Dr. Sperber was a renowned food microbiologist who was recognized for his pioneering work in the development of HACCP and was appointed five times to NACMF. He was also a recipient of the Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award.

In the ever-evolving world of food manufacturing, employee training and education play a pivotal role in achieving operational excellence, maintaining the highest quality standards, ensuring food safety, and establishing a robust food safety culture within an organization.

A question that often arises is, "Does a food production establishment require both a HACCP plan and a Food Safety Plan?" The answer to this question depends on country- or region-specific legal requirements, among other factors.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Dr. Barbara Masters—Vice President of Regulatory Policy, Food, and Agriculture at Tyson Foods Inc.—about food safety policy and leadership in the meat and poultry industry, informed by her 34 years of experience in the sector across veterinary, regulatory, advisory, and corporate roles.

Food business operators must ensure that their HACCP teams are motivated, dynamic, and knowledgeable, and that they correctly identify and outline all possible hazards for their product.

Flour mills produce a "ready-to-cook" product. The most severe food safety hazards at flour mills are physical and include metal, wood, pests, and other items. A variety of equipment is used in an enclosed system to prevent physical and other contamination of the product.

 In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we talk to two industry experts from Fresh Express—John Gurrisi, Vice President of Food Safety and Quality, and German Rios, Senior Director of Food Safety and Quality—about the company’s rigorous approach to food safety at all stages of production. Specifically, John and German discuss Fresh Express’ high standards for growers, its tech-enabled traceability system, and how the company has refined its food safety approach over time, among other topics.

Many of the techniques used in creating a HACCP plan are shared with other types of plans, such as food quality and food defense plans. This article discusses regulatory changes in the dairy industry through the years, including the Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shippers Dairy HACCP Pilot Program, and the incorporation of the Food Safety Modernization Act Preventive Controls Rule within the PMO.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we talk with Michael (Mike) R. Taylor about the regulatory changes that have occurred since the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak of 1992–1993. He served as Administrator of UDSA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) during a time of great transformation within the agency, and is currently a board member for Stop Foodborne Illness. Mike talks about how his previous work at FDA informed his work at USDA; what it was like to negotiate with industry on new Salmonella and E. coli standards, as well as HACCP regulations; the evolution of food safety culture and the concept of taking accountability for prevention; and the personal impact of the stories of foodborne illness outbreak victims.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we interview Gillian Kelleher, President, and CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC and the Chairperson of the Educational Advisory Board (EAB) for the 2023 Food Safety Summit. Gillian speaks about the importance of organizational food safety and quality (FSQ) programs, as well as how FSQ professionals and food businesses can drive positive improvement.