Melissa Vaccaro, CP-FS, CPFM, PCQI is the Senior Food Safety Program Specialist for the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), where she is the SME in the development and delivery of food safety education, focusing on retail food safety and manufactured/processed foods. As an instructor, Melissa teaches the Plan Review, Special Process in Retail, Food Safety in the Event of a Disaster, Food Code, and Temporary Food Establishments courses for NEHA/FDA. She is a CP-FS, CPFM, PCQI, and Lead Instructor for the FSPCA courses on Human Food. Additionally, Melissa is an FDA Certified Retail Food Standardization Officer and a Certified Health Officer.
Foodborne illness prevention does not happen by chance. It depends on a workforce that is trained, credentialed, data-enabled, and supported by coordinated federal investment. These are the conditions that allow prevention to occur consistently across jurisdictions and over time—and current workforce research suggests each is under pressure.
