44th National Food Policy Conference
October 5 & 6, 2021

Tuesday, October 5

1:00pm ET

Welcome

Jack Gillis, Executive Director
Consumer Federation of America

Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy
Consumer Federation of America

1:05pm – 1:30pm ET

Keynote

Sandra Eskin
Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, Office of Food Safety
U.S. Department of Agriculture

1:30pm – 2:30pm ET

Facilitated Discussion: The Consumer Landscape Post-COVID

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in unprecedented changes in how consumers feed themselves. Dramatic declines in restaurant dining coincided with steep growth in shelf-stable foods purchases, a surge in online ordering, and even heightened interest in bread baking. As industry scrambled to meet shifting demand, regulators took a more permissive approach to inspections, labeling and other requirements. As the pandemic recedes, which of these trends will prove to be ephemeral, and which signal lasting food system transformations?

Moderator

Helena Bottemiller Evich
Senior Food and Agriculture Reporter
Politico

Panelists

Joseph Clayton
Chief Executive Officer
International Food Information Council

Geoff Freeman
President and CEO
Consumer Brands Association

Darren Seifer
Executive Director & Industry Analyst
NPD

2:30pm – 3:30pm ET

Facilitated Discussion: Nutrition Security and COVID-19: Exploring the Connections

Studies across the globe have documented a devastating synergy between COVID-19 and diet-related disease. In the U.S., public health authorities have estimated that 78% of U.S. patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were overweight or had obesity. At the same time, early indicators suggest that the pandemic and related economic disruption are contributing to more diet-related disease, including among children. What are the connections between the COVID-19 pandemic and nutrition security? How can research, policy and practice help to reduce diet-related disease and improve health equity?

Moderator

Allison Aubrey
Correspondent
NPR News

Panelists

Mariana Chilton
Professor, Health Management and Policy, Center for Hunger-Free Communities
Drexel University

Sheila Fleischhacker
National Science Liaison, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, NIFA
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Hilary Seligman
Professor of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco

Max Teplitski
Chief Science Officer
Produce Marketing Association

3:30pm – 4:00pm ET

Keynote

Representative Grace Meng
U.S. House of Representatives

Wednesday, October 6

1:00pm ET

Welcome

Jack Gillis, Executive Director
Consumer Federation of America

Thomas Gremillion, Director of Food Policy
Consumer Federation of America

1:05pm – 1:30pm ET

Keynote – A Conversation with FDA’s Janet Woodcock and CFSAN’s Susan Mayne

Panelists

Janet Woodcock, M.D.
Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Susan T. Mayne, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration

1:30pm – 2:30pm ET

Facilitated Discussion: Fighting the Climate Crisis through the Food System

Runaway climate change threatens to overwhelm the planet’s capacity to produce enough food for humanity, but policymakers are betting that food system reform can help to put the brakes on greenhouse gas emissions. Climate-focused agricultural practices feature prominently in recent U.S. emission reduction targets under the Paris Accords. Congress and the Biden Administration have taken significant actions to create incentives for farmers, ranchers and foresters to reduce emissions and sequester carbon. How will these new programs affect the food system? What role should carbon markets play in agriculture? What is the future of climate-focused agriculture?

Moderator

Chuck Abbott
Editor
Food & Environment Reporting Network’s Ag Insider

Panelists

Chuck Conner
President
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives

Trey Hill
Owner/Manager
Harborview Farms

Colin O’Neil
Legislative Director
Environmental Working Group

Jason Weller
Vice President of Truterra
Land O’ Lakes, Inc.

2:30pm – 3:30pm ET

Facilitated Discussion: What Food Workers Need

Food workers represent some of the lowest paid professions in the U.S., with millions of food workers experiencing food insecurity themselves. In addition to low pay, many food workers also contend with unstable employment arrangements, dysfunctional labor markets, and dangerous working conditions. During the pandemic, food workers were deemed “essential,” and found themselves exposed to significant new risks, often without significant new compensation. Worker advocates now hope to leverage a newfound appreciation for food workers into concrete public policy reforms. What public policies are most important for improving the plight of food workers? What are the prospects for reform?

Moderator

Patricia Escárcega
Reporting Fellow
The Counter

Panelists

Daniel Costa
Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research
Economic Policy Institute

Brad Lander
Member
New York City Council

Sandra Sibert
UFCW Local 304A, Butcher
Smithfield Foods

3:30pm – 4:00pm ET

Keynote

Representative Alma Adams
U.S House of Representatives

Speaker Bios

Sponsors

Underwriters

Amazon

Patrons

Carol Tucker Foreman

Corteva Agriscience

Tyson Foods

United Food and Commercial Workers International Union

Sponsors

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

American Frozen Food Institute

Consumer Brands Association

Danone North America

International Food Information Council

NSF International

Produce Marketing Association

Rick and Beth Frank