Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, July 10, 2026 — More than 300 food safety specialists and hospitality executives are expected to attend a two-day international congress in Puerto Vallarta next week focused on preventing contamination, improving traceability, and strengthening food-handling practices.
The fifth Latin American Food Safety Congress will take place July 15 and 16 at the Hilton Vallarta Riviera All-Inclusive Resort. A Jalisco government announcement says participants will arrive from 14 countries, with programming aimed at hotels, restaurants, catering companies, retailers, auditors and food-quality professionals. Attendance requires registration through the event organizer.
Unlike a consumer food festival, the congress is a professional training and industry event. Its agenda extends beyond routine kitchen hygiene to supply chain management, outbreak prevention, product recalls, food traceability, and the regulatory systems governing companies that produce, import, distribute, or serve food.
Grupo Delcen’s event information lists sessions on Mexico’s National Service of Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality, commonly known as SENASICA, as well as US regulatory frameworks, including the Food Safety Modernization Act. Certifications such as SQF, BRCGS and FSSC 22000 will also be discussed, together with packaging, sustainability, leadership and food-industry technology.
Confirmed speakers include Vittorio Fattori of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and Frank Yiannas, a former deputy commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration.
Current FAO material identifies Fattori as a Food Safety Officer in the organization’s Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division. His recent work has included emerging risks associated with food packaging, recycled materials and changes across global food systems.
Yiannas previously led food policy and response work at the FDA, including outbreak investigations, product recalls, supply chain innovation, and the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act. The FDA described him as an architect of its push toward a more digital and traceable food system.
Other participants listed by the organizer include Lilia Santiago Connolly, John Guzewich, Luiz Ferraz, Melody Ge, food safety attorney Bill Marler and specialists connected with major food producers, retailers and certification organizations. The program will be presented in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation.
Prospective attendees should review the final program carefully, as published materials contain conflicting workshop totals. The organizer’s promotional material lists 12 main presentations, five discussion panels and four practical workshops. The Jalisco announcement lists four workshops in one section and eight in another, leaving the final total unclear.
The congress arrives as Puerto Vallarta’s tourism industry places greater attention on training and formal operating standards. Local establishments recently received tourism-quality credentials, including Distintivo H, a federal recognition associated with hygienic food handling, as reported in previous Vallarta Daily coverage.
A Puerto Vallarta hotel also signed a recent agreement with Jalisco’s workforce-training institute to expand instruction tied to hospitality employment. That training agreement and next week’s congress reflect a wider push to treat staff preparation and operating standards as part of the city’s tourism infrastructure.
