Hal King, Ph.D., is a recognized leader in public health. He's worked in government, industry, and education. Currently, Hal is the managing partner at Active Food Safety, a new advisory services and digital products company. He is also the founder and CEO of Public Health Innovations, a public health strategy and design company. In addition, Hal serves as an associate professor of public health at the University of Georgia.

As a public health professional, Hal has investigated foodborne and other disease outbreaks at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, he's performed federally funded research on the causation and prevention of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine. Hal also worked in the prevention of intentional adulteration of foods and food defense for the Army Force Health Protection. Another one of his prior roles was as the director of food and product safety at Chick-fil-A. There, he designed and led the company's food safety management program for 11 years.

Hal is the author and co-author of several books, articles, and chapters on public health interventions, including safe food manufacturing and food allergen controls in foodservice. His newest book, Food Safety Management Systems, is published as part of the International Association for Food Protection's Food Microbiology Series by Springer.

Hal was the recipient of the 2018 NSF International Food Safety Leadership and Innovation Award. He was our featured guest in Ep. 14. Also, Hal penned the cover story in our August/September 2020 issue: Breaking the Chain of Infectious Disease Transmission in a Retail Foodservice Business. Finally, Hal is a member of the Food Safety Magazine editorial advisory board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Hal [21:34] about:

• What compelled him to write a new book about foodborne illnesses and outbreaks in the foodservice industry
• Why the content of his book did not change as the pandemic emerged
• What food safety management systems are...and what they are not
• Whether COVID has really changed the process of food safety
• The value and purpose of third-party audits and health inspections
• Foodborne illness risk factors that cause outbreaks
• Making the change from in-person training to digital
• How demographics play in role in the future success of restaurants
• Air recirculation and air disinfection
• Common staff mistakes being made at the retail and foodservice level
• The future of food safety management systems in restaurants

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [13:40]
Bob joins us to discuss his article featured in our August/September 2020 issue.

Want more from Bob Ferguson? Find more of his articles and podcast segments.

News Mentioned in This Episode
OSHA and FDA Develop Checklist to Protect Food Industry Employees Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic [4:45]  
NAMI and OSHA Team Up to Fight COVID-19 in Meatpacking and Processing Plants [5:59]
USDA Announces Public Meeting on Salmonella: State of Science [10:36] 

American Frozen Food Institutes (AFFI)'s response to China's claims of detecting coronavirus on food, food surfaces, or packaging 
AFFI's FAQs 
Video response

Adam Holt, BCE is a Board Certified Entomologist with decades of hands-on experience. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant at NameDatBug, a pest control consulting firm grounded in real-world success across every level of the pest control industry. Adam has held executive roles at several PCT Top 100 companies and brings unmatched industry expertise to every engagement. He holds a patent for an electronic rodent monitoring device, has worked in pest control software development, and has collaborated closely with manufacturers and distributors on both product design and market strategy.

Shannon Sked, Ph.D., BCE is an entomologist and the National Technical Director at Orkin. He received a B.S. degree from Rutgers University, an M.S. degree in Entomology from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. from Rutgers' Urban IPM Entomology lab. Dr. Sked's research focuses on distribution and temporal modeling of insect and rodent communities in order to design effective pest management programs. He began his career as a Navy Entomologist overseeing structural pests, specifically focusing on pests related to imports, exports, and within the logistics chain for Navy operations. He had the unique opportunity to practice applied entomology and invasive species management in the Middle East, North Africa, the Caribbean, and the eastern shore of the U.S.  

Michael Ciepiela is Vice President of Quality and Continuous Improvement at Southern Specialties. He brings over a decade of diverse experience in the food and beverage industry, along with experience in the pharmaceutical sector, specializing in quality assurance and food safety. Throughout his career, he has excelled in multi-site implementation and adherence to GFSI requirements and regulations. Michael has also been instrumental in promoting and educating Lean Six Sigma principles in fast-paced, cross-departmental settings. As a recognized thought leader, he frequently speaks at national conferences. He is also a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Michael holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Alfred University and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt from Villanova University.

Mindy Brashears, Ph.D. is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Under Secretary for Food Safety. She previously served as Under Secretary for Food Safety from 2020–2021, and Deputy Under Secretary in 2019. Dr. Brashears returns to USDA from Texas Tech University, where she was a Paul Whitfield Horn Distinguished Professor of Food Safety and Public Health, the Roth and Letch Family Endowed Chair for Food Safety, and the Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence.

Carmen Rottenberg is a leader in food safety and agriculture policy, serving as Managing Director of Groundswell Strategy a Board Member for the Partnership for Food Safety Education. Prior to launching Groundswell Strategy, Carmen served as Administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. Over her 13 years with USDA, Carmen held several leadership roles and was credited with spearheading key agency initiatives including modernizing food safety inspection systems and establishing and updating pathogen performance standards. Carmen has extensive experience achieving collaboration across federal, state, and municipal agencies including with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), with state departments of agriculture and across USDA's 29 agencies and offices.

Jules Shepard is the CEO and Founder of gfJules, the number-one‑voted gluten‑free flour and baking mixes company in the United States. A recognized gluten‑free baking expert, she has authored three award‑winning books in the field and recently released a new cookbook dedicated to gluten‑free bread. A long‑standing and respected leader in the gluten‑free and food allergy community, Jules championed the gluten‑free food labeling movement in 2011. Her tireless advocacy, education, and lobbying efforts culminated in her receiving the first‑ever "Gluten Free Person of the Decade" award in 2020.

Lily Yasuda is the Deputy Director of the Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, where she leads national initiatives that bring together food industry leaders to strengthen food safety culture and support continuous learning across the sector.

Athenais Boeffard is a collaborative and people-focused production leader with over a decade of experience in food manufacturing and food safety. 

John Boyce has over 45 years of experience in various aspects of food production, food safety, quality assurance, sanitation, training, and auditing.