Larry Keener has a long record of involvement, both nationally and internationally, with food industry issues. He is the current vice president and co-chair of the Austrian-based Global Harmonization Initiative, an organization founded in 2004 to promote harmonization of food safety legislation and regulations. He is president and chief executive officer of Seattle-based International Product Safety Consultants, Inc.—a global leader in providing food safety and food technology solutions to the food processing industry for a broad client base of Fortune 500 food companies, academic research institutes, and government agencies. Also, Larry has written and published more than 100 scientific papers and numerous book chapters on food safety, microbiology, and process validation. He is a frequently invited speaker to the food industry, business and scientific conferences, workshops, and seminars. 

Larry is an internationally regarded microbiologist and process authority in the food industry, and frequently works with food companies in this capacity to communicate the processor's regulatory responsibilities, assess risk and adequacy of controls for entire processing operations from raw materials receipt to finished product storage and distribution, and provide advice and direction with regard to regulatory impact and food safety risk that changes in operations might cause. As such, his areas of expertise range from applied food microbiology and sanitation methods, the development and application of thermal and non-thermal processing and preservation technologies, including high-pressure processing, microwave and pulsed electric field, high-powered ultrasound and design and implementation of food safety management and control systems and strategies.

Finally, Food Safety Magazine is proud to have Larry as a member of our editorial advisory board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Larry Keener about:

• His leadership role with the Global Harmonization Initiative
• Four cutting-edge technologies in food processing
• How regulatory agencies react to new food processing and manufacturing technologies
• What it's like working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety Inspection Service when presenting new food processing methods and technologies
• How many of you are in manufacturing? Understanding your role in making food safe
• Acceptance of hygienic facility design
• Larry's thoughts on the possibility of reduced government funding for food safety initiatives
• Larry's scheduled Keynote Address at the 2017 Institute of Food Technologists-European Federation of Food Science and Technology International Nonthermal Processing Conference

Larry Keener's Articles Published in Food Safety Magazine:
Novel Food Safety Technologies Emerge in Food Production (Feb/March 2015)
Shedding Light on Food Safety: Applications of Pulsed Light Processing (June/July 2014)
The Squeaky Wheel: Is Transportation the Watershed for Food Safety and Food Defense? (Aug/Sep 2013) 
Ex Ante or Ex Post Food Safety Strategies: Process Validation versus Inspection and Testing (June/July 2011)
Hurdling New Technology Challenges: Investing in Process Validation of Novel Technologies (Feb/March 2006)

Looking for more on Larry Keener? Search FoodSafetyMagazine.com

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights Articles:
Food Safety Insights: A Look at the Microbiology Testing Market (Feb/March 2017)
Food Safety Insights: The Drivers of Differences in Food Safety Testing Practices (April/May 2017)
What Industry and FDA Are Thinking About FSMA Implementation (June/July 2017)
A Closer Look at Environmental Monitoring in the Processing Plant (August/September 2017)

News and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
FSMA Tips Dominate 2017 Food Safety Summit

Sponsored by:

Carl Joslyn is the Industrial Market Product Manager for industrial scales at the OHAUS Corporation. He has 30 years of experience in industrial marketing and has been with OHAUS for 23 years, primarily in his current role covering a wide range of scales and balances.  

Dan Montone is the Industrial Market Product Manager for lab weighing and moisture analysis products at the OHAUS Corporation. Dan has filled various product management positions at OHAUS throughout the past decade, specializing in precision motion control systems used in laboratory instruments and custom metal alloys used in electronics and medical devices.

Martin Wiedmann, Ph.D., D.V.M, is the Gellert Family Professor of Food Safety at Cornell University. He received a veterinary degree and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, and a Ph.D. in Food Science from Cornell University. His research interests focus on farm-to-table microbial food safety and quality and the application of molecular tools to study the transmission of foodborne pathogens and spoilage organisms, including translation of the associated research findings into reducing foodborne illnesses and food spoilage. His team is passionate about communicating research and research findings to a range of audiences from pre-K to industry leaders, and is regularly asked to help industry with a range of microbial food safety and quality challenges. Students and staff that were previously associated with his team have pursued successful careers in a range of environments, including industry, government, academia, and nonprofits. Dr. Wiedmann has received numerous awards for his work and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a Fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), and a member of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology.

Susan Mayne, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Dr. Mayne leads CFSAN in developing and implementing policies, programs, and initiatives to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe and healthy for consumers, and that food, dietary supplements, and cosmetics sold in the U.S. are safe and properly labeled. Under Dr. Mayne’s leadership, CFSAN works to reduce foodborne illness, protect consumers from harmful products, ensure that chemicals in food are found at levels that are not harmful, conduct and advance scientific research in support of food safety, and other efforts. Since taking up the role of CFSAN Director 2015, Dr. Mayne has overseen and implemented several landmark public health policies and initiatives, including issuing eight foundational rules and more than 50 guidances implementing FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

Dr. Mayne received a B.A. degree in chemistry from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, with minors in biochemistry and toxicology, from Cornell University. Prior to joining FDA, Dr. Mayne spent nearly three decades at Yale University, where she held an endowed chair as the C.-E.A. Winslow Professor of Epidemiology. She also served as Chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale and Associate Director of the Yale Cancer Center.

Norma Dawkins, Ph.D. is a professor, a research scientist, and the Department Chair of Food and Nutritional Sciences at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama. She has been actively involved in teaching and research in academic institutions at the national and international levels. She also worked as a senior scientist in the food industry. Her most recent work involves basic and applied research in the prevention and reduction of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity among underserved population groups. Dr. Dawkins has numerous publications covering foods, nutrition, and community-based intervention to her credit.

Larry Keener, C.F.S., P.A., P.C.Q.I. is President and CEO of International Product Safety Consultants, which provides food safety and food technology solutions to the food processing industry, serving a broad client base that includes Fortune 500 food companies, academic research institutes, and government agencies. 

Mr. Keener is 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. He is a past president of the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT's) Nonthermal Processing Division.

Mr. Keener has received numerous awards and honors, including 2013 IFT Fellow, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST) for his work in microbiology and food safety. Mr. Keener has published more than 100 papers on subjects related to food production and food safety science.

Mr. Keener has deep ties to Tuskegee University, previously serving as President of the Food and Nutrition Board for two terms. He has also been an advisor for the U.S. National Aeronautics Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Center for Deep Space Research, and has lead collaborative efforts between numerous organizations including IFT, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and industry, culminating in the first George Washington Carver Lecture Series at Tuskegee. Mr. Keener is a recipient of the George Washington Carver distinguished service award from Tuskegee University.

Lone Jespersen, Ph.D., Founder and Principal of food safety culture consultancy Cultivate, has dedicated the last 15 years of her life to bettering food manufacturing operations and studying how culture affects food safety performance. She holds a Ph.D. in Culture Enabled Food Safety and has created a network of worldwide collaborators within the food supply chain. After 11 years with Maple Leaf Foods—including an uphill battle to regain consumer trust following the 2008 tragedy that killed 23 people—Dr. Jespersen’s life purpose shifted. At the time, she was in charge of food safety and operations learning strategies. After much introspection, questioning, and scrutiny, Dr. Jespersen led the relaunch and execution of Maple Leaf Foods' food safety and operations learning strategies, transforming the company’s food safety culture from the inside out.

Carol Wallace, Ph.D., is a Professor of Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS), Co-Director of the Nutritional Sciences and Applied Food Safety Studies Group, and the Research Lead for the School of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) in the UK. Dr. Wallace holds a Ph.D. from UCLan and a B.Sc. degree in Microbiology from the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include food safety performance from farm to fork, in particular Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system effectiveness and food safety culture, causal factors in food outbreaks and incidents, and controlling food safety risk in business and the home. Dr. Wallace was instrumental in setting up the Salus Food Safety Culture Science Group, an academic network to explore and share knowledge about the emergent food safety culture field, in 2015, and she serves as its current Chair. She regularly presents at and organizes conference symposia in the areas of food safety management and culture. Dr. Wallace is also widely published in the field of food safety and is an author and co-author of several best-selling textbooks guiding industry on HACCP and FSMS.

Adam Friedlander is a Policy Analyst in FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network, where he helps lead the agency’s efforts to advance strategic, tech-enabled traceability initiatives under the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. Through collaboration and by leveraging the power of data, he hopes to help transform the food system to become more digital, transparent, and safe for consumers around the world. Adam graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. degree in Food Science and Operations Management and a minor in Music. He received his M.S. degree in Regulatory Affairs of Food and Food Industries from Northeastern University.

Joseph (Joe) Lasprogata is a longtime seafood veteran with over 30 years in the industry. His love and passion started with his degree in Marine Biology, which took him to several corners of the world to source the best and most unique seafood available, assisting top chefs with menu development, and helping introduce, develop, and distribute over 30 million pounds of seafood annually. As Vice President of New Product Development at Samuels Seafood, he works directly with producers, aquaculture, and multiple non-governmental organizations to introduce new products and develop successful brands. Joe has a true appreciation and unique insight to the seafood industry and its potential upcoming challenges. Most recently, he developed a digital traceability system to comply with both FDA shellfish regulations and the newly instituted Food Traceability Final Rule, FSMA Section 204.