Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. With the goal of reducing foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Dr. Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision makers – the gatekeepers of safe food. He co-hosts a bi-weekly podcast, “Food Safety Talk,” and works to engage audiences through online social media outlets.

Captain Domenic J. Veneziano, USPHS, Retired is the former director of the Division of Import Operations and Policy for the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).  He is recognized by the FDA and across multiple industries as an expert in import operations. Previously Captain Veneziano established and directed the FDA's first 24/7 office to help prevent terrorism of the U.S. food supply. Captain Veneziano served the FDA and the U.S. Public Health Service for more than 24 years before recently retiring.

“The combined expertise of these renowned specialists will be of tremendous value as we continue working to create a smarter, safer and more sustainable global supply chain for food and pharmaceuticals,” said Joseph Battoe, CEO of Varcode.

Varcode’s solution relies on digital “smart barcode” tags that dynamically change based on customized time and temperature parameters. The labels use a combination of precisely tuned chemicals and a uniquely printed layer to capture temperature variances when and where they occur and create a permanent, irreversible digital record accessed by Varcode’s proprietary smartphone app. Varcode’s digital records are cloud based and accessible from the point of processing through customer delivery.

Varcode ensures compliance with all food safety best practices, including the recently published CDC consumer guidelines for receiving home delivered goods, as well as HACCP plans, FDA and USDA guidelines, and many of the provisions within the FSMA including but not limited to the HARPC, FSVP and Sanitary transport. The Varcode cloud-based system will also meet the FSMA record keeping requirements, which means less paperwork.

Varcode technology holds more than two dozen patents. It was developed in Israel by Yaron Nemet, co-founder and inventor of the Digital Time Temperature Indicator (dTTiS). Nemet was the next-generation solution leader for Wiztec Solutions (Nasdaq: WIZTF), an international IT business solutions provider.