In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, representatives from Neogen and AOAC INTERNATIONAL discuss the benefits of having testing methods and kits independently approved and certified.

You will learn all about the beginnings of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, how the organization has evolved, and what it means for a company within the food industry to be an affiliate member. 

To help us better understand why AOAC INTERNATIONAL membership is a plus, our editorial director, Barbara Van Renterghem, spoke with two experts from both sides of the fence.

Dave Schmidt is AOAC INTERNATIONAL's new executive director as of May 1, 2018. Prior to joining AOAC, he was principal consultant for Schmidt Commonwealth Strategies, LLC. From 2006 to 2015, he served as president CEO of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) and CEO of the IFIC Foundation in Washington, D.C. He joined IFIC in 1993 and held positions from director to executive vice president prior to being elected CEO. Dave also served as the first Bush Administration's director of external affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service where he addressed food safety and nutrition issues and managed the inspection agency’s media, legislative, and consumer education programs. He also gained a thorough understanding of the food industry in previous sales positions with Oscar Mayer Foods, Pepsi-Cola USA, and Canada Dry Corp. He holds a B.A. in business administration from Vanderbilt University, and completed graduate business studies at the University of New Orleans. He has also served the Town of Leesburg, VA, as a town council member.

Dr. Robert Donofrio is the director of food safety research and development for Neogen. He joined Neogen in February of 2016, responsible for the strategic vision, resource management, and coordination of product development activities for the following laboratory groups: Immunodiagnostics, Biochemistry, Neogen Culture Media, Molecular biology, Pathogen Detection and General Microbiology. Dr. Donofrio also oversees the Neogen Validation laboratory which is responsible for performing internal product validation and coordinating third-party product certification and approval through groups such as AOAC, AFNOR, Health Canada, and MicroVal. Dr. Donofrio is also responsible for establishing key collaborations with university and private research centers as well as evaluating novel technologies for potential integration into Neogen’s product portfolio. Prior to Neogen, Dr. Donofrio spent 16 years at NSF International, a public health and safety company.  During his tenure at NSF, Dr. Donofrio served as the director of the microbiology lab for over a decade, and then as director of the Applied Research Center for his final 3 years. He was awarded the NSF Star Employee Award in March of 2001 (was nominated for the same award in 2008), and guided his laboratory to the 2006 NSF Team of the Year Award.

Dr. Donofrio obtained his B.S. in biology from the University of Dayton in 1994 and his M.S. in environmental microbiology from Duquesne University in 1996, where he was named Graduate Student of the Year.  Dr. Donofrio obtained his doctoral degree in microbiology from Michigan Technological University in May 2009.  

Dr. Donofrio has authored dozens of publications for peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, and training materials. He is a full member of the International Association for Food Protection, Society of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB), AOAC, American Society for Microbiology, Institute of Food Technology, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  He has served on the Board of Directors at SIMB for two terms. 

In this episode, we speak to Neogen and AOAC INTERNATIONAL about:

• AOAC's history, mission, and funding
• Future growth opportunities in microbiological testing, dietary supplements, and cannabis
• Benefits of being an affiliate member
• Method validations offered by AOAC, and options for proprietary methods
• AOAC's laboratory proficiency testing program
• Performance tested methods program vs. official methods of analysis program
• The importance of AOAC approval to an affiliate member
• The process of getting a testing method or kit approved by AOAC
• Deciding which products will and will not go through the AOAC approval process
• Global harmonization efforts
• Education and training efforts, particularly for the new generation of scientists
• What it's like to partner with AOAC

Sponsored by:

Resources
AOAC Performance Tested Methods^SM (PTM) Program

AOAC Official Methods of Analysis^SM(OMA) Program

AOAC INTERNATIONAL 

ANSR® Listeria Right Now™ 

Neogen Food Safety

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. 

Rhodes Yepsen joined the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) in 2015, where he leads the organization's efforts to promote the value of compostable products. Rhodes is passionate about systems-based solutions, where there is synergy in solving for food waste and packaging simultaneously—addressing climate change, ecosystem impacts, and regenerative agriculture. Previously, he served on the Board of USCC, worked for biopolymer producer Novamont, and was a staff editor and writer at BioCycle magazine.

Brittney Miller is President of Manchester Farms, America's first quail farm. What started over 40 years ago as a backyard hobby has grown into a nationally recognized, family-owned business that produces more than 80,000 quail weekly, raising them responsibly, without antibiotics or hormones, and shipping premium products to chefs, retailers, and home cooks across the country. Brittney's story is about more than farming: it is about stewardship, innovation, and family values. She combines her passion for sustainable agriculture with modern food safety standards. Her SQF Level 2 certified, HACCP-compliant farm sets the benchmark for quality in specialty poultry.

Mindy Brashears, Ph.D. is the USDA's Under Secretary for Food Safety. Dr. Brashears 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.

Justin Ransom, Ph.D. is Administrator of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), where he oversees FSIS' mission to ensure the safety, wholesomeness, and proper labeling of America's commercial supply of meat, poultry, and processed egg products. He leads the agency's modernization efforts, streamlining inspection systems, strengthening public health protections, and advancing science-based policies. 

Elena Medo, M.B.A. is an entrepreneur, researcher, and inventor who has spent nearly 40 years transforming neonatal care through leadership and innovation. She has secured numerous patents, raised over $40 million across four companies, and built a legacy of firsts, including the first commercially available shelf-stable donor breast milk product; the first milk bank owned exclusively by nursing mothers; and the first medical device designed to analyze human milk. Today, as CEO and co-founder of Leonie Health PBC, established in 2023 with her daughter, Adrianne Weir, Elena is developing a revolutionary product that replicates the immune properties of colostrum to protect preterm infants against the three deadliest neonatal infections—necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAC), and sepsis—which together claim the lives of more than 30,000 hospitalized infants per year.

Alissa Welsher, Ph.D. is a Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety. Dr. Welsher received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a master’s degree in poultry science and a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Arkansas. Her area of expertise is meat and poultry food safety, and she specializes in integrated pest management (IPM).