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:

Gillian Kelleher is President and CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC, as well as the Chairperson of the Educational Advisory Board (EAB) for the 2023 Food Safety Summit. Gillian has significant, global leadership experience in the food industry and in food safety and quality, having lived and worked in Ireland, the UK, France, and the U.S. She has worked in diverse sectors including manufacturing, foodservice, retail, and distribution.

She was formerly Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Wegmans Food Markets, where her scope of responsibility included all aspects of food safety and quality for stores, self-manufacturing, distribution, and Wegmans' private-label program. Prior to her tenure at Wegmans, Kelleher also worked at Häagen Dazs, Burger King, Express Foods, and Pillsbury. In addition, she has led the development of food safety and quality programs for many large and small private-label suppliers and distributors.

Kelleher earned her B.S. degree in Dairy and Food Science from University College Cork in Ireland. She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). She is a past co-Vice Chair of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Directors of Stop Foodborne Illness, a longstanding member of Harvard's Private and Public Scientific, Academic, and Consumer Food Policy Committee (PAPSAC), and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine. Kelleher is also actively involved in the Leafy Greens Safety Coalition (LGSC).

With her significant industry experience and dedication to food safety and quality, Kelleher will work with the esteemed Food Safety Summit EAB and the Summit planning team to shape the educational agenda for the 2023 Food Safety Summit, which will be held May 8–11 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

Jill Stuber has served on FSQ teams for several multi-million-dollar food companies and food industry support companies, at both the corporate and frontline facility levels. She has defined expectations and programs for company-wide FSQ systems and has been responsible for verifying the implementation of those systems. Jill has led multi-plant teams to clearly define team and individual roles, expectations, and boundaries to more fully integrate and collaborate across organizations. 

Jill holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in food science from the University of Wisconsin (at River Falls and Madison, respectively); as well as an M.S. degree in quality management from Eastern Michigan University. She is a professional coach certified through Learning Journeys, an accredited program through the International Coaching Federation. She is also HACCP Certified, PCQI Certified, an SQF Practitioner, an IFT Certified Food Scientist, a Lean Facilitator, and a Six Sigma Black Belt. Additionally, Jill is an active member of the International Association for Food Protection, serving as the Developing Food Safety Professional's Professional Development Group Vice Chair.

Tia Glave is a food safety, quality, and regulatory professional with almost a decade of experience in large food manufacturing, food retail, and startup food environments. She is formally trained as a chemical engineer and holds a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee. She is a qualified individual trained in PCQI and FSVP, is knowledgeable in GFSI schemes, and has worked with many food product categories.

Tia has a passion for helping manufacturing and retail organizations of all sizes build and strengthen their FSQ programs. She uses systems, data, and proven methods to develop and implement FSQ strategies that create efficiencies, are effective, and identify cost savings, all while using servant leadership principles. She has led small and large teams across multiple functions, including operations and maintenance, giving her a unique approach to implementing a strategy cross-functionally.

Tia's passion also extends to championing Black talent in food safety and quality, and she's the founder of the Black Professionals in Food Safety Group to foster sharing, development, and connection to support Black talent. You can find the group on LinkedIn! Tia is also an active member of the International Association for Food Protection, serving as the Retail and Foodservice Professional Development Group Vice Chair.

Markus Lipp, Ph.D., is the Senior Food Safety Officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Dr. Lipp leads the food safety work within the Food Systems and Food Safety Division at FAO, coordinating FAO's efforts to provide chemical and microbiological food safety risk assessments and capacity development to strengthen national capacities for food safety.

Dr. Lipp previously worked in various public and private organizations focusing on a myriad of topics related to food safety, biotechnology, and standards-setting, including the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the International Bottled Water Association, Monsanto, Unilever, and the European Commission. Dr. Lipp holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

Tim Stubbs is Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Product Research at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. He leads the Innovation Center's Food Safety Committee, an active group of food safety expert volunteers from processors and academia that shares best practices across companies, produces guidance documents, and conducts training. He also coordinates and funds dairy foods and food safety research projects at universities.

Mr. Stubbs has more than 30 years of food research and development experience in leadership roles at Kraft Foods, Sara Lee, Hillshire Brands, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. He has a broad background in food science and engineering, new product innovation, and food safety across a wide variety of product categories. He also sits on several food industry nonprofit boards and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine.

Dr. Charles Hofacre is the Principal at The Southern Poultry Research Group, a private contract research company, which he established with his wife in 2013. Previously, he worked in industry for a number of years before becoming a professor at the University of Georgia in the Department of Population Health and serving as Director of Clinical Services for the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center. Dr. Hofacre also served as the Executive Vice President of the the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP). Dr. Hofacre received a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, a Master’s degree, and a Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, as well as Master’s degree in Avian Medicine and a Ph.D. in Veterinary Medical Microbiology from the University of Georgia.

Bill Potter has spent three decades leading food safety initiatives in the poultry industry. Currently, Bill is a Food Safety Technical Advisor at Elanco Animal Health, where he helps clients optimize their pre-harvest and plant interventions. Previously, Bill held strategic leadership roles in poultry food safety, quality, and technical services at George’s Inc., ConAgra Poultry, and Advance Food Company. He has chaired the National Chicken Council Technical and Regulatory Committee and has been active in the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). Bill obtained a degree in Animal Science and a Master’s in Business Administration from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Poultry Science from the University of Arkansas.

Marc Cwikowski is Founder and Managing Director of All Food Consulting and Co-Founder of World of Auditing. He has worked for more than 30 years in the food and beverage industry and held various senior global leadership and executive positions in companies including Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, and Danone. His former functions include audit process manager, director of quality and food safety strategy, director of supply chain capability development, food safety center director, and vice president for quality and food safety. He has international experience in innovation, quality assurance, and food safety, and has successfully designed and implemented quality and food safety strategies, created advanced initiatives for people development, and implemented strong quality and food safety programs to secure companies' business and reputation worldwide. Mr. Cwikowski holds a master's degree in chemistry and bio-industries and has served as an expert and board member for various global organizations.