To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2025 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with Sharon Beals, Founder, SKKB; Peter Taormina, Ph.D., Founder and President, Etna Consulting Group; Sandra Eskin, J.D., CEO, STOP Foodborne Illness; John O'Fallon, Senior Manager Environmental Sensors, Zebra Technologies; and Monica Khoury, Senior Quality Expert, Nestlé; Lily Yasuda, Program Manager, Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness.
Kye Luker serves as the Chief Product Officer at FlexXray, where he leads the development of the company's innovative X-ray inspection process and technology. With over two decades of experience in the service, CPG, food, and beverage industries, Kye brings a wealth of knowledge in continuous improvement, quality assurance, and formulations to his role.
Christopher R. Daubert, Ph.D., serves as the President of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and as the Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), as well as a Professor in the Division of Food Systems and Bioengineering. He joined Mizzou from North Carolina State University, where he served as a Professor and Head of the Department of Food, Bioprocessing, and Nutrition Services; Director of the Food Rheology Laboratory; and system Co-Chair of Food, Biochemical, and Engineered Systems. His research explained the physical chemistry, molecular-level interactions, and functionality of food systems through an understanding of rheological behavior, while solving problems facing the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Alex Truelove has served as Legislation and Advocacy Manager at BPI (Biodegradable Plastics Institute) since 2022. He previously directed U.S. PIRG's (Public Interest Research Group's) zero-waste program. He remains passionate about waste reduction, public policy, and working with others to incrementally solve messy environmental problems.
To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2025 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with keynote speaker Jason Evans, Ph.D., Dean, College of Food Innovation and Technology, Johnson & Wales University; as well as Brian Ronholm, M.A., Director of Food Policy, Consumer Reports; Michael Fang, Co-Founder, Spectacular Labs; and Steven Lyon, Ph.D., Director, Food Safety—Field Operations, Chick-fil-A Inc.; Purni Wickramasinghe, Ph.D., Food Safety & Restaurant Solutions, Chick-fil-A Inc.
Christian Ararat, M.Sc., M.Eng. is a food safety professional with more than ten years of experience in food safety and quality. After earning a bachelor's degree in Food Science from Valley University in Colombia, he began his career in the bakery industry, where he implemented and enforced good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and prerequisite programs. After moving to Canada, Christian joined Natursource Inc., a Montreal-based food manufacturing company dedicated to producing healthy snacks.
Savannah Applegate, Ph.D. is a Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety. Dr. Applegate received her B.S. degree in Meat Science from Ohio State University and her M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Applied Food Microbiology from Texas Tech University. Her areas of expertise are meat and poultry food safety, and she specializes in diagnostics and pathogen mitigation.
