Stacey Popham is the vice president of quality and food safety for the Americas region of Barry Callebaut. Prior to this, Stacey held the same role at Treehouse Foods. Before then, she spent 13 years at Kraft Foods in various quality and R&D roles.

Mike Cramer is the senior director of food safety and quality assurance for Ajinomoto Windsor where he's served for 26 years. Mike is also a longstanding member of Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board.

​Sean Leighton is the vice president of food safety, quality, and regulatory affairs at Cargill. Before that, Sean spent 13 years with Coca-Cola (U.S., Canada, and Europe) in various roles spanning quality, food safety, and environmental sustainability. Sean is also a member of Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Stacey [10:26], Mike [29:58], and Sean [52:54]about:

• How food safety and quality roles have shifted to address many challenges brought forth by the coronavirus pandemic
• Communicating and assuring employee safety and food safety
• Slower line speeds, social distancing, and other measures in place to keep food facilities clean and virus-free
• Helping employees differentiate between COVID-19 symptoms vs. cold/allergy symptoms
• Maintaining a consistent supply chain
• New ways to work with on-site suppliers and service providers
• Creative solutions and approaching food safety virtually
• Lessons learned and new approaches going forward

News Mentioned in This Episode
FDA Provides Temporary Flexibility Regarding the Egg Safety Rule During COVID-19 Pandemic While Still Ensuring the Safety of Eggs [4:17]
FDA to Temporarily Conduct Remote Importer Inspections under FSVP Due to COVID-19 [4:41]
Trade Show Postponements and Updates [6:44]  

Sponsored by:

Michigan State University Online Food Safety Program 
Online MS in Food Safety Program
Curriculum: Online MS in Food Safety Program

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).

Lyle Probst is the CEO of NomadX and an accomplished entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in operations, product development, engineering, biodefense, and advanced technology commercialization.