Intertek Alchemy, a global leader in solutions that help food and manufacturing companies engage with their workforces to drive productivity and safety, has announced that its vice president of food safety and global alliances, Laura Dunn Nelson, has been named vice-chair of the Food Safety Culture Professional Development Group (PDG) for the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).

As incoming vice-chair of this growing IAFP PDG, Nelson will work to continue providing an international forum to advance food safety culture science and best practices. Her responsibilities will include planning workshops, publications, and educational sessions around the theme of food safety culture.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue collaborating with food safety professionals around food safety culture, and am committed to building a repository of information to aid the industry in its ability to improve and mature the food safety culture at their organizations,” said Nelson. “I also look forward to working with our dedicated members from academia and regulators to capture their pioneering and growing body of research and guidance and share it with our members.”

Nelson has more than 30 years’ experience implementing food safety and quality control programs for processing, packaging, food service and retail operations. Additionally, Nelson has worked with global retailers and manufacturers in the implementation of their Global Food Safety Initiative certification programs.

Prior to Nelson’s nine years advancing food safety with Alchemy, she managed Silliker’s South Region food testing laboratories, implemented ISO 17025 requirements, conducted GMP and HACCP audits, and trained food safety auditors. Her hands-on experience in testing food products has assisted food companies in the successful implementation of good manufacturing practices (GMP), quality assurance, and HACCP programs.