At the 21st annual Food Safety Summit in Rosemont, IL, editorial director Barbara VanRenterghem sat down with four food safety pros for real-time insight on the Summit sessions, topics, trends, and more.

Craig Henry is a food safety consultant with Intro Inc. There, he specializes in U.S. food safety program development and review for federal regulatory compliance such as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). He is a lead instructor for FSMA Preventive Control Qualified Individual training for human food. He also led the contracting team delivering technical content for FSMA human food guidance to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prior to this role, Craig's previous roles were with Decernis, Deloitte and Touche, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Koch Foods, Foster Farms, and Cargill, among others. 

Gary Ades is president of G&L Consulting Group LLC. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine.

Paul Kiecker is the Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)—a role he's held since May 2018. From August 2017 through January 2019, Kiecker was the agency’s Acting Administrator. He initially joined FSIS in 1988 as a food inspector.

​Will Daniels is president of the produce division at IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group. In this role, Will is responsible for lab and consulting services for the produce industry. He's also held past roles at Fresh Integrity Group, Inc., Earthbound Farm, and as a consultant in the foodservice sector. Will is a sought-after speaker and has addressed key issues in food safety in the produce industry at meetings of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Restaurant Association, the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Association for Food Protection. He was named one of the food industry’s top food safety leaders by Marler/Clark’s Food Safety News in 2013. An active leader in the food industry, Will serves on a variety of boards and technical committees.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Craig [9:15], Gary [20:18], Paul [36:05], and Will [47:31] about:

• Food Safety Summit's new format, Community Cafes, and the new focus on supply chain management content
• Recurring challenges for Summit attendees: keeping up with documentation, lack of resources, little commitment, incorrect reporting, and more
• The need for university extensions to bridge the gap with smaller food businesses
• Problems associated with incongruent messaging from the government agencies
• Why business and financial expertise are needed when making food safety decisions
• How changes within the industry are leading to food safety problems not seen in years
• Whole genome sequencing
• Blockchain technology

News Mentioned in This Episode
LGMA Releases New, Stricter Water Rules for Leafy Greens Growers [1:45]
Foodborne Illness is on the Rise, Says CDC [2:26]
Walmart Welcomes Sara Mortimore as New Food Safety Leader [2:58]
CDC Tweets: Don't Wash Raw Chicken [3:25]

Sponsored by:

The 2019 Sani Awards
No-Rinse Sanitizing Multi-Surface Spray 
SaniProfessional.com

Craig Wilson is the vice president, general merchandising manager of quality assurance/food safety, non-foods quality assurance, environmental services/HAZMAT, and merchandise services for Costco Wholesale Corporation.

Prior to joining Costco, Craig worked as a special projects director for Frigoscandia Equipment Food Safety Systems for over 24 years. During his time there, Craig published numerous research papers in the areas of food safety and food processing. He holds many patents, the most notable for steam pasteurization of food. He was the recipient of the Gia/Matek Global Excellence in Food Safety Award.

Craig currently serves on the Global Food Safety Initiative Board, the Center for Produce Safety Board, the Center for Food Integrity Board, and the STOP Foodborne Illness Board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Craig [17:47] about:

• How Costco handles employee food safety training
• Costco's four-legged approach to food safety
• How Costco approaches food safety and varying regulatory requirements throughout the U.S. and globally
• The importance of building relationships with local and state health inspectors
• Costco's test and hold program
• Using Costco's membership program to keep consumers safe when recalls occur
• How Costco manages a supply chain with over 3,000 SKUs per store
• How food safety has changed over the past 50 years

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [11:32]
Bob joins us to discuss findings from his most recent survey and article in the April/May 2019 issue:
What Industry and FDA are Thinking about FSMA Implementation—Part I.

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

Craig Wilson's Articles in Food Safety Magazine
Allergen Management: Challenges and Trends 
Costco Wholesale: Culturing Food Safety Success
Costco Wholesale: Food Safety from the Top Down 

News Mentioned in This Episode
Source of Mystery Multistate E. coli Outbreak: Ground Beef [3:08] 
Albertsons Joins IBM Food Trust Blockchain Network [7:22]

Sponsored by:

Spot On: New Challenges and Methods in Allergen Testing 
VIDEO: Food and Feed Safety Starts with "No"

Lone Jespersen is principal of 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 lead the execution of the Maple Leaf Foods, food safety strategy, and its operations learning strategy. 

Prior to that, Lone worked for Woodbridge Foam as the engineering and operations manager responsible for the safety and quality of automobile safety products. Lone holds a Master's degree in mechanical engineering from Syd Dansk University, Denmark, and a Master's of food science and a Ph.D. from the University of Guelph, Canada.

Mike Robach is chairman of the GFSI board. Up until August 2018, he served as the vice president, corporate food safety, quality, & regulatory for Cargill based in Minneapolis, MN. Prior to joining Cargill, he headed up technical services for Conti Group’s meat and poultry businesses, and began his career with Monsanto.

Mike is the past president of Safe Supply of Affordable Food Everywhere, a member of the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Council Executive Committee for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and a member of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association’s Research Advisory Committee.

Mike has worked with the World Organization of Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization on harmonized animal health and food safety standards. He has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding food safety policy, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, and regulatory reforms based on science. From 1995 through 2000, Mike was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria in Foods.

Mike is a graduate of Michigan State University and Virginia Tech.

Frank Yiannas is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, a position he assumed in December 2018. He is the principal advisor to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in the development and execution of policies related to food safety, including implementation of the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. His leadership role within the agency covers a broad spectrum of food safety priorities, such as outbreak response, traceback investigations, product recall activities, and supply chain innovation across the full spectrum of FDA-regulated products.

Prior to joining FDA, Frank was the vice president of food safety at Walmart—the world's largest food retailer. In that role, Frank oversaw all food safety—as well as other public health functions—for Walmart, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis. His scope of responsibilities included food safety oversight of Walmart’s stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Clubs. He was also charged with training and education of associates, food safety oversight of thousands of food suppliers, and a number of critical regulatory compliance issues.

Prior to joining Walmart in 2008, Frank was the director of safety and health for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked for 19 years. In 2001, under his tenure, Walt Disney World received the prestigious Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).

Frank is a registered microbiologist with the American Academy of Microbiology and holds memberships with several professional associations. Frank received his B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Central Florida and his Master's of Public Health from the University of South Florida.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Frank [15:07], and Lone and Mike [25:08] about:

• Highlights, key moments, and takeaways from this year's GFSI conference in Nice, France
• The value of networking, collaborating, sharing challenges, and learning best practices at GFSI
• Projects that GFSI is working on with various government entities, the private sector, academia, and consumers
• The Global Markets Program
• GFSI's continuous improvement in the areas of benchmarking requirements, technology, certification programs, and capacity building
• The emerging trend of e-commerce as a food safety topic to watch
• Produce safety as a global issue, not just a North American issue
• GFSI's partnerships with STOP Foodborne Illness and Pew Charitable Trusts
• GFSI's unique position as the industry's premier place to bring together food industry professionals from all cultures and backgrounds
• Improvements that can be made around how food safety performance is measured
• Working in the retail/private vs. regulatory sectors
• Government's continuously improving response to foodborne illness outbreaks
• FDA's future use of blockchain technology and spreading the idea of food safety culture

Related Content 
A Culture of Food Safety: A Position Paper from GFSI

News Mentioned in This Episode
Leafy Greens Industry Working on New Water Guidelines; LGMA announcement  [4:12]
Emails Show FDA Worry After Romaine Outbreaks  [0:00]
USDA to Audit Brazil's Meat Inspections After 2017 Import Ban; Brazil's announcement  [8:02]
FDA Requests Funds for More High-Tech, Digital Food Safety System; FDA statement [12:47]

Sponsored by:

Downloads:
Recall Readiness: Lessons Learned & A Look Ahead 
Food Safety & Traceability Software Buyer's Guide  
​
Visit Foodlogiq.com to request a demo

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.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to David [32:48] about:

• The food industry's hesitation about speaking openly about food safety and the science behind it
• Consumers' lack of trust and understanding when it comes to food science
• How the media plays a role in shaping consumer attitudes about food safety
• Scientists and their traditional lack of ability to effectively communicate with consumers 
• The state of food safety today vs. years/decades ago
• Why it makes sense that today's food supply is safe despite an increasing number of recalls and outbreaks
• Balancing science, public health, consumer demand, and marketing messages
• The top misperceptions that consumers have about food

We also speak with Hilary Thesmar (Food Marketing Institute) and Shelley Feist (The Partnership for Food Safety Education) [12:03] about:

• The recent 2019 Consumer Food Safety Education Conference
• How food processors and manufacturers benefit from the conference 
• How consumer food safety messaging is continuously improving
• Consumer behavior that goes against standard food safety practices
• Support from BAC Fighters

Articles by David Acheson in Food Safety Magazine
Why Don't We Learn More from Our Mistakes?
Industry Perspectives of Proposed FSMA Rule on Preventive Controls

News Mentioned in This Episode
USDA FSIS Issues Meat Industry Best Practices for Responding to Customer Complaints [2:34] 
Bumble Bee Tuna Using Blockchain Technology to Trace Fish Origin for Consumers [4:55] 
Strawberries, Spinach, and Kale Top 2019 Dirty Dozen List [8:14]

Jeremy Zenlea is the director of corporate food safety at Cumberland Farms, Inc. In this role, he oversees all aspects of food safety, including regulatory compliance, retail and commissary food safety operations, and supply chain integrity. Jeremy has worked with a variety of different product categories, including refrigerated, high-risk ready-to-eat foods (meat, poultry, pork, and fresh-cut produce), chocolate, and confectionaries. Due to his diverse background, Jeremy has gained a wide range of knowledge of different food products and is an expert in constructing, implementing, and managing complex food safety and food defense systems for large domestic and international food manufacturers. He is an active member of both the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Association for Food Protection, and enjoys lecturing on food safety at local universities and mentoring other food safety professionals in his spare time.

Jeremy received a B.Sc. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an MBA from Northeastern University.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Jeremy [11:49] about:

• What makes the convenience store environment different—and more complicated—than more traditional outlets that sell food
• Why having simple food safety procedures is a plus for all stakeholders
• Cold chain issues and temperature monitoring
• What he sees as the biggest threat to food safety in the convenience store setting
• The difficulties of training and certification for food safety professionals in convenience stores
• Turnover, foot traffic, and other challenges that convenience stores face
• Effective communication and establishing a positive food safety culture

News Mentioned in This Episode
FSAI Now Using New DNA Scanning Tool to Identify Food Ingredients [2:37]; FSAI press release 
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to Resign [4:33] 
California Must Abandon 535,000 Acres of Prized Farmland to Meet Water Conservation Goals [7:39] 
Barbara's GFSI Recap [10:13]

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Matt (FPIC) and Gerry (Neogen) about:

• Why the creation of the FPIC was necessary
• FPIC's purpose within the food industry
• Advantages, benefits, and services for clients who use the FPIC
• How the partnership between the FPIC, MSU, and Neogen works
• Why mid- and large-size food companies are ideal clients for the FPIC
• Food product categories that the FPIC can accommodate
• Alternative options for small or start-up food companies

Resources
Michigan State University's Food Processing and Innovation Center  
Neogen and MSU's FPIC Partnership
Neogen Organic Food Safety Testing

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Samuel [24:29] about:

• The typical process for developing and implementing new food safety regulations
• The lengthy steps necessary to enact accurate and helpful allergen labels
• Why it can take years for food regulations to be implemented
• Various scientific and technical challenges that can impede the regulatory process
• How buy-in is achieved by Codex with so many regions and countries to consider
• The Global Food Safety Partnership
• Challenges that can arise when helping other countries to develop their food-related regulations
• How the academic sector falls short when it comes to training the next generation of food scientists
• His future plans to help improve risk management practices for food allergic consumers

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [11:08]
Bob joins us to discuss findings from his most recent survey and article in the February/March 2019 issue
Recalls and Outbreaks: How WGS Will Change the Rules.

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

News Mentioned in This Episode
FDA Releases Overview of the Latest Romaine Lettuce E. coli Outbreak [01:50] 
Investigation Summary: Factors Potentially Contributing to the Contamination of Romaine Lettuce Implicated in the Fall 2018 Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 
Consolidated Appropriations Act (Fiscal Year 2019 Federal Government Budget) [08:08]
A Look Back at 2018 Food Recalls [09:20]

This BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters is all about Michigan State University's Food Processing and Innovation Center (FPIC). The Center, the first of its kind in the U.S., will be Michigan's leading independent commercial food development, processing, packaging, and research facility. Here, mid- to large-size food companies have access to a real-time production environment to support the creation of new food products.

In this interview, Matt Birbeck (FPIC) and Gerry Broski (Neogen) go into great detail about how the FPIC can help food companies with their research and development efforts.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Matt (FPIC) and Gerry (Neogen) about:

• Why the creation of the FPIC was necessary
• FPIC's purpose within the food industry
• Advantages, benefits, and services for clients who use the FPIC
• How the partnership between the FPIC, MSU, and Neogen works
• Why mid- and large-size food companies are ideal clients for the FPIC
• Food product categories that the FPIC can accommodate
• Alternative options for small or start-up food companies

Resources
Michigan State University's Food Processing and Innovation Center  
Neogen and MSU's FPIC Partnership
Neogen Organic Food Safety Testing

Sponsored by: