Ep. 57. Sanjay Gummalla: AFFI’s Food Safety Innovations

Sanjay Gummalla is the vice president of regulatory and technical affairs at the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), where he recently led the effort to launch the organization's Food Safety Zone online tool released earlier this year.

Previously, Sanjay was the vice president of product development at Zentis North America. Before that, he spent time at Givaudan where he served as the lead scientist for food and dairy processing and was responsible for conducting research to establish impact, performance, and stability of new ingredients and technologies. He also spent time in dairy flavor development at Cargill.

Sanjay earned his Ph.D. in nutrition and food sciences at Utah State University in 2000 and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

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In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Sanjay [17:59] about:

Sanjay's career and background
The history of AFFI and the organization's recent 75th anniversary
AFFI's science-based and risk-based approach to food safety, and their focus on preventing and controlling Listeria monocytogenes in frozen foods
The Food Safety Zone, AFFI's Listeria control program, and how it was developed and implemented
Sanitation control, environmental monitoring, and other areas, templates, and resources covered or offered within the program
AFFI's efforts to advance food safety via scientific research, developing best practices, training, and education for the supply chain, retailers, foodservice workers, and consumers
Collaboration in food safety without the worry of competition
AFFI's partnership with Merieux NutriSciences
The Alliance for Listeriosis Prevention
AFFI's Frozen Food Foundation
Consumer confusion about cooking instructions and what 'ready-to-eat' really means, and working with regulatory agencies to get consistent messaging out to the public
Balancing convenience, taste, and safety of frozen foods
Misconceptions about the nutritional benefits of frozen foods vs. fresh foods
Plans to expand the Food Safety Zone and focus on other pathogens besides Listeria

Resources Mentioned:
AFFI Food Safety Zone online tool
Alliance for Listeriosis Prevention
AFFI Frozen Food Foundation
FrozenAdvantage.org

News Mentioned in This Episode
New Food Allergen Labeling Coming to the UK [5:13]
Trade Group Pushes to Remove Coconut from FDA's Food Allergen List [6:51]
USDA Modernizes Swine Slaughter Inspection for the First Time in 50 Years [10:44]

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