Food Safety Matters

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In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, recorded live at IAFP's 2025 Annual Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, we speak to two top officials from FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) about the HFP’s current areas of focus—including produce safety and other goals aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative—as well as the future of the HFP and how food safety culture influences its work.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Jim Fredericks, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), about the risks posed by rodents in food facilities and the importance of integrated pest control to food safety.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Jatin Patel, Director of Operations for FGS Ingredients, about how the company handled a recall of several of its mustard-based products due to peanut contamination, the measures the company has implemented to prevent future risks, and the broader implications for food safety standards.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Lane Highbarger, President of Highbarger Consulting LLC and former Regulatory Specialist and lead microbiologist in FDA's Office of Food Additive Safety, about his thoughts on the recent FDA workforce cuts instigated by the Trump Administration, and how these cuts may impact the agency's ability to ensure safe food for consumers.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Kye Luker, Chief Product Officer at FlexXray, about how external X-ray inspection services can assist companies in responding to a foreign material (FM) contamination event, and the ways in which inspection technology is evolving.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Christopher Daubert, President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, about the value of a food science education, as well as the complex food system challenges that today's students, who make up tomorrow's workforce, can help address.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Alex Truelove, Legislation and Policy Manager at the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), about a California law that makes big changes to compliance on compostable products, including food packaging, in the state. The law, which goes into effect in 2026, could have a "ripple effect" on the rest of the country.

In the second of this two-part episode of Food Safety Matters, we interviewed professionals from industry, consumer advocacy, and foodservice, live from the show floor of the Food Safety Summit, which took place on May 12–15 in Rosemont, Illinois. We discussed the efficacy of finished product testing, educating and advocating for consumers, food safety culture tools, and more.

In the first of this two-part episode of Food Safety Matters, we interviewed professionals from academia, consumer advocacy, and foodservice, live from the show floor of the Food Safety Summit, which took place on May 12–15 in Rosemont, Illinois. We discussed leadership, food additives, leveraging AI for food safety, and more.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Christian Ararat, a seasoned food safety and quality professional with a global perspective, about a range of topics, including auditing, traceability, certifications, exporting to the U.S., and artificial intelligence (AI). We also hear from Joseph Corby, the recipient of Food Safety Magazine’s 2025 Distinguished Service Award, about his illustrious career and advocacy work.