Dr. William Sperber is a renowned food microbiologist who has been appointed five times by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and has been recognized for his pioneering work at the Pillsbury Co. in the development of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety program model. 
 
During his career, Dr. Sperber worked for three major food companies—Best Foods, Pillsbury and Cargill—and has become one of the world’s experts in controlling the microbiological safety and quality of foods. 
 
A former chair of the IFT Division of Food Microbiology and the Food Microbiology Research Conference, Dr. Sperber was appointed in 2000 to the FAO/WHO roster of experts for microbiological risk assessments. 
 
In 2001, the International Association for Food Protection presented Dr. Sperber with the Harold Barnum Industry Award, and in 2002, the American Meat Institute Foundation presented him with its inaugural Scientific Achievement Award. In 2004 he received our Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award
 
Now retired, Dr. Sperber is a strategic advisor to Cargill’s food safety program and remains actively involved in professional activities on a personal level, including the development of a textbook on food safety and HACCP.  

In this episode of Food Safety Matters we speak to Dr. Bill Sperber about:
 

• Bill’s early life influences and what lead him to a career in food microbiology
• Why Salmonella is his ‘favorite’ bacterium
• The food industry before HACCP
• Developing and implementing HACCP
• Listeria hysteria
• Canned foods regulation, pasteurization, and raw milk
• Who’s responsible for safe foods?
• Insights from visiting 1,000+ plants in 20 years
• Top advances in food safety in the last 50 years
• The advent of 'The Friendly Microbiologist'

Articles by Dr. Sperber in Food Safety Magazine
Good Consumer Practices Are Necessary to Further Improve Global Food Safety (April/May 2015)
Sean Leighton, M.Sc., M.B.A., and William H. Sperber, Ph.D.
Happy 50th Birthday to HACCP: Retrospective and Prospective  (December 2009/January 2010)
William H. Sperber. Ph.D., and Richard F. Stier
Shifting the Emphasis from Product Testing to Process Testing (April/May 2010)
William H. Sperber, Ph.D.
Advancing the Food Safety Agenda (June/July 2004)
An interview with William H. Sperber, Ph.D.

 
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
USDA Integrates Recall Information into 'FoodKeeper' Application
FDA Launches Food Safety Plan Builder to Help with FSMA Requirements 
Federal court upholds Seafood Traceability Rule; targets fraud
USDA Offers Food Safety Tips for Areas Affected by Hurricanes

Larry Keener, CFS, PA is President and CEO of International Product Safety Consultants Inc. and an internationally regarded microbiologist and process authority in the food industry. His areas of expertise range from applied food microbiology to the development and application of novel preservation technologies.

In this bonus episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Jenny Du, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Apeel Sciences, about Apeel—a clean alternative to traditional post-harvest produce coatings and treatments—its transparent approach to disrupting an $11 billion industry.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Sandro Tarchini of the Cardano Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the blockchain ecosystem, about the applications for blockchain throughout the food supply chain and how it can improve farm-to-retail traceability and transparency.

Suzette Stalker is Director of FSQA Program Compliance at FreshRealm Inc. Formerly, she served as Director of Food Safety, Quality, and Regulatory compliance at Target Corporation. At Target, Suzette was responsible for food safety standards and programs, covering nearly 2,000 stores and more than 60 supply chain facilities. Her work encompassed owned brand supplier manufacturing facilities, product labeling, produce farms, supply chain facilities, retail stores, and managing food recalls. Previously, Suzette led teams to develop and execute comprehensive internal audits of food safety and operational risks across Target. 

Sabrina Terada is the Manager for Food Safety Risk Management and Measurement at Yum! Brands. She is a seasoned professional in food safety and quality assurance with extensive experience at Yum! Brands, where her roles have included Manager of Global Food Safety Risk Management and Measurement and Manager of Global FSQA. In these positions, Sabrina held responsibilities supporting the Food Safety Governance Framework, coaching, and assisting business units with crisis management. 

Chris McGarvey is the Director of the Regulatory and Compliance Team for Walker Morris LLP in the UK. He has more than 25 years of experience working in both the private and public sector, and has a track record of helping clients navigate complex legal challenges in areas of highly regulated economic activity. Chris specializes in food law and led the Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) Legal Team through Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and supply chain challenges associated with the Ukraine conflict. Chris' typical clients are Directors, Senior Managers, and specialists, particularly food scientists, who demand quick, accessible, and accurate advice. His work often has national reach and spans all four nations of the UK.

Kye Luker serves as the Chief Product Officer at FlexXray, where he leads development of the company's innovative X-ray inspection process and technology. With more than two decades of experience in the service, consumer packaged goods (CPG), and food and beverage industries, Kye brings a wealth of knowledge in continuous improvement, quality assurance, and formulations to his role.