Otto "Chip" D. Simmons III, Ph.D. is an Area Specialized Agent for Food Safety based in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University. His background is in environmental and public health microbiology, studying the potential sources, transport, and fate of microbial pathogens and indicator organisms in the environment. Dr. Simmons' current role as a Food Safety Area Specialized Agent seeks to assist the North Carolina fresh produce industry with the implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) by delivering outreach, education, and training programs to meet the federal requirements outlined in the Produce Safety Rule and Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule.
Root cause analysis can turn routine food safety deviations into opportunities to identify systemic weaknesses, strengthen preventive controls, and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
