William Weichelt is in the newly created position of director, Food Safety & Industry Relations, for the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and has over 20 years of experience in the foodservice and food manufacturing sectors. 

The NRA is the largest foodservice trade association in the world by membership—supporting over 500,000 restaurant businesses. They represent and advocate for foodservice industry interests—with a focus on financial and regulatory obstacles. They also provide tools and systems that help members of all sizes get significantly better operating results as well as networking, education and research resources.

Specific to food safety their ServSafe Program provides comprehensive educational materials to the restaurant industry through face-to-face and online instruction. More than 5 million foodservice professionals have been certified through the ServSafe Food Protection Manager Certification Examination.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to William Weichelt about:

• Challenges the NRA faces with the start of their new Food Safety Industry Relations department
• NRA’s current top priorities to help the industry going forward
• Using food safety best practices that have been applied in manufacturing to create new best practices in foodservice and hospitality
• Working with an industry that runs the gamut—from large operators with their own systems in place to independent operators who have no food science staff or expertise
• The challenge of figuring out what topics to educate the industry on in the short-term, based on need, from edible marijuana to implementing a food safety management system
• NRA's training and resources offered to smaller operators who do not have food safety staff
• Challenges related to keeping ServSafe relevant and always in line with the FDA Food Code
• Milestones that NRA has achieved as the organization's 100th-anniversary approaches
• The importance of having everyone in an organization from the top down involved in the implementation and maintenance of a food safety management system
• The new Food Safety Industry Relations department's future plans to help the industry in new areas: food fraud, food defense, traceability and figuring out how to apply these topics to the restaurant level, not just to manufacturers
• How changing trends, consumer demand and product innovations impact how the food industry operates and how it all affects the industry’s approach to food safety

Related Content and Resources
For National Food Safety Month, Restaurants Focus on Food Allergens
National Restaurant Association
ServSafe 

News Mentioned in This Episode 
The "Best .gif Ever," tweeted by the Safe Food Alliance
A Look Back at 2017 Food Recalls
Norovirus Sickens More than 100 at 2018 Winter Olympic Games
New USDA, FDA Joint Venture to Improve Food Safety Oversight and Inspection Process
Lactalis Official Statement Regarding Salmonella Tainted Baby Formula
List of Lactalis Recalled Products 
South Africa's Listeriosis Outbreak Death Toll Exceeds 100
Chicken Line Speed Changes
PCA's Remaining Appeals Denied
What's in Your Sushi?

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights Articles:
Food Safety Insights: Testing and Sanitation for Allergen Control (February/March 2018) 
Food Safety Insights: Outsourcing: Pathogen Testing under the Microscope ( December 2017/January 2018)
Food Safety Insights: The New Face of Sanitation Programs: New Rules, New Challenges (October/November 2017)
Food Safety Insights: A Closer Look at Environmental Monitoring in the Processing Plant (August/September 2017)
Food Safety Insights: What Industry and FDA Are Thinking About FSMA Implementation (June/July 2017)
Food Safety Insights: The Drivers of Differences in Food Safety Testing Practices (April/May 2017)
Food Safety Insights: A Look at the Microbiology Testing Market (February/March 2017)

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.

Richard (Rick) Stier, M.S. is a consulting food scientist who has helped food processors develop safety, quality, and sanitation programs. He believes in emphasizing the importance of how these programs can help companies increase profits. Rick comes from a family background in food science, with the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) establishing an award in his mother's name—the Humanitarian Award for Service to the Science of Food in honor of Elizabeth Fleming Stier. Rick holds degrees in food science from Rutgers University and the University of California at Davis. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine.

Claire Sand, Ph.D. is a global packaging leader with 40 years of experience in food science and packaging. As founder of Packaging Technology and Research LLC, her mission is to enable a more sustainable food system by advancing innovations that extend food shelf life and reduce waste.

Dr. Sand specializes in leading cross-functional teams, developing technology strategies, and creating implementation roadmaps for complex packaging challenges across the value chain. With over 150 publications to her credit, she is a regular contributor to leading food science and packaging publications and has held adjunct faculty positions at Michigan State University and California Polytechnic State University.

Kathleen Sanzo, J.D. is Co-Chair of Morgan Lewis' life sciences industry team. She centers her practice on regulatory and compliance issues connected to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated products. She leads and counsels clients on all legal and regulatory issues concerning food, dietary supplements, and cosmetic product manufacture, approval, marketing, and distribution; food, drug, and device compliance and enforcement matters; and consumer product issues regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and state enforcement agencies, among other areas. A frequent author and co-author on publications related to FDA matters, Kathleen regularly speaks on these issues at industry events. She serves as Vice Chair of the Consumer Product Regulation Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, and is a member of the Food and Drug Law Institute's Medical Products Committee.

Campbell Mitchell, M.B.A. is Head of Food Safety and Compliance for Kraft Heinz North America. He has more than 30 years of international experience in food safety, quality management, and risk mitigation. Prior to joining Kraft Heinz, Campbell served as Vice President of Quality and Safety at Fairlife LLC, a $4-billion Coca-Cola-owned dairy brand. He has also held senior leadership roles with Kerry Group and Almarai in the Middle East. Additionally, he founded a consultancy that supported Tiger Brands in Africa.