WASHINGTON, DC — January 11, 2006 — Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the National Restaurant Association/National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, announced today that they will launch a one-of-a-kind, multi-faceted food safety education and food policy event later this year in Washington, DC.

“We are pleased that this new event will bring together all of our industry partners in support of a shared commitment to food safety,” said FMI President and Chief Executive Officer Tim Hammonds. "Together we are designing a premiere event that will set the standard for industry collaboration and provide ideas and action steps for addressing key food safety challenges.”

“Food safety is non-negotiable and a critically important part of restaurant and foodservice operations,” said Steven C. Anderson, National Restaurant Association President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to working with FMI to create a dynamic, top quality event.”

The Food Safety Conference, to be held October 11-13, will be a hands-on forum. It will focus on key perishable commodities — poultry, meat, seafood, produce, deli, dairy, bakery and prepared foods — and will connect manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, regulators and food industry organizations with their retail and foodservice business partners. The conference will offer a broad overview of essential food safety issues, address real-world implementation, provide relevant case studies and emphasize the integration of safety, quality and security. A conference schedule will be announced in March.

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Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in research, education, industry relations and public affairs on behalf of its 1,500 member companies — food retailers and wholesalers — in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores with a combined annual sales volume of $340 billion — three-quarters of all retail food store sales in the United States. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from 50 countries.

The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 925,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 12.5 million employees - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.