May 13-15, Symposium on Food Systems & Public Health:
Safe - Secure - Sustainable
Sacramento, CA., May 13, 2015 – Feeding people in a way that is safe, healthy, accessible, and protects the planet is becoming a greater task. The world's population is increasing rapidly, natural resources are limited, microbial resistant pathogens pose new threats, unhealthy food and hunger threaten our communities, and environmental consequences of higher yield food production are examples of some of the challenges we face.
Sacramento County Environmental Management Department (EMD) will bring together leaders to discuss the interdependence of the safety, security and sustainability of our food at:
Symposium on Food Systems & Public Health: Safe - Secure - Sustainable (S3)
- May 13-15, 2015
- Hosted at Hyatt Regency, Sacramento
- S3 theme, "Adapting Food Safety in Today's World"
Val Siebel, Director of the Environmental Management Department, said, "The S3 Symposium will highlight the critical connection between food education, nutrition, health, safety, sustainability and accessibility."
Welcoming Remarks, Thursday, May 14:
- Phil Serna, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 1, Board Chair
- John Rogers, Chief, Sacramento County Environmental Health Division
- Justin Malan, Executive Director, California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health
- Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Two keynote addresses -
- Thursday, May 14: "The Future of Food: Feeding Nine Billion," by Kaitlin Yarnall, National Geographic Magazine, Executive Editor, Cartography, Graphics, & Art, and lead editorial manager for National Geographic's current food initiative.
- Friday, May 15: "The Burden of Foodborne Illness," by William Marler, Attorney and Managing Partner of Marler Clark
Environmental Health Division Chief, John Rogers, said, "As our food supply faces ongoing and new challenges. The S3 Symposium provides an important platform for industry, government, academia, regulators, farmers and scientists to share information, and work together to find solutions for an evolving and complex food system."
Local expert, Amber K. Stott, along with Cindy Gershen, will share their knowledge of sustainable food preparation and youth nutrition. Other experts will discuss a wide range of topics: emerging hydroponics technologies, the link between food insecurity and chronic disease, emerging risks associated with antimicrobial resistance, the sweetened beverage warning label and many more critical subjects that will enlighten symposium participates. Also being examined will be the policy work being done at the local, state and national level to address these food challenges of today and prepare for the future.
Wrapping up at the symposium will be a brainstorming session – "Where Do We Go from Here?" – led by Justin Malan, Executive Director of the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health to develop action plans to affect change.
The symposium will be attended by Environmental Health Professionals, Public Health Professionals, Political Delegates, Food and Agriculture Industry Representatives, Restaurateurs, Students and Academia.
Contact Brenda Bongiorno, bongiornob@saccounty.net / 916-216-5825 for arranged speaker interviews on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the Symposium.
