In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak—for the third time—to Sharon Dobesh (director of technical services) and Jerry Heath (staff entomologist) from the Industrial Fumigant Company (IFC) about insect growth regulators (IGR) and how these compounds can benefit a pest control management plan.

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

• The benefits of fogging and aerosol applications
• How toxicity, safety, and warning labels have evolved
• IGRs and how these compounds can keep insects from taking over a food facility
• Fixed or remote fogging application systems
• Re-entry guidelines after a fogging application
• Tips for preparing for a pest control analysis
• The importance of proactive pest control vs. reactive

Resources
IFC Resources

Sponsored by:

Joe Stout is the founder of Commercial Food Sanitation, a consulting firm that provides food safety and sanitation solutions to food processing plants. Before that, Joe spent nearly 30 years at Kraft Foods. While there, he held a variety of positions related to operations, quality, and sanitation, ultimately leading to his role as Kraft's director of global product protection, sanitation, and hygienic design.

In this role at Kraft, Joe had global responsibility for plant cleaning controls and processes, allergen and pathogen control programs, pest control, and hygienic design for facilities and equipment used in more than 200 Kraft plants. Joe also managed the Global Product Protection Group, assuring global support for internal and external plants.

Joe led the American Meat Institute’s (AMI) Equipment Design Task Force and has led Listeria Intervention training for AMI and the American Frozen Food Institute. He is the current leader of the Consumer Brands Association's (formerly, the Grocery Manufacturers Association) Sanitary Design Working Group. He also conducts allergen training for the Food Allergy Research Resource Program. In addition to his involvement with these and many other leading industry organizations, Joe is a published authority when it comes to food safety, sanitation, hygiene, and other related areas.

Joe was previously featured in Ep. 42 of Food Safety Matters.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Joe [24:00] about:

• Why Listeria is such a tricky pathogen to get rid of
• Seek and destroy vs. seek and eliminate
• How Kraft has handled past instances of Listeria
• Why ready-to-eat products are so susceptible to Listeria contamination
• Pairing a Listeria control program with environmental monitoring
• Sanitation procedures for Listeria vs. Salmonella
• A company's options when a complete food facility rebuild or redesign is not possible
• Advice for cleaning equipment
• Swabbing frequency tips
• Why completely avoiding Listeria in certain food plants is impossible

We also speak with Steve Mandernach [9:12] about:

• The release of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint

Joe Stout's Articles in Food Safety Magazine
Hygienic Design: How Our Thinking Has Evolved
Perspectives on Practices in Food Plant Sanitation and Hygiene
Principles of Environmental Pathogen Control
10 Principles of Equipment Design for Ready-to-Eat Processing Operations

News Mentioned in This Episode
FDA Prepares for Resumption of Domestic Inspections with New Risk Assessment System [2:07]
FDA: Inspections of Small Businesses under the FSMA Intentional Adulteration Rule to Begin March 2021 [5:09]
Former Blue Bell CEO: Felony Charges Dropped in Deadly Listeria Outbreak Case [7:00]  

Sponsored By: 

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

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.

John and C.J. are the authors of our June/July 2020 cover story. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to C.J. and John [11:14] about:

• Companies having to seek alternative methods of distribution due to COVID-19
• The risks associated with not performing plant-level inspections
• Remote auditing
• How COVID has opened up more opportunities to commit food fraud
• How ingredient changes and formula deviations could cause problems after the pandemic is over
• Health and safety best practices for meat facilities and how those recommendations haven't changed in at least 10  years
• Why the phrase "social distancing" is problematic, and what term should be used instead

News Mentioned in This Episode
Another Foodborne Outbreak for Salad Products, This Time Due to Cyclospora Contamination [1:24]  
Allergy Community Still Concerned About FDA's Temporary Labeling Guidance [6:34]
USDA and FDA Issue Joint Statement Regarding Food Export Restrictions and COVID [8:44]

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.

John and C.J. are the authors of our June/July 2020 cover story. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to C.J. and John [18:48] about:

• What the food industry may experience after the pandemic
• How the food industry's "new normal" will need to incorporate and adapt digitization
• Changes that supply chains and product fulfillment centers may go through
• Problems that the food industry experienced at the onset of the pandemic
• How military-style training can help foster a more proactive approach within food companies
• Technology-based "trip wires"

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [9:07]
Bob joins us to discuss his article featured in our June/July 2020 issue. 

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

News Mentioned in This Episode
USDA FSIS to Expand STEC Testing to Additional Raw Beef Products [2:21]  
AFFI Responds to Officials Linking COVID-19 to Imported Seafood [5:32]

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