Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
News

Food Safety Training on Tap for 2014 at Rhode Island College

November 14, 2013


Editor's Note: The following is an edited version of an article that appeared Nov. 11 on ProvidenceJournal.com.


The head of food safety at a Rhode Island sausage company at the center of a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2009 has helped design a new food industry training program at Rhode Island College.

Michael D. DeCesare, director of food safety at Daniele Inc., said the new program will help meet a growing demand for employees trained in food safety.

The program, to begin in fall 2014, will combine food chemistry and microbiology with practical training in areas such as designing an emergency response plan and managing a food safety crisis.

Students will be encouraged to participate in internships at Daniele and other local companies. The curriculum is being offered as part of the bachelor of science in health sciences degree. Students who complete the program will be prepared to get the certification required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to work in food safety management.

DeCesare, a RIC graduate, will teach in the program as adjunct professor.

“It’s going to be educational and practical,’’ he said. “They’re going to have the best of both worlds.”

Students will learn from case studies such as the salmonella contamination in 2009 at Daniele Inc.’s meat processing plant in Burrillville. The Daniele contamination sickened thousands of people in 44 states.

At the time, the company had been making dry-cured sausages for 34 years and had what food protection officials described as a pristine record.

Food inspectors ultimately determined that the culprit was not the sausage, as initially suspected, but rather the pepper in which it was rolled. After the outbreak, the company changed pepper suppliers and now buys only from those that irradiate their pepper to kill foodborne pathogens such as salmonella.

The pepper contamination raised new awareness nationwide about the hazards of imported spices. The New York Times recently reported that nearly 7 percent of imported spices examined by federal inspectors were contaminated with salmonella.

DeCesare described the Daniele outbreak as “the worst, yet best, experience of my life.” During the outbreak, he said, he worked 69 straight days for an average of 15 hours a day.

“I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” he said, “but it was a great learning experience. …It made me a better food-safety person.”

DeCesare said he came up with the idea for the program last February while he was at an industry conference in Las Vegas.

“Everyone seemed to have the same problem,” he said. “You cannot find good workers to take on either a scientific role in the company … or a supervisory capacity because they don’t have any food knowledge.”

Though Rhode Island is known for its fine restaurants and the culinary program at Johnson & Wales University, knowledge of food manufacturing, he said, is “severely lacking.”

DeCesare said he proposed the idea last March to Eric Hall, associate professor of biology at RIC, who worked to win support for the program.

“The job market for food safety professionals is untapped,” Hall said in a statement released by RIC.

The statement cites data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that projects jobs for food scientists nationwide will increase 10 percent between 2010 and 2020.

New graduates with degrees in food safety and science receive salaries of about $44,000 a year, the statement says, citing a report by the Institute for Food Technologists, a nonprofit professional organization.

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Food Type
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Food Prep/Handling
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    International
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

  • Deli Salads
    Sponsored byCorbion

    How Food Safety is Becoming the Ultimate Differentiator in Refrigerated and Prepared Foods

Popular Stories

FoodSafetyMattersFinal-900x550-(002).jpg

Ep. 195. Dr. Christopher Daubert: The Value of a Food Science Education

Students returning their lunch trays in a cafeteria

California Bill Would Remove Ultra-Processed Foods from School Lunches

Image of baby being fed infant formula

HHS Budget Request Beats Familiar Drum

Events

June 26, 2025

How to Design and Conduct Challenge Studies for Safer Products and Longer Shelf Life

Live: June 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn how to conduct challenge studies for microbial spoilage and pathogen growth, including the common challenges encountered, laboratory selection, and use of predictive models.

May 11, 2026

The Food Safety Summit

Stay informed on the latest food safety trends, innovations, emerging challenges, and expert analysis. Leave the Summit with actionable insights ready to drive measurable improvements in your organization. Do not miss this opportunity to learn from experts about contamination control, food safety culture, regulations, sanitation, supply chain traceability, and so much more.

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • digital rendering of dna

    “New Wave” of DNA Sequencing for Food Safety Launched at FAO-Led Training

    See More
  • Training Helps College Foodservice Ops Cater to Students with Food Allergies

    See More
  • Partnership for Food Safety Education Announces Student Scholarships for 2014 National Food Safety Education Conference

    See More
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing