Marriott Ownings Mills
Metro Centre
10101 Grand Central Avenue, Owings Mills, MD 211107
1:00 – 1:40 PM | Presentation
1:40 – 2:15 PM | Discussion & Q&A
Public perception about food additive safety and risk is increasingly being shaped by misinformation spread through social media, advocacy campaigns, wellness influencers and politicians. Much of this misinformation is not based on any credible science and is creating unwarranted concerns about the safety of well-established food additives and GRAS substances among many consumers. As a direct result, numerous state and federal proposals targeting well-established food additives and GRAS substances are emerging. While often presented as consumer protection measures, many of these initiatives will not meaningfully improve public health outcomes and could create unintended consequences, such as higher food costs, reduced product availability, and greater food supply chain complexity. This panel brings together experts in regulatory science, nutrition, toxicology, and public policy to examine how food safety debates are unfolding in 2026. Panelists will discuss what is happening, why it’s happening and how the spread of misinformation will have a negative impact on the availability of high-quality, safe food products that many Americans love at a reasonable cost.
Moderator
Dave Schoneker
President, Black Diamond Regulatory Consulting
David R. Schoneker is President of Black Diamond Regulatory Consulting, LLC, a firm specializing in regulatory and quality consulting for the pharmaceutical, dietary supplement, and food industries. With over 48 years of experience, he brings deep expertise in excipient, food, and color additive regulations. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University’s School of Pharmacy. Previously, he spent over 40 years at Colorcon, Inc. as Global Regulatory Director, and served as President of the International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM) in 2019.
Speakers
Berit Dockter, MPP, RD, LD
Vice President, Kellen
Berit Dockter MPP, RD, LD is a Vice President in the food and nutrition vertical and has been with Kellen in the Washington D.C. office since 2018. Her area of focus is leading associations in regulatory and legislative initiatives. In this role, Berit monitors state and federal legislation, recommends client strategy, and leads communication efforts with state legislators and members of Congress. Her regulatory engagement includes meetings with U.S. agency and administration officials and responding to comment opportunities nationally and internationally on behalf of the trade associations.
Robert C. Post, PhD, MEd, MSc.
Principal, FoodTrition Solutions, LLC
Robert C. Post, PhD, MEd, MSc, is a nationally recognized leader in food, nutrition, and regulatory policy with more than 30 years of experience across government, industry, academia, and nonprofit sectors. As Principal of FoodTrition Solutions, he advises food companies, trade, and health organizations on regulatory strategy, regulatory science, and product innovation from concept through commercialization. He currently serves as Senior Policy Advisor to Dairy Management Inc., and Senior Regulatory Advisor to the Infant Nutrition Council of America. Dr. Post previously held senior leadership roles at Chobani and the U.S. Department of Agriculture — including White House Science Policy Advisor, Director of the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), and senior executive at the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) — where he led national nutrition policy, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and public health regulatory programs in collaboration with FDA; he is also an adjunct faculty member in food science and food laws at Rutgers University and a longtime instructor, author, and speaker.
Kris Sollid, RDN
Senior Director, Research & Consumer Insights, International Food Information Council (IFIC)
Kris Sollid, RDN is a nationally recognized dietitian and thought leader in consumer nutrition research, with deep expertise in translating complex science into actionable insights. Kris joined the International Food Information Council (IFIC) in 2009, and currently spearheads the organization’s consumer research and insights initiatives, including the flagship IFIC Food & Health Survey, a widely cited annual benchmark on Americans’ attitudes and behaviors surrounding food and health.
2:20 – 3:00 PM | Presentation
3:00 – 3:35 PM | Discussion & Q&A
In recent years, US food regulation has begun shifting away from a largely uniform federal system toward an increasingly fragmented landscape of state-level laws addressing food additives, labeling, packaging materials, and chemical safety. While States have historically played an important role in consumer protection, the growing number of divergent requirements is creating new challenges for companies operating in national and global supply chains. For example, smaller companies without a national presence simply cannot comply with conflicting regulatory requirements across multiple jurisdictions. This panel will examine the emerging “state patchwork” phenomenon from multiple perspectives, including industry, legal, and policy viewpoints. These developments raise important questions about regulatory consistency, enforcement feasibility, supply chain impacts, and consumer outcomes. Panelists will discuss recent legislative developments, the operational challenges they create for manufacturers and suppliers, and potential pathways toward maintaining both consumer protection and regulatory coherence in the US food system.
Moderator
Kevin C. Kenny, J.D., LL.M.
Invenimus Training Institute
Kevin C. Kenny is a regulatory attorney with 30+ years of experience in the food and consumer products industries, specialized in global regulatory compliance. He has built governmental cooperations/done capacity building trainings for governments in almost 60 countries, including FDA, EU EFSA/DG Sante, China CFSA and India FSSAI. Kevin co-founded Decernis LLC in 2003 (gComply, gComply Plus, etc.), was SVP at FoodChain ID for 5 years, then founded Invenimus Training Institute in April 2024. Invenimus offers both customized in-person and online training courses on all matters of food regulatory compliance and safety, including food additives/labelling, food contact/packaging sustainability, food safety, chemical product safety and management, with courses in EN, ES, FR, IT and PT languages.
Speakers
Dan Colegrove
Partner, Novel Strategies & Executive Director, Food Ingredient Safety Coalition
Dan Colegrove’s extensive background spans all levels of government entities, corporate environments, and business groups. As a corporate executive, he has built and directed comprehensive public affairs programs for some of the world’s largest companies and trade associations. He has worked extensively on matters related to global food and agriculture policy, consumer products, retail and marketing, issues management and social responsibility. He is an internationally respected expert in U.S. state government relations. Prior to joining Novel Strategies, Dan held senior executive roles in government affairs and public policy across major food, consumer products, and trade association organizations, and began his career as a Chief of Staff in the California State Assembly.
Laura Rich, J.D.
VP Regulatory & Technical Affairs, Consumer Brands Association (CBA)
Laura Rich is Vice President of Regulatory and Technical Affairs at the Consumer Brands Association. Laura is a seasoned attorney who spent over 17 years at FDA, most recently as a senior policy advisor in the Office of Dietary Supplements Program (which is now in the Office of Food Chemical Safety, Dietary Supplements, and Innovation, within the Human Foods Program). Before going to Consumer Brands, she was of counsel at a DC law firm in the firm’s FDA practice. Laura has deep regulatory experience, as well as expertise in policy, communications, and coalition building.
Sarah Codrea
Executive Director, International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM)
Sarah Codrea, Executive Director for the International Association of Color Manufacturers (IACM), leverages over 15 years of food ingredient and color industry experience to lead and advocate on behalf of the global color industry. As Executive Director, Sarah is responsible for managing all IACM programs and services, including providing expert strategic leadership to the IACM Board of Directors, cultivating key relationships at agencies including the U.S. FDA and USDA and representing the association at the Codex Committee on Food Additives. She provides advocacy and analysis on issues affecting the global color industry as well as representing IACM in issue-based coalitions with association partners in the food and ingredient industries. She joined Verto Solutions, which provides association management services to IACM, in 2009. Along with her role as Executive Director for IACM, she also serves as the Director of Government Relations for the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the U.S. (FEMA). Previously, she served in Government Relations positions focusing on grassroots and advocacy management in associations representing the chemical and healthcare industries.
Anneke Altieri, J.D.
Senior Associate, Hogan Lovells US LLP
Anneke Altieri is a senior associate in Hogan Lovells’ Food & Beverage practice. She helps clients at all levels of the food supply chain navigate the complex state and federal regulatory landscape by providing practical advice for compliance with labeling, advertising, and safety regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the states. As companies seek to bring new products to market, Anneke helps them navigate the regulatory landscape to communicate about the health, nutrition, or environmental benefits of those products. Anneke also has extensive experience helping clients address enforcement challenges such as recalls, FDA 483s, Warning Letters, state inspection observations, consent decrees, and Congressional investigations.
3:40 – 4:20 PM | Presentation
4:20 – 5:00 PM | Discussion & Q&A
Since 1958 the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) framework has been a cornerstone of U.S. food ingredient regulation, allowing companies to rely on scientific consensus among qualified experts to determine the safety of certain substances used in food. However, the GRAS system has increasingly become the focus of policy debates, advocacy campaigns, and proposed legislative reforms. Critics argue that the current system lacks sufficient transparency and oversight, while supporters emphasize its strong scientific foundation and role in enabling innovation and more efficient regulatory review. Recent proposals—from state-level initiatives to potential federal reforms—suggest that the GRAS framework may face significant changes. This panel will bring together perspectives from industry, regulators, public health advocates, and legal experts to explore the future of GRAS. Panelists will discuss how the system currently works, the concerns driving reform proposals, and the potential implications for innovation, safety evaluation, and regulatory oversight of food ingredients in the United States.
Moderator
Kevin C. Kenny, J.D., LL.M.
Invenimus Training Institute
Kevin C. Kenny is a regulatory attorney with 30+ years of experience in the food and consumer products industries, specialized in global regulatory compliance. He has built governmental cooperations/done capacity building trainings for governments in almost 60 countries, including FDA, EU EFSA/DG Sante, China CFSA and India FSSAI. Kevin co-founded Decernis LLC in 2003 (gComply, gComply Plus, etc.), was SVP at FoodChain ID for 5 years, then founded Invenimus Training Institute in April 2024. Invenimus offers both customized in-person and online training courses on all matters of food regulatory compliance and safety, including food additives/labelling, food contact/packaging sustainability, food safety, chemical product safety and management, with courses in EN, ES, FR, IT and PT languages.
Speakers
Paul Honigfort, Ph.D.
Vice President, Risk Assessment and Ingredient Safety, Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Coca-Cola
Dr. Paul Honigfort leads scientific and regulatory advocacy for ingredient, product, and packaging safety across The Coca-Cola Company’s portfolio. He oversees a multidisciplinary team focused on ensuring the safety of beverage ingredients, packaging, and agricultural technologies. With more than 25 years of experience in food contact materials and food additive safety, Dr. Honigfort previously served at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where he directed the Division of Food Contact Substances and managed premarket authorization programs. He also represented the United States at the Codex Committee on Food Additives, contributing to international standards for safe food additive use. Earlier in his career, he worked at GE Plastics developing advanced food packaging materials.
Jensen Jose, J.D.
Regulatory Counsel, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
Jensen N. Jose works as Regulatory Counsel for The Center for Science in the Public Interest where he focuses on food additive and dietary supplement safety issues. Previously, Jensen served as regulatory policy specialist for the American Optometric Association. He also worked as an associate counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a research associate for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Jensen earned his JD from the University of Maryland law school, and a BS in Biology and BA in Political Science from the University of Washington.
Kristi L. Muldoon Jacobs, Ph.D.
Director, Office of Premarket Additive Safety, FDA
Dr. Kristi Muldoon Jacobs is Director of the FDA’s Office of Premarket Additive Safety within the Human Foods Program, where she leads multidisciplinary teams evaluating the safety of food additives, color additives, and GRAS substances to support science-based regulatory decisions that protect public health. She holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology and biomedical sciences from Rutgers University and completed postdoctoral research at the NIH’s National Cancer Institute. In addition to her FDA service, she held senior scientific and regulatory leadership roles at USP focused on dietary supplements, drugs, and foods. With more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Muldoon Jacobs is an internationally recognized expert in regulatory safety assessment. She has contributed to global food safety efforts through organizations including JECFA, OECD, and ICH, and is known for advancing innovative risk assessment approaches such as TTC, QSAR, and read-across methodologies.
Anthony Pavel, J.D.
Partner, Keller & Heckman
Anthony (Tony) Pavel is a partner at Keller and Heckman LLP, in Washington, DC. Tony guides clients through a comprehensive array of food and drug regulatory matters with his extensive knowledge of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) laws and regulations related to food, food additives and ingredients, and dietary supplements. Tony is a globally recognized expert on Food Law, whose advice and perspectives are sought by industry and legislators. Prior to joining Keller and Heckman, Tony was in private practice at a leading international law firm, followed by in-house positions leading Global Food Law at Cargill Incorporated, one of the world’s largest food, agricultural, and industrial products producers, and Deputy General Counsel, Global Food Law for Perfect Day, a billion dollar consumer biology startup that was the first company to commercialize a milk whey protein produced through fermentation. Tony’s in-house corporate experience helped shape his approach to practical, actionable advice and effective solutions for clients. Tony is frequently invited to speak at domestic and global conferences on food ingredients, food additives, and related policy matters.
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