Leadership

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Bridging the gap between food safety policy, science, and practice requires stronger leadership, employee empowerment, and a commitment to prevention beyond regulatory compliance.

Moving from compliance to capability requires more than training; it requires leadership buy-in that enables better food safety decisions under pressure.
 

The inaugural “Cultivate: Leadership Growth Lab” will be held November 5–6, 2026, in Lexington, Kentucky. The two-day, collaborative event is designed to meet the food production sector’s need for leadership development.

By examining global standards such as HACCP, GFSI, and SQF, this article explores the gaps in current competency assessments and the risks posed by these gaps. It also provides actionable strategies to empower frontline leaders and quality assurance teams to improve where necessary.

The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) will introduce two leadership development programs in 2026 aimed at addressing workforce gaps in the food production and manufacturing sectors.

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.

As reliance on digital tools increases, it is essential to recognize human skills in maintaining high food safety standards.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dr. Jason Evans, the Keynote Presenter for the 2025 Food Safety Summit and Dean of the College of Food Innovation and Technology at Johnson & Wales University, about the topic of his upcoming Keynote talk, “Leadership When Nothing is Easy.” Bob Ferguson also discusses his latest two Food Safety Insights columns, which explore how changes at FDA and USDA are impacting processors’ food safety programs.