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Now in its 26th year, the Global Pouch Forum will continue to provide valuable networking opportunities and essential content from experts who develop, supply, buy or recommend flexible product packaging materials including pouches, films and machinery

Rick Weil, managing director of Mesirow Investment Banking will present “Investment and Growth in Packaging” in a keynote

Since 2010, the mergers and acquisition marketplace in the plastic packaging sector, including flexible packaging, has been extremely active – driven largely by the heavy influx of private equity into many sectors of plastic packaging The private equity industr y has well over $1 trillion to invest, and they are attracted to the growth, ubiquity, resilience and prospects of the plastic packaging industry

Weil’s presentation will provide an indepth view of the state of M&A in the plastic packaging sector in North America, Key challenges and opportunities in the flexible packaging business sector and a projected outlook for packaging activity for the next few years

The Global Pouch Forum will be held June 6-8 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill GN

Seafood Expo Asia Accepting Speaking Proposals

Speaking proposals are being accepted for Seafood Expo Asia The conference program will be held during the 11th edition of Seafood Expo Asia, Sept 11-13, at Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore

The Seafood Expo Asia conference is an opportunity to share insights, exchange ideas, promote collaborations and foster successful contributions to the seafood industry in Asia Industry professionals represented include seafood suppliers, seafood importers/exporters, wholesalers/distributors, retailers, foodservice professionals, academic, research, industry institutions and

Associations

Insights covering the most important and timely issues relevant to the current business environment and of educational value are of special interest

Priority consideration will be given to the following topics: Asia seafood market and product trend, pricing and supply outlook, new technology in seafood processing, offshore aquaculture, technology and innovations and social responsibility and sustainability

Proposals must be received by April 21 GN

Food Safety Summit Presents ‘Risk Culture’ Talk

The Food Safety Summit will present a keynote presentation on “Risk Culture: How to Balance Risks for the Safety of Consumers, Team Members and the Environment” on May 10

The panel discussion includes Michael Eckhardt, senior vice president, chief legal and risk officer and secretar y at Wawa; David McDonald, president of OSI Group; Randall Huffman, Ph D , chief food safety and sustainability officer of Maple Leaf Foods; and Lone Jespersen, Ph D , principal and founder of Cultivate SA

The keynote session will focus on a conversation with modern, for ward-thinking executives on the topic of balancing risks for the safety of consumers, team members and the environment Participants will hear how successful food companies manage risks that sometimes compete for investments and leadership attention

L e a r n i n g h o w t o p a rt n e r w i t h c o lleagues from human safety, sustainability a n d a n i m a l w e l f a re i s a m u s t f o r c o m p an i e s t o i m p ro v e f o o d s a f e t y p e rf o r m a n c e and deepen the company ’ s food safety cult u re T h e e x e c u t i v e s w i l l a l s o s h a re s p ec i f i c c h a l l e n g e s a n d w i n s f ro m t h e i r re s p e c t i v e o rg a n i z a t i o n s , a l o n g w i t h t h e cultural solutions that help them successfully manage risk

The Food Safety Summit is May 8-11 at the Donald E Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill GN

Pizza City Fest: L.A. Highlights Diversity of Style in Southern California

pendent bakers and artisan produce suppliers

Hahn’s Bakery

The Los Angeles event will feature 40 pizzerias from all over Southern California with several styles, including Sicilian, artisan, Neapolitan, Detroit and even a few classified as “L A Style ” A special “Collab Lab” will see mashups between great inde-

The festival intends to bring the regional pizza community together and highlight the diversity – in both geography and styles – that the region exemplifies Through tastings, demos, classes and seminars, plus one-off collaborations, Pizza City Fest: L A stitches together the diverse regions and neighborhoods of Southern California’s multifaceted pizza quilt GN