Conference for Food Protection

What Conference for Food Protection does

The Conference for Food Protection (CFP), legally Conference for Food Protection, Inc., is a nonprofit voluntary organization established in 1971 and headquartered in Martinsville, Indiana. Its core function is to convene representatives from government regulatory agencies, the food industry, academia, and consumer organizations in a structured, consensus-based deliberative process that produces science-based guidance on retail and food service food safety. CFP organizes biennial meetings—held in Denver in March 2025 and scheduled for Grand Rapids, Michigan in April 2027—supported by a year-round committee system organized under three Councils (Laws and Regulations; Administration, Education, Certification; Science and Technology) and a dozen-plus standing committees. Although CFP has no formal regulatory authority, its guidance documents are referenced in the FDA Food Code and its Food Protection Manager Certification Program is accredited through the ANAB-CFP Accreditation Council (ACAC), giving it indirect but durable influence over national retail food safety standards.

CFP's product surface consists of biennial conferences, conference-developed guidance documents covering topics from allergen management and HACCP to e-shopping and cold brew coffee safety, standardized committee report templates, the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award (established 1954), and the ANAB-administered Food Protection Manager Certification accreditation framework. The underlying technology is modest: Wild Apricot membership management software and Microsoft Teams for virtual committee work—reflecting an event- and document-driven operating model rather than a software-as-a-service business.

CFP's revenue model is a hybrid of membership dues ($100 per biennial membership period), conference registration fees, a tiered sustaining sponsorship program (Platinum $10,000 down to Bronze $2,000), and merchandise sales. Member and sponsor relationships are distributed across all 50 states, DC, and U.S. territories, with named institutional partners including the FDA, USDA, NACCHO, and ANAB. Leadership comprises Conference Chair Amber Daniels (Mecklenburg County) and Vice Chair Steve Oswald (Wakefern Food Corporation) for the 2025-2027 term, with David McSwane, HSD serving as Executive Director. The organization employs approximately 10 people and operates with no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Conference for Food Protection

Legal name

Conference for Food Protection, Inc

Website

https://foodprotect.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Conference for Food Protection is a nonprofit organization established in 1971 that convenes government, industry, academia, and consumer representatives at biennial meetings to develop consensus-based food safety guidance and standards, including FDA-referenced retail food safety documents and ANAB-accredited manager certification programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Safety Standards and Guidance

akta.pro primary industry

Certification Program Administration & Scheme Management (Standard Owners) (AFALACAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Food safety guidance
• Nonprofit food association
• Consensus-based standards
• Food protection conference
• Food safety certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide core organizational funding. Membership period begins on the first day of the biennial meeting and ends on the Sunday before the following biennial meeting. Members receive access to resources, committee participation, and voting rights.
2. Conference Registration: Fees charged for attending biennial meetings and workshops. Registration includes membership for one membership period.
3. Sustaining Sponsorships: Tiered sponsorship program with Platinum ($10,000), Diamond ($8,000), Gold ($5,000), Silver ($4,000), Ruby ($3,000), and Bronze ($2,000) levels providing annual benefits and biennial meeting recognition.
4. Merchandise Sales: CFP merchandise sold during biennial meetings. All sales are final unless products are defective.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Conference for Food Protection (CFP) is a nonprofit organization established in 1971 that convenes representatives from government, industry, academia, and consumer groups to develop consensus-based food safety guidance. It operates biennial meetings, produces guidance documents and standardized report templates, and administers the Certified Food Protection credentialing program for food safety professionals in retail and food service settings.

Product overview

The Conference for Food Protection (CFP) operates as a membership-based non-profit organization, not a software product company. Its core offerings center on facilitating collaboration among food industry stakeholders through biennial conferences, developing consensus-based guidance documents on retail food safety topics, administering a food protection manager certification accreditation program through ANAB, providing standardized templates for committee operations, and sponsoring the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award. CFP does not offer a software-as-a-product; instead it provides member services, physical/digital publications, and certification standards for the food safety industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award: A prestigious national award given annually to local environmental health jurisdictions who demonstrate excellence and continual improvement in a comprehensive food protection program. Named in honor of Dr. Samuel J. Crumbine (1862-1954), a sanitarian-physician and public health pioneer.

Products and services

• Biennial Conference for Food Protection Meeting

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerANAB serves as the accrediting organization for CFP Standards for accreditation of Food Protection Manager Certification Programs. The ANAB-CFP Accreditation Council (ACAC) was created to implement this agreement and is responsible for accrediting personnel certification bodies that certify food protection managers.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFP collaborates with NACCHO on research projects to further the capacity of state, local, tribal, and territorial food regulatory agencies to improve retail food safety and reduce foodborne illness. Funding provided through cooperative agreement with FDA. NACCHO also administers the Crumbine Award program.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFP has Memoranda of Understanding with FDA. FDA recognizes Food Protection Manager certificates issued by accredited certification programs in Section 2-102.11 of the FDA Food Code. CFP guidance documents may be referenced in the Food Code. FDA also provides funding through cooperative agreements with NACCHO for CFP collaborative projects.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCFP utilizes USDA/FSIS as a primary channel for dissemination of information in matters under USDA's purview such as food production, meat and poultry processing, and consumer information.
• American Academy of SanitariansminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• American Public Health AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• Association of Food and Drug OfficialsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• Food Marketing InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• Foodservice Packaging InstituteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• International Association for Food ProtectionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• National Environmental Health AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• National Restaurant AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• NSF InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.
• Underwriters Laboratories (UL Solutions)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCooperating organization for the Samuel J. Crumbine Consumer Protection Award program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NSF International: NSF is a large, established public-health and safety organization that develops food safety standards (e.g., NSF/ANSI standards), certifies products, and provides training. It overlaps with CFP's certification and standards activities but at much broader scope and commercial scale.
• Underwriters Laboratories (UL Solutions): UL is a global safety science organization offering testing, inspection, certification, and standards development across food safety, water, and related categories. It is a CFP cooperating partner and operates in adjacent standards/certification territory at much greater scale.
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI): ANSI oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards in the US and coordinates US participation in ISO/IEC. Through its ANAB subsidiary it directly works with CFP on the Food Protection Manager Certification program, making it a peer in the standards accreditation ecosystem.

Others

• Food Marketing Institute (FMI): FMI is a trade association for food retailers and wholesalers, engaged in food safety, supply chain, and regulatory policy. Like CFP, it convenes industry stakeholders and contributes to food safety standards, but is industry-led rather than multi-stakeholder.
• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO): NACCHO is a nonprofit representing local health departments and a CFP core partner on retail food safety research. It overlaps with CFP on local-level food safety capacity building but its primary constituency is local government rather than the broader food industry.
• National Restaurant Association: The National Restaurant Association is the largest foodservice industry trade group in the US and a CFP cooperating partner. It intersects with CFP on food safety training (ServSafe) and policy advocacy but primarily serves operators rather than setting government-facing standards.

Direct peers

• Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO): AFDO is a nonprofit that represents state and territorial food, drug, and device regulatory officials and develops model codes and standards, including model food safety regulations. It is a CFP cooperating partner and operates in the same food safety standards/governance space.
• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP): IAFP is a nonprofit professional association that advances food safety through scientific conferences, publications, and member representation across academia, government, and industry. It shares CFP's mission of providing a neutral forum for food safety deliberation and is explicitly listed as a CFP partner.
• National Environmental Health Association (NEHA): NEHA is a nonprofit professional society for environmental health practitioners, including food protection, with credentials, training, and annual conferences. It is a CFP cooperating partner and addresses overlapping retail food safety standards, training, and credentialing.

Emerging players

• STOP Foodborne Illness: STOP Foodborne Illness is a national nonprofit advocating for safer food through policy, storytelling, and consumer engagement. It intersects with CFP's food safety mission from a consumer/advocacy angle and is a smaller, more focused organization in the same ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conference-for-food-protection

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Conference for Food Protection