Bob Norton, Ph.D. is the chair of the Auburn University Food System Institute’s Food and Water Defense Working Group He is a long-time consultant to the U.S. military as well as federal and state law enforcement agencies. Bob is also a regular contributor to the Food Safety Magazine eDigest.

Soren Rodning, D.V.M., M.Sc., DACT, is an associate professor and extension veterinarian with the Auburn University Department of Animal Sciences and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Jason Sawyer is an associate professor of meat science with the Department of Animal Sciences at Auburn University.

Alex Tigue is a regional extension agent, Animal Sciences & Forages, Auburn University.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Bob, Soren, Jason, and Alex [25:58] about:

• Whether or not the food industry could have seen such an event coming
• The current state of the U.S. food supply and whether or not we'll experience a food shortage
• The changing relationship between food companies and the public health sector
• The truth about whether or not COVID-19 can be transmitted from a food facility worker to the food they work so closely with
• The risks associated with having sick employees in the workplace
• Converting food products meant for foodservice to other food sectors and the complications that accompany such a change

Bob Norton's COVID-19 Articles in Food Safety Magazine
Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and Food Safety: A Time for Facts, Not Panic 
The 2019-nCoV Coronavirus Is Not a Food Supply Threat

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [17:11]
Bob joins us to discuss his article featured in our April/May 2020 issue:
Analytical Testing in Food Safety Continues to Grow

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

News Mentioned in This Episode
Chipotle to Pay $25M Fine for Causing 1,000+ Foodborne Illnesses 2015-2018 [3:12]
U.S. Meat and Poultry Plant Closings [7:38]
NEW: CDC Publishes New Guidance for Meat & Poultry Industry
NEW: CDC Issues Long List of Recommendations to Smithfield Foods Plant Plagued with COVID-19 Infections

Campbell Mitchell, M.B.A. is Head of Food Safety and Compliance for Kraft Heinz North America. He has more than 30 years of international experience in food safety, quality management, and risk mitigation. Prior to joining Kraft Heinz, Campbell served as Vice President of Quality and Safety at Fairlife LLC, a $4-billion Coca-Cola-owned dairy brand. He has also held senior leadership roles with Kerry Group and Almarai in the Middle East. Additionally, he founded a consultancy that supported Tiger Brands in Africa.

Helena Bottemiller Evich is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Food Fix. She previously led coverage of food and agriculture at POLITICO for nearly a decade, winning numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious George Polk Award for a series on climate change and two James Beard Awards for features on nutrition and science. In 2022, she was a James Beard Award finalist for a deep dive on diet-related diseases and COVID-19. Helena is also a sought-after speaker and commentator on food issues, appearing on CNN, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, NPR, and other outlets. Her work is widely cited in the media and has also been published in the Columbia Journalism Review and on NBC News.

Frank Yiannas, M.P.H. is a renowned food safety leader and executive, food system futurist, author, professor, past president of the International Association of Food Protection (IAFP), and advocate for consumers. Most recently, he served under two different administrations as the Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a position he held from 2018–2023, after spending 30 years in leadership roles with Walmart and the Walt Disney Company.

Drew McDonald is the Senior Vice President of Quality and Food Safety at Taylor Fresh Foods in Salinas, California, where he oversees the quality and food safety programs across the foodservice, retail, and deli operations under both FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jurisdictions. Mr. McDonald works with an impressive team developing and managing appropriate and practical quality and food safety programs for fresh food and produce products. He has more than 30 years of experience in fresh produce and fresh foods.

John Besser, Ph.D. worked for ten years as Deputy Chief of the Enteric Diseases Laboratory Branch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he was involved in national and global programs to detect, characterize, and track gastrointestinal diseases. Prior to CDC, Dr. Besser led the infectious disease laboratory at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for 19 years and served as a clinical microbiologist at the University of Minnesota Hospital for five years. He currently works as an independent contractor and consultant. Dr. Besser is the author or co-author of more than 70 publications. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degree from the University of Minnesota.

Craig Hedberg, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota and Co-Director of the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence. He promotes public health surveillance as a prerequisite for effective food control, and his work focuses on improving methods for collaboration among public health and regulatory agencies, academic researchers, and industry to improve foodborne illness surveillance and outbreak investigations.

In this year-end episode of Food Safety Matters, we round up the top stories of 2025, covering U.S. federal food safety policy changes under the Trump Administration, MAHA- and state-led moves against food additives of concern and ultra-processed foods, infant formula safety, science on Listeria and biofilms, ongoing monitoring of avian flu, and AI food safety applications.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to legal expert Brian P. Sylvester, J.D. about the rapidly evolving U.S. food regulatory landscape under the MAHA movement, and how food companies can prepare for state and federal policy changes regarding food dyes, GRAS ingredients, ultra-processed foods, and other areas.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Jay Berglind, the CEO of Aegis Foods and the maker of Fearless Eggs, known for its novel pasteurization process. Jay discusses the science behind Fearless Eggs’ method and what sets it apart from traditional pasteurization, and the importance of food safety innovation.