In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, hygiene expert Paul Barnhill tells us all about Meritech's innovative Employee Hygiene Toolbox created in partnership with Food Safety Magazine.

In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Paul Barnhill, chief technology officer and head engineer at Meritech, the leader in automated employee hygiene. He has over 28 years of experience working with professionals in food manufacturing, healthcare, and foodservice. He understands the challenges these industries face when creating hygiene programs and how to overcome these obstacles through education and automated technologies.

Paul often speaks on best practices in hand hygiene, footwear sanitation, and the science behind pathogen removal. Helping food processing and packaging facilities produce safe and healthy products through hygiene excellence is a passion for him.

Prior to joining Meritech, Paul worked at Medtronic, Inc. a leader in cardiovascular equipment and implantable devices, in their hemostasis division as a mechanical designer within the R&D department. Paul earned his accreditation degree from the American Institute for Design & Drafting. 

In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Paul about:

• The most prevalent challenges with traditional handwashing and instant sanitizers
• The advantages of automated handwashing
• Meritech's CleanTech automated handwashing system
• Often overlooked steps in handwashing
• The Meritech Employee Hygiene Toolbox--what's included and who it's for
• Common problems with hygienic zoning and why it matters for handwashing
• Why creating a food safety culture goes beyond basic regulatory requirements and why that matters
• How foodservice is experimenting with new handwashing concepts

Resources
Employee Hygiene Toolbox
How to Wash Your Hands Properly: A Step by Step Handwashing Guide with Hygiene Expert Paul Barnhill
Meritech.com 

Sponsored by:

Keith Warriner, Ph.D., is a professor of food science at the University of Guelph. He is also the food science graduate coordinator of the department’s Master of Science and Ph.D. food science programs.

After completing his Ph.D. in microbial physiology at the University College of Wales, he worked for the Department of Medicine at the University of Manchester where he studied biosensors. He also attended the University of Nottingham as a research fellow in food microbiology, working with fresh produce.

He joined the Department of Food Science at the University of Guelph in 2002 and was promoted to full professor in 2011. He is the former president of the Ontario Food Protection Association, a member of the International Association of Food Protection, is an associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, and is on the editorial board for Applied & Environmental Microbiology and International Journal of Food Microbiology.

​Keith's research revolves around food safety and food microbiology, allowing him to work closely with industry and apply his research findings in a practical way.

Keith was previously interviewed for Episode 37 of Food Safety Matters.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Keith [14:30] about:

• The history of Henry Fenton, the Fenton reaction, and the Fenton reagent
• The use of water, hydrogen peroxide, and UV light to kill pollutants, pesticides, etc.
• Applying hydroxyl radicals to fresh produce including spinach and other leafy greens
• The advanced oxidation process (AOP) and why it's so problematic with tomatoes
•  How the 2006 spinach outbreak change the leafy greens industry's outlook on food safety
• Thoughts on how to address polluted water affecting leafy greens and how his process would likely be effective
• The George Weston Seeding Innovation Program
• Why washing is so problematic in preventing cross-contamination in leafy greens
• What matters to food companies when it comes to AOP
• AOP's use with meat and fish
• The current pandemic, N95 masks, and how food recalls have been affected

News Mentioned in This Episode
FDA: Nearby Cattle Grazing Land Likely to Blame for Late 2019 Romaine Lettuce Outbreaks [7:50]
Pandemic Challenges Highlight the Importance of New Era of Smarter Food Safety [11:22]

Dr. David Acheson, is the founder and CEO of The Acheson Group and brings more than 30 years of medical and food safety research and experience to provide strategic advice as well as recall and crisis management support to food companies and ancillary technology companies on a global basis on all matters relating to food safety and food defense.
 
David graduated from the University of London Medical School and practiced internal medicine and infectious diseases in the United Kingdom until 1987 when he moved to the New England Medical Center and became an Associate Professor at Tufts University in Boston, studying the molecular pathogenesis of foodborne pathogens.
 
Prior to forming The Acheson Group, David served as the Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service and then joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the Chief Medical Officer at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). After serving as the director of CFSAN’s Office of Food Defense, Communication, and Emergency Response, David was appointed as the Assistant and then Associate Commissioner for Foods, which provided him an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues and the responsibility for the development of the 2007 Food Protection Plan, which served as the basis for many of the authorities granted to FDA by the Food Safety Modernization Act.
 
From 2009 to 2013, he was a partner at Leavitt Partners where he managed Leavitt Partners Global Food Safety Solutions. 

David has published extensively and is internationally recognized both for his public health expertise in food safety and his research in infectious diseases. He is a sought-after speaker and regular guest on national news programs. He serves on a variety of boards and food safety advisory groups of several major food manufacturers.

David was previously a guest on Food Safety Matters – episodes 12 and 45.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to David [11:31] about:

• Classifying RTE foods and how consumer behavior plays a critical role
• Challenges related to messaging and marketing tactics displayed on consumer packaging and how it can interfere with food safety perception
• Consumer vs. manufacturer responsibility when foodborne illness occurs
• How food processing trends, consumer behaviors, and regulations intertwine
• Steps a company can take to determine if their product is truly RTE
• Why consistently negative swabbing results is not a good thing
• How FDA responds to positive contamination findings in a plant
• The challenges associated with drilling down traceability to the item level
• Romaine lettuce and why leafy greens are such a tricky commodity
• Salmonella and the likelihood that it may officially become an adulterant

David Acheson's Contributions to Food Safety Magazine
Managing Risks in the Global Supply Chain 
What Have We Learned about FSMA Implementation? 
Are All Salmonella Created Equal?
New Directions in Food Protection  

​Resource:
Blog: What Does Marler's Salmonella Citizen Petition Mean to You?

News Mentioned in This Episode
USA Today: Inspections, Citations, Recalls Slashed: Coronavirus is Testing America's Food Safety Net [4:17]
LGMA: Work Underway to Further Strengthen Food Safety Practices for Leafy Greens [9:19]
LeafyGreenGuidance.com 
World Food Safety Day 2020 Online Event Hosted by Nuno Soares

Bryan Hitchcock is the executive director of the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Bryan is responsible for managing and directing the GFTC, including overall leadership, strategy and governance, sales and marketing, and government, public, and industry relations.

Additionally, Bryan is IFT's principal scientific and technology leader on matters related to existing food chains and their digital transformation. His previous roles have been with PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and 3M Company. 

Bryan earned his bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Bryan [26:44] about:

• The birth of GFTC and how it was made possible with the help of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• What traceability and communication should look like within the food supply chain
• Proactive steps food companies can take to improve their supply chain transparency and traceability
• Four key data elements uncovered in research
• GFTC's role in providing feedback to FDA
• The need for more training at all levels of the food supply chain
• Artificial intelligence and how it's been applied in agricultural farming

Resources:
Pilot Projects for Improving Product Tracing along the Food Supply System - Final Report 
World Food Safety Day - World Health Organization 
World Food Safety Day - Codex Alimentarius

We also speak with Laura Allred (Gluten Intolerance Group [GIG]) [9:25] about:

• The history of GIG
• Partnering with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to establish a certification program
• Their work in certifying products as gluten-free, not facilities
• Unexpected sources of gluten
• How wheat gets all the attention when it comes to gluten
• Why there's such an increasing demand for gluten-free products
• The reason behind GIG's recent certification mark/label update
• Best practices for gluten-free manufacturers
• The benefits of gluten-free certification via GIG
• Why focusing on wheat as an allergen can be problematic
• Upcoming research and surveys

News Mentioned in This Episode
$19M in Fines for Blue Bell; Former President Also Charged with Concealing Listeria Contamination [3:14]
Foodborne Illness is on the Rise, Says CDC [7:43] 

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

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

In this Special Edition, Food Safety Matters spoke to two supply chain experts about COVID-19 and what it means for every level of the global food industry.

John G. Keogh is a strategist, advisor, and management science researcher with 30 years of executive leadership roles as director, vice president, and senior vice president in global supply chain management, information technology, technology consulting, and supply chain standards. Currently, he is managing principal at Toronto-based, niche advisory, and research firm Shantalla Inc. He holds a post-graduate diploma in Management, an MBA in Management and a Master of Science in Business and Management Research in Transparency and Trust in the Food Chain. He is currently completing doctoral research focused on transparency and trust in global food chains at Henley Business School, University of Reading, using the lenses of agency theory, signaling theory, and transactional cost theory.

Carl or ’’C.J.” Unis is a Systems Engineer with expertise in Continuity of Operations, Continuity of Government, devolution, infrastructure, supply chain logistics and emergency management. He has a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology. C.J. was formerly the critical infrastructure protection program manager for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He has served as a federal agent in the capacity of providing classified transportation for the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration— Office of Secure Transportation, as well as holding numerous positions for the U.S. Marine Corps in the capacity of performing internal embassy, dignitary, motor transport specialist and classified material security duties.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to John and C.J. about:

• Opinions on whether or not the current coronavirus outbreak was a foreseeable event
• How the consequences of the food industry's lack of digitization is panning out amid the outbreak
• Issues within the global supply chain, ingredient sourcing, and what could happen if the effects of COVID-19 are long-lasting
• What leadership really looks like at a time like this
• How the government and food industry are initiating change in parts of Canada
• Disruptions and unintended consequences the food industry is having to deal with
• The food industry's road to recovery

Resources
Breaking Boundaries to Avoid a Food System Crisis (February/March 2020)