Oscar Garrison is the senior vice president of food safety regulatory affairs at United Egg Producers. Previously, he was the director of food safety with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. As a past president of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, Oscar led the national organization's efforts to promote an integrated food safety system by working with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies and industry.

Oscar earned his B.Sc. in Forensic Science and Technology from Jacksonville State University.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Oscar [20:25] about:

• How his background in forensic science led him to an unexpected career in food safety
• The most challenging aspects of being a state regulator
• How state regulatory bodies work with federal and local agencies to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks
• Why having specialized staff and maintaining those staff members are crucial at the state regulatory level
• How state regulators can help educate small and independent producers
• Inspection changes implemented in Georgia after the Peanut Corporation of America case
• His thoughts on data related to recent research on Salmonella and eggs
• Common questions and misconceptions about eggs and egg safety
• Whether or not a single food safety agency is a good idea
• Creative ways to use digital technology to ensure that state regulators can do their jobs
• Social media and regulators' responsibility to educate the public on food safety matters
• Whole-genome sequencing

Oscar Garrison's Articles in Food Safety Magazine
A Closer Look at Egg Safety 
Evolution of a State Food Safety Program

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [15:24]
Bob joins us to discuss his article featured in our August/September 2019 issue:
The FSMA Intentional Adulteration Rule Is Here: Are Processors Ready?

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

News Mentioned in This Episode
Spain's Largest-Ever Listeria Outbreak [5:42]
Listeria Outbreak Has No Known Source in U.S.; Likely Source in Canada [8:56]
FDA Reminds Industry of Best Practices in Response to Food Tampering in Retail Grocery Stores [10:45]  

Sponsored by:

Dry Floor Application Guide 
Egg Grading Sanitation Program

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.