Hub — Dominique Walch
• Safer Food in Education: What Every Decision-Maker Should Know 13:40–14:00 · Youth Zone — Julian Cox
• FROM SCIENCE TO DECISIONS: ADVANCING FOOD RISK ASSESSMENT IN THE ARAB REGION 14:00–18:00 · Abu Dhabi B
• BALANCING FOOD SAFETY, INNOVATION AND TRADE FACILITATION TO ENSURE FOOD SECURITY IN TIME OF CRISIS 14:00–17:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Rola Arab
• Building an Integrated System Based on Science and Data - Food Control Systems Assessment Project 14:00–14:20 · Main Hall — Eng. Abdulla Salem Janan
• Development of Risk Assessment Capacity in Low and Medium Income country (LMIC) – A Proposed Approach 14:00–15:20 · Abu Dhabi B — Moez Sanaa
• Opening of the session 14:00–14:10 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr Aysha Al Kaabi
• Panel Discussion and Q&A 14:00–14:30 · Youth Zone — Julian Cox, Michael Rivera, Stephen Ritz
• Director‏ of policies and Regulatory Affairs Division, Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) 14:10–14:25 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr Aysha Al Kaabi
• Sweeteners: From Hazard Identification to Risk Assessment and Regulatory Communication 14:20–14:40 · Abu Dhabi B — Dr. Greg Paoli
• Advancing trade facilitation through Dr Samah Tahri, Coordinator of the Codex Alimentarius service, SPS agreement regional cooperation in Morocco 14:25–14:40 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Samah Tahri
• AI IN ACTION: HOW TECHNOLGY ADVANCEMENTS ARE TRANSFROMING FOOD SAFETY 14:30–16:30 · Main Hall — Nada Al Katheeri
• Beyond Inspection: How the Safe to Trade Assurance Programme, AI and Data are Transforming Food Safety in Hospitality and Retail sectors 14:30–15:00 · Main Hall — Dr. Mark Flanagan
• Implementation of Codex Alimentarius safety principles in the Syrian regulatory framework and regulatory developments 14:40–14:55 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Ahmad Al-Husain
• WHO’s Integrated Food Profiling Model: Regulatory Implications and Opportunities for Input 14:40–15:00 · Abu Dhabi B — Samuel Godefroy
• Importance of risk analysis and science as a benchmark for global regulations 14:55–15:10 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Markus Lipp
• Transforming Seafood Traceability with AI in the UAE 15:00–15:20 · Main Hall — His Excellency Sheikh Fahim Al Qasmi
• Cereulide in Infant Formula: Lessons from a Multi-Country Food Safety Incident for Risk Assessment and Regulatory Action 15:00–15:20 · Abu Dhabi B — Joseph Touma
• Q&A 15:10–15:30 · Abu Dhabi A
• AI to Support Food Safety in Australian Red Meat Processing 15:20–15:40 · Main Hall — Ann McDonald
• From National Data to Codex Action: Responding to Data Calls and Priorities Following CCCF19 - Focus on Aflatoxins in Cereals and Ochratoxin A in Dried Fruits 15:20–15:40 · Abu Dhabi B — Amine Kassouf
• PANEL DISCUSSION 15:30–16:15 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr Faisal Al Sari, Dr. Intisar Algharibi, Mr Yasser Shazly, Mr. Benazzouz El Maati
• Use of Artificial Intelligence To Enhance Food Inspection- ADAFSA's Experience 15:40–16:00 · Main Hall — Ohoud Abdalla Al Ali
• Roundtable: Advancing Food Risk Assessment in the Arab Region 16:00–17:00 · Abu Dhabi B — Samuel Godefroy
• Building Intelligence into Regulatory Systems- An Inspection Perspective 16:00–16:30 · Main Hall — Rance Baker
• SESSION 3: RECOMMENDATIONS ON ENHANCING REGIONAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR FOR CONSUMERS SAFETY AND BUILDING RESILIENT FOOD SAFETY SYSTEMS 16:15–17:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr Buthaina Al Ajlan, Dr Faisal Al Rashidi, Dr Khadija Al Kandari, Dr Mariam Barsoumi +1 more
• US Cyclospora Outbreak 2026 : What Do We Know bout this parasite? 16:30–16:50 · Microbiological Risk Management — Manan Sharma
• IAFP Session: Are the Microbes Smarter Than Humans? 16:30–17:45 · Microbiological Risk Management — Julian Cox, Manan Sharma
• Paraistes 101 16:50–17:10 · Microbiological Risk Management — Julian Cox
• Non-Thermal Plasma Technologies for Pathogen Control 17:00–17:30 · Virtual
• Before You Let It Act: How to Test Agentic AI in Predictive Food Safety 17:30–18:00 · Virtual — Asli Solmaz-Kaiser
• Seeing the Unseen: Using Science, Data and Decisions to Estimate Invisible Risks 18:00–19:00 · Nemis After Hours — Thomas Struckmeyer, Frank Yiannas

Day 2 — Tuesday 17 November 2026

• Food Safety and Social Media: Influencers Forum 08:30–09:25 · Idea Hub — Julian Cox, Michael Rivera, Amona Yousef
• WHEN FOOD SAFETY GOES VIRAL: MANAGING SOCIAL MEDIA SCARES AND PUBLIC TRUST 09:00–13:00 · Abu Dhabi B
• AI and Food Innovation 09:00–09:20 · Abu Dhabi A — Ibtesam Saeed
• UAE Leadership Advances in One Health for Risk Based Food Safety 09:00–10:30 · Youth Zone
• AI-assisted Near-Infrared (NIR) Chemometric Modeling for Rapid Food Quality Screening 09:00–09:20 · Lab AI — Mariam Hassan
• Risk Communication in the Age of Social Media: The Art of Addressing Misinformation 09:00–09:30 · Abu Dhabi B
• BEYOND TESTING NORMS: AI & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 09:00–10:30 · Lab AI — Fatma Almahri
• RESEARCH AND FRESH INSIGHTS SHAPING FOOD SAFETY 09:00–11:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Rouaa Daou
• Beyond Novelty to Impact: Advancing DCL’s Pioneering Work in Insect Detection in Food 09:20–09:40 · Lab AI — Asma Al Mulla
• Enhancing Safety and Shelf-Life of Ready-to-Eat Meat Products Using High-Pressure Processing (HPP) 09:20–09:40 · Abu Dhabi A — Tareq Osaili
• GRILL SAFE- GUINNESS RECORD ATTEMPT FOR FOOD SAFETY TRAINING 09:30–10:30 · Main Hall
• Social Media as a Powerful Tool for Nutrition Communication: Truth or Illusion? 09:30–10:00 · Abu Dhabi B — Elie Bou Yazbeck
• Food Safety Beyond Compliance: Natural Antimicrobials, Biofilm Control, Innovation and Regulatory Perspectives in GCC Food Systems 09:40–10:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Layal Karam
• Beyond the Lab: Role of NIR and Raman in Rapid Food Testing 09:40–10:00 · Lab AI — Rangarajan Ramanujam
• Panel Discussion - From Pilot to Practice: Bringing AI and Advanced Technologies into Routine Food Testing 10:00–10:30 · Lab AI — Rangarajan Ramanujam, Asem Al Natour
• Microbial Inactivation: Steam-Vacuum Pasteurization and Roasting 10:00–10:20 · Abu Dhabi A — Stella Mariem
• Evidence-Based Food Labelling: Striking the Balance Between Consumer Protection and Responsible Risk Communication 10:00–10:30 · Abu Dhabi B — Eng. Ikram Riahi
• Formulating Meat Alternatives from the Novel Protein Sources 10:20–10:30 · Abu Dhabi A — Sajid Maqsood
• Dubai Municipality & ADNH Catering 10:30–10:45 · Idea Hub
• Generation Next: Shaping the Future of Food 10:30–12:30
• Growing the Future of Food 10:30–11:00 — Stephen Ritz
• Memorandum of Cooperation Signing Ceremony 10:30–13:00 · Idea Hub
• India’s Food Safety Transformation: From Regulatory Modernization to Trusted Food Supply Chains for the UAE 10:45–11:20 · Main Hall — Nimish Shah
• Dubai Municipality, GEMS Education & Slices Catering 10:45–11:00 · Idea Hub
• Engaging Consumers in Food Regulatory Decisions: Oman’s Initiative on Alternatives to Plastic Bottles for Mineral Water 11:00–11:30 · Abu Dhabi B — Intisar Salim Al Gharibi
• NEW FRONTIERS IN FOOD SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT: EMERGING HAZARDS, INNOVATIVE METHODOLOGIES, AND REGULATORY APPLICATIONS 11:00–13:00 · Ajman D — Amira Ahmed, Dr. Abdel-Razak Kadry, Dr. Mohamed Saad, Ishfaq Sheikh +1 more
• Future Food Innovation Challenge (Student Innovation Presentation) + Awarding 11:00–12:30 — Carlo De Villa
• Key Food Safety Initiatives in UAE 11:00–11:20 · Abu Dhabi A — Basem Azzam
• REGIONALS AND GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES IN FOOD SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION 11:00–13:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Rameez AlDaour
• Building a Healthy Restaurant System in Ras Al Khaimah 11:20–11:40 · Abu Dhabi A — Aamna Alshehhi
• Dubai Customs’ Role in Building Global Partnerships to Strengthen Food Security 11:20–11:40 · Main Hall — Ahmed Kazim
• Validating Bioactivity in UAE Food Products: Honey Quality and Date-Pit Innovation 11:30–11:50 · Idea Hub — Ali El-Keblawy
• Responding Together: Strengthening Regional Cooperation on Food Safety Misinformation 11:30–12:30 · Abu Dhabi B
• Unlocking Bioactivity: A New Food Testing Dimension. 11:30–13:00 · Idea Hub — Mira Alkhatib
• RAKFSI: Redefining Food Safety Training Through AI Foresight 11:40–12:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Erwa M. Mohamed
• Integrated Assessment of Mycotoxins, Physicochemical Properties, and Microbiological Quality in Dates in UAE 11:50–12:10 · Idea Hub — Shaima Askar
• South America- Building Resilience and Sustainability of Food Systems in to Regulatory Framework 12:00–12:20 · Abu Dhabi A — Caludia Ruiz Reyna
• From Compliance to Culture: Developing the Modern Food Safety Regulator 12:00–12:30 · Main Hall
• Panel Discussion- From Laboratory Evidence to Market Value: Bioactivity Testing in UAE Food Products 12:10–12:30 · Idea Hub — Rangarajan Ramanujam, Asem Al Natour, Eng. Ibrahim Al-Yazidi
• Food Safety Developments in Lebanon 12:20–12:40 · Abu Dhabi A — Dr. Hussein Hassan
• How to Become the Most Influential Person in the Room 12:30–13:00 · Main Hall — Lone Jespersen
• From the Ground Up: Transforming India’s Food Safety from Grassroots to Global Standards 12:40–13:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Chandan Pandey
• DCL & Sharjah University 12:45–13:00 · Idea Hub
• SPECIAL SESSION: Emerging Issues Identified Through FAO's Food Safety Foresight Program 13:00–14:00 · Virtual — Vittorio Fattori
• Future Food Frontiers - Connecting Behavior, Research and Policy 13:30–15:30 · Youth Zone
• Food Law for the Future: The Role of Universities in Shaping Regulation and Strengthening Compliance 13:30–13:50 · Youth Zone — Vincent Hegarty
• Perspectives on Research that Shapes Food Safety 13:50–14:10 · Youth Zone — Julian Cox
• Preparing for Excellence: A Practical Guide to the DM Food Elite Award 14:00–15:00 · Ajman Room
• UNLOCKING FOOD INNOVATION IN THE GCC AND ARAB REGION: Health Claims, Regulation and Market Access 14:00–17:30 · Abu Dhabi B
• Advancing Innovation-Ready Food Regulatory Systems: The Asia Food Innovation-Ready Regulatory Systems (AFIRS) Initiative 14:00–14:20 · Abu Dhabi B — Mustafa Sultan
• Caffeine Safety: A Risk Analysis Case Study for Intelligent Regulation 14:00–15:00 · Abu Dhabi A — Glen Neal
• Environmental Monitoring Trends: Turning Data Into Preventive Action 14:00–14:30 · Environmental Management (Micro) — Alison Watson, Mualla Gültan
• Understanding Human Behavior: What Research Reveals About Our Food Choices 14:10–14:30 · Youth Zone
• Supporting Concerted Actions for Food Regulatory Systems Development in Africa – Serving the Development of Food and Agri-food Systems in Africa 14:20–14:40 · Abu Dhabi B — Mamodou Bah
• Verify, Don't Assume: Rapid Detection of Soils and Biofilm in Food & Beverage Production 14:30–14:50 · Lab AI, Lab Tech — Mariza Fraser
• Panel & Q&A 14:30–15:30 · Youth Zone — Michael Rivera, Arooj Abid, Vincent Hegarty
• LAB INNOVATION SHOWCASE 14:30–16:00 · Lab AI, Lab Tech — Alison Watson
• Addressing Food Innovation in Africa – Transforming Food Regulatory Systems to Support Value Addition 14:40–15:00 · Abu Dhabi B — Hakim B. Mufumbiro
• The Next Generation Technology for Monitoring Hygiene & Sanitation 14:50–15:10 · Lab AI, Lab Tech — Minori Ohshima
• Considerations for the Development of a Risk-Based, Innovation Enabling Regulatory Framework for Novel Foods and Novel Ingredients in Qatar 15:00–15:20 · Abu Dhabi B — Dr. Muna Al Olan
• When No Specific Microbiological Criteria Exist: A Risk-Based Regulatory Decision Framework for Testing of Novel Foods 15:10–15:30 · Lab AI, Lab Tech — Blessy Melapurakkal Ravindran
• Control the Risk You Can't See: A Farm-to-Fork Approach to Mycotoxin Management 15:30–16:00 · Mycotoxins — Rouaa Daou
• Building an Innovation-Ready Food Regulatory System: Key Pillars and Enabling Conditions 16:00–16:30 · Abu Dhabi B — Dr. Ruba Goussous
• Breaking the Contamination Chain: The Critical Role of Training in Food Transport and Cleaning 16:15–17:00 · Idea Hub — Vladimir Surcinski
• Roundtable: Building an Innovation-Ready Food Regulatory System 16:30–17:30 · Abu Dhabi B — Samuel Godefroy
• MOVIE PREMIERE: Generation Growth - The Green Bronx Machine 16:30–18:30 · Youth Zone
• People, Culture and Actions When No One is Watching 17:00–18:00 · Nemis After Hours, Food Safety Culture

Day 3 — Wednesday 18 November 2026

• Question. Test. Verify - Can We Trust AI to Keep Food Safe? 08:30–09:30 · TBD — Andrew Mathieson
• What is the Cost of NOT Doing AI 11:00–12:00 · Virtual — Deepa Thiagarajan
• ENHANCING FOOD SAFETY TRAINING OUTCOMES WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 12:00–13:00 · Virtual — Alison Cousins
• When does Sample Size Matter in Pathogen Detection 13:00–13:20 — Victor Bandaly
• Road to Success for DM Food ELite 13:00–15:00
• When does Sample Size Matter in Pathogen Detection 15:00–15:30 · Virtual
• ICMSF Symposium- Moving from Data to Insights to Manage Microbiological Risks 16:00–18:00 — Bobby Krishna, Anett Winkler, Marcel Zwietering, Darrell Donahue
• Sampling for Pathogens: More Difficult than Finding a Needle in a Haystack 16:05–16:30 · Virtual — Marcel Zwietering
• Environmental Monitoring: Friend or Foe? 16:30–16:55 · Virtual — Anett Winkler
• From Trends to Strategic Risk 16:55–17:20 · Virtual — Darrell Donahue
• Safety of Cell-based Meat and Novel Proteins - Latest Developments from FAO 18:00–18:30 · Virtual — Masami Takeuchi
• Converting AI Capabilities to Practical Business Intelligence 18:30–19:00 · Virtual — Dr. Vera Dickinson
• Beyond Checklists and Algorithms: The Human Side of Effective Food Safety Auditing 19:00–20:00 · Virtual — Judi Lazaro

Organisers, sponsors and partners

Sponsors (6)

Danone · DWTC · McDonald's · PepsiCo · Lulu · CHOITHRAMS

Exhibitors (14)

Labtek Consumable Supplies LLC · Al Hoty Stanger Laboratory LLC · Biomed Health Care Trading LLC · PREPSAFE FOOD LABELS FZC · International Association for Food Protection · Safe to Trade · Emirates Flight catering · Smart Food Safe · Neogen · NEMIS Technologies · SFS Technologies · AssureCloud member of the CTI Group · INNOVA-Q · TSI Quality Services

Knowledge Partner (1)

FAO

Supporting Partner (1)

Mars

Source: the published agenda. See how B2DB compiles its records.