The Pulse: Upcoming Food Safety Industry Events

From next week's Food Safety Summit, to IAFP and IFT First later in the summer, industry events are gearing up. But readers have mixed feelings about attending in person, and most would prefer a virtual option.


Editor's Note: To vote in our new reader poll about pest control, head here.

We'll be in Rosemont, Ill., next week for Food Safety Summit, and we're looking forward to interacting with readers and other partners in the industry. (We'll also be at IAFP in July!) But in a poll on our website, QA readers are a bit split on how many events they'll be attending.

More than 12% of readers said they'd be attending at least one industry event, while 25% are looking forward to attending as many events as possible. But the most (43.75%) indicated they'd prefer a virtual option, something that became popular during the pandemic. 

In a December story for Entrepreneur magazine, opinion contributor Tal Frankfurt praised remembering the lessons learned from pandemic-era virtual events. 

"Keynote speakers, for example, can attend events remotely to offer insight and education without traveling," Frankfurt wrote. "While some speakers might still choose to make the trip and speak in person, it cannot be denied that certain speakers might be more inclined to become involved with your event if they can attend remotely. 

"Remote experiences have value, and so do in-person experiences. Still, we can build further connections when we adopt a hybrid mindset and combine these two separate lines of thought."

For what it's worth, QA hosts a handful of virtual events throughout the year that you can find here