Dr. Mindy Brashears Confirmed as Head of USDA-FSIS
On December 18, 2025, Mindy Brashears, Ph.D. was confirmed by the Senate in a 53–42 vote for a second term as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety. She previously served in the same position from 2020–2021 during President Trump’s first term.
As Under Secretary for Food Safety, Dr. Brashears will oversee USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). The Under Secretary for Food Safety is also responsible for chairing the U.S. Codex Policy Steering Committee, which participates in global deliberations that help guide Codex Alimentarius food safety standards.
Dr. Brashears succeeds Jose Emilio Esteban, Ph.D., who served as Under Secretary for Food Safety under the Biden Administration, after the role was vacant for nearly a year.
As a career food research scientist and microbiologist, Dr. Brashear’s past work outside of USDA-FSIS has mainly centered on mitigation strategies in pre-harvest production and post-harvest processing environments to reduce foodborne pathogens in meat and poultry. She leaves her role as Professor of Food Safety and Public Health at Texas Tech University (TTU) and Director of TTU’s International Center for Food Industry Excellence.
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) expressed its approval of Dr. Brashear's confirmation, stating, "Her deep understanding of the science of food safety, commitment to science-based decision-making, her first-hand experience as a business owner, and her success overseeing complex inspection and regulatory programs will be valuable as the department advances efforts to protect public health."
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) also applauded Dr. Brashear's confirmation, calling her a "friend" with "an astute understanding of what it takes to successfully raise, grow, harvest, and promote U.S. agricultural products given [her] deep experience with agricultural policy and regulation within the federal government."
Dr. Brashear's Intent to Focus on Salmonella and Listeria
In earlier Senate confirmation hearings, Dr. Brashears said that, during her second term, Salmonella would top her list of priorities, followed by Listeria.
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Dr. Brashear’s stated prioritization of Salmonella control is notable, given that the proposed framework to address Salmonella in poultry—which was developed after years of consideration and scientific and stakeholder consultations—was scrapped in April 2025 by the second Trump Administration. USDA-FSIS is now beginning work on a new approach.
In her first term as Under Secretary for Food Safety, Dr. Brashears helped roll out the USDA-FSIS Roadmap to Reducing Salmonella: Driving Change Through Science-Based Policy. In the earlier Senate hearing, she advocated for a science-based, data-driven approach to Salmonella control, just as she did in the 2020 roadmap, remarking that the agency’s approach to Salmonella must leverage modern technologies to target the most highly pathogenic strains and focus on eradicating them from the food supply.
Dr. Brashears also said that Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes would not be neglected at USDA-FSIS under her leadership, noting that L. monocytogenes control will continue to be an area of priority for the agency, which came to the forefront of USDA’s attention after the high-profile Boar’s Head listeriosis outbreak of 2024 that prompted the agency to update its Listeria Rule.
