Hugo Gutierrez is the Global Food Safety and Quality Officer for Kerry. He has 25 years of experience in leading global, virtual, and multicultural quality, food safety, and regulatory teams. In his current position, he is responsible for developing and executing a long-term strategy to transform their quality, food safety, and employee safety into world-class systems.

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Dr. John W. Spink is an assistant professor in the Department of Supply Chain Management in the Eli Broad Business College at Michigan State University (MSU). Previously, he was an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice in the College of Social Science at MSU and in the College of Veterinary Medicine. His leadership positions include product fraud-related activities with ISO 22000, GFSI, and the U.S. Pharmacopeia. Global activities include engagements with the European Commission, INTERPOL, Codex Alimentarius, and WHO/FAO, and he served as an advisor on food fraud to the Chinese National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment. He also spent 11 years at the Chevron Corporation, and was an independent consultant, before earning a Ph.D. in packaging/anti-counterfeit strategies at MSU in 2009.

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Dr. Randy Huffman joined Maple Leaf Foods in 2009 and currently serves as the Chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer at the company. This role encompasses food safety and quality, occupational health, safety and security, environmental sustainability and compliance, animal care, and corporate engineering.  

Randy also leads the company's Food Safety Advisory Council, a team of external experts with the mandate to increase Maple Leaf's access to global knowledge and expertise in food safety, including best practices, regulatory compliance, microbiology, and fostering a food safety culture.

Prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, Dr. Huffman served as President of the American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation, as well as Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs, for 9 years at AMI. 

Randy was previously featured in Ep. 33 of Food Safety Matters.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Randy [34:40] about:

• Maple Leaf's initial response to COVID
• Fighting complacency
• Commemorating the 11th anniversary of the 2008 tragic Listeria event
• Answering NAMI's call to share their pandemic response plan​
• Having a culture of accountability
• Working with local, provincial, and federal agencies
• Impact of COVID on food safety
• Powerful connections between health and safety and food safety

News Mentioned in This Episode
FSMA Proposed Rule for Food Traceability [13:36]
Additional Resources: Requirements for Additional Traceability Records for Certain Foods; Proposed Rule; Public Meetings; Request for Comments, Food Traceability List, Public Meetings, Pre-recorded Webinar to Discuss Food Traceability Proposed Rule
USDA's FSIS Studies: Year 3 Observational Study Consumer Behaviors, Web-Based Survey Results

Sponsored by:

Learn more about AIB International's Pandemic Preparedness Certification

Bob Gravani is Professor Emeritus of food science and Director Emeritus of the National Good Agricultural Practices Program at Cornell University. There, he's been actively engaged in Extension and outreach, teaching, and research activities. His food safety career spans 40 years and includes work with all sectors of the food system. He has developed innovative programs for constituents in production agriculture, food processing, food retail, and foodservice, as well as for regulatory agencies and consumers.

Bob earned his bachelor's degree in food science from Rutgers University as well as his master's and Ph.D. degrees in food science from Cornell University. He is a past president of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and is an IAFP Fellow.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Bob [16:30] about:

• His work with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets
• How research, science, and technology have changed the food safety arena
• How the idea of food safety has evolved over the years
• Challenges related to making sure people who work in the food industry understand the impact of their jobs
• Good Manufacturing Practices and how not following them can lead to food system failures
• The concept of being unconsciously competent
• The importance of new training techniques, adult education, and behavioral science
• Why food safety culture is such a poorly understood concept
• Programs implemented for food science majors​

News Mentioned in This Episode
FDA Halts Production at Sprouts and Soy Processing Facility for Failing to Comply with Produce Safety Rule under FSMA  [4:14]
Egg Product Inspection Regulations Get First Update in 50 Years | Final Rule Pre-publication [8:47] 
FSIS to Host Virtual Public Meeting on the Future of Consumer Food Safety Education [11:46]   

Food Safety Education Month Resources 
ServSafe - FoodSafetyFocus.com 
FoodSafety.gov 
Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill 
Food Safety Education Resources for Families 
Ask USDA (formerly Ask Karen) 
CDC Food Safety Education Month Resources

Hal King, Ph.D., is a recognized leader in public health. He's worked in government, industry, and education. Currently, Hal is the managing partner at Active Food Safety, a new advisory services and digital products company. He is also the founder and CEO of Public Health Innovations, a public health strategy and design company. In addition, Hal serves as an associate professor of public health at the University of Georgia.

As a public health professional, Hal has investigated foodborne and other disease outbreaks at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, he's performed federally funded research on the causation and prevention of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine. Hal also worked in the prevention of intentional adulteration of foods and food defense for the Army Force Health Protection. Another one of his prior roles was as the director of food and product safety at Chick-fil-A. There, he designed and led the company's food safety management program for 11 years.

Hal is the author and co-author of several books, articles, and chapters on public health interventions, including safe food manufacturing and food allergen controls in foodservice. His newest book, Food Safety Management Systems, is published as part of the International Association for Food Protection's Food Microbiology Series by Springer.

Hal was the recipient of the 2018 NSF International Food Safety Leadership and Innovation Award. He was our featured guest in Ep. 14. Also, Hal penned the cover story in our August/September 2020 issue: Breaking the Chain of Infectious Disease Transmission in a Retail Foodservice Business. Finally, Hal is a member of the Food Safety Magazine editorial advisory board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Hal [21:34] about:

• What compelled him to write a new book about foodborne illnesses and outbreaks in the foodservice industry
• Why the content of his book did not change as the pandemic emerged
• What food safety management systems are...and what they are not
• Whether COVID has really changed the process of food safety
• The value and purpose of third-party audits and health inspections
• Foodborne illness risk factors that cause outbreaks
• Making the change from in-person training to digital
• How demographics play in role in the future success of restaurants
• Air recirculation and air disinfection
• Common staff mistakes being made at the retail and foodservice level
• The future of food safety management systems in restaurants

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [13:40]
Bob joins us to discuss his article featured in our August/September 2020 issue.

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

News Mentioned in This Episode
OSHA and FDA Develop Checklist to Protect Food Industry Employees Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic [4:45]  
NAMI and OSHA Team Up to Fight COVID-19 in Meatpacking and Processing Plants [5:59]
USDA Announces Public Meeting on Salmonella: State of Science [10:36] 

American Frozen Food Institutes (AFFI)'s response to China's claims of detecting coronavirus on food, food surfaces, or packaging 
AFFI's FAQs 
Video response

Lone Jespersen is the principal at Cultivate, an organization dedicated to helping food manufacturers globally make safe, great-tasting food through cultural effectiveness. Lone has significant experience with food manufacturing, having previously spent 11 years with Maple Leaf Foods. Following the tragic event in 2008 when Maple Leaf products claimed 23 Canadian lives, Lone led the execution of Maple Leaf's food strategy and its operations learning strategy. She holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Syd Dansk University (Denmark), and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in food science from the University of Guelph (Canada).  

Marie Tanner joined the Dairy Farmers of America in 2017. She is currently the senior vice president of food safety and quality. Prior to that, Marie was the global chief food safety and quality, health, safety, and environment management at Kerry. Before Kerry, Marie held various quality leadership roles at PepsiCo and Godiva (Ulker). Marie holds an M.Sc. in food science from Rutgers University. She formally served on the board of SSAFE, a global nonprofit working to integrate food safety, animal health, and plant health across food supply chains. 

Neil Coole is the director of food and retail supply chain at BSI Americas. In 2015, Neil joined BRC Global Standards to head up their global key account strategy, engaging key industry brand owners, manufacturers, and retailers to understand their requirements from a risk solutions perspective. He was the subject matter expert on BRC Global Standards' new strategy on food safety and quality culture excellence, working with manufacturers on how to embed a culture of food safety and training food manufacturers, brand owners, and suppliers on the important topic of food safety and quality culture excellence. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to the panel [11:46] about:

• Organizational culture and how it influences food safety
• How a company's culture is created from the top down 
• How food safety culture can and should give an organization a competitive edge
• COVID's impact on food safety culture
• Why the idea of "implementing" a food safety culture is problematic
• Some wrong ways to go about creating change within an organization's culture
• Diversity and inclusion, and how they play a role in changing a company's culture
• How to begin undoing a history of complacency within a company's current culture
• Tips for improving and sustaining a positive culture

Food Safety Culture Articles 
Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture - Feb/March 2017 
The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Primary Production - April/May 2017 
The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Distribution - June/July 2017 
The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Processing - Aug/Sep 2017  
The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Foodservice - Oct/Nov 2017  
The Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Retail - Dec/Jan 2018 
Supply Chain and Food Safety Culture: Sector Leaders Sharing Their Challenges and Recommended Practices - Feb/March 2018

Resources
Cultivate Maturity Model
BSI - Cultivate Food Safety Culture Postcard 
BSI - COVID-19 Safe Working Guidelines 
BSI - Workplace Hygiene Solutions Brochure 
BSI - Workplace Hygiene Solutions Video
BSI - UK's National Standards Body - COVID-19 Response 

News Mentioned in This Episode
EU's Draft Amendment of Hygiene Legislation Includes Focus on Food Safety Culture [2:07] - see official draft regulation document 
FDA Announces the Voluntary Phase-Out of by Industry of Certain PFAS Used in Food Packaging [3:46] | The Growing Challenge of Safe Water Use for Food Processing Operations
UMASS Food Scientist Secures Grant to Develop New Method for Cleaning Peanut Butter Off Food Processing Equipment [7:42] 

This episode features a panel of the Food Safety Preventive Control Alliance (FSPCA)'s lead instructors. They discuss virtual food safety training in the age of COVID.

Connie Landis Fisk is a northwest regional extension associate for the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA). PSA has a temporary policy allowing its trainers to deliver their Grower Training Course remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Connie offers a weekly office hour to share tips and answer questions about using Zoom for those remote trainings.

Amanda Evans-Lara is a principle food safety consultant and compliance specialist with HACCP Mentor, a website that provides tools, tips, and training to help food businesses comply with global, customer, and regulatory Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and food safety requirements. She has over 28 years of experience working with Australian and international food businesses. Amanda is an FSPCA lead instructor for Preventive Controls for Human Food and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessments courses. 

Charles Kalish is a managing member and co-founder of Food Safety Guides, a food safety and quality consulting and training firm that specializes in remote consulting. He is a lead instructor for FSPCA's Preventive Controls (Human and Animal), Foreign Supplier Verification Programs, and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment courses. Charlie is also a Safe Quality Food (SQF) trainer and lead instructor for the International Food Protection Institute (IFPTI)'s Instructor Skills Training.

Michael Kalish is a managing member and co-founder of Food Safety Guides. He is a lead instructor for FSPCA's Preventive Controls (Human and Animal), Foreign Supplier Verification Programs, and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment courses. Michael is also an SQF trainer and lead instructor for IFPTI's Instructor Skills Training.

A special thanks to our friend and previous podcast guest Kathy Gombas (Ep. 26) for spearheading this discussion. Kathy is a member of FSPCA's Steering Committee. She also serves on Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to the panel [12:23] about:

• The features, benefits, and ins and outs of using Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other digital platforms to perform food safety certification courses
• Maintaining high levels of participation and engagement during online training
• How training and testing policies and procedures have changed to fit a virtual format
• Conducting oral exams vs. standardized tests online
• Challenges and limitations of web-based teaching and training

News Mentioned in This Episode
Salmonella Newport Outbreak Linked to Onions [3:46]
FDA Announces New Protocol for the Development and Registration of Treatments for Preharvest Ag Water Antimicrobial [5:40] | Water Disinfection: A Practical Approach to Calculating Dose Values for Pre- and Postharvest Applications (2001)
Pillsbury Announces "Safe to Eat Raw" Products [10:03]