Food Safety Matters is a podcast for food safety professionals hosted by the Food Safety Magazine editorial team – the leading media brand in food safety for over 20 years. Each episode will feature a conversation with a food safety professional sharing their experiences and insights of the important job of safeguarding the world’s food supply.
Sara Mortimer is the vice president of product safety, quality, and regulatory affairs for Land O’Lakes. Over her 30-year career, Sara has worked to ensure the safety and quality of some of the world’s biggest brands—Haagen Daaz, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Nature Valley, and many others.
Sara has co-authored a number of books on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and food safety management. In fact, she contributed to Food Safety Magazine's Food Safety Culture eBook! She's also served on Food Control's editorial board and was a trustee of the Royal Society of Public Health for several years.
Sara has been a member of the BRC International Advisory Board for over 10 years, and she's a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association's Executive Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Committee. Most recently, she has helped review the effectiveness of Codex HACCP and Food Hygiene principles.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Sara about:
The purpose of HACCP, and how it should work together as part of a comprehensive food safety management program
Critical Control Points vs. prerequisite programs
Sara's first experience writing a HACCP plan 30 years ago
Useful resources for writing a good HACCP plan
The seven principles of HACCP
Reasons why companies encounter food safety issues, even with a HAACP plan in place
The difficulties that arise when analyzing a food safety plan against varying global/international standards
The importance of maintenance as a supplemental HACCP principle
How altering a food product's formula (reduced sodium, sugar, etc.) can have massive food safety implications
Why the HACCP vs. HARPC debate doesn't really matter
Professor Chris Elliott is the founder of the Institute for Global Food Security and professor of food safety at Queen’s University Belfast. From 2016–2018, he served as pro-vice-chancellor of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences in the University, but stepped down from that post recently to concentrate on his world-leading research.
Chris has published more than 350 peer-reviewed articles, many of them relating to the detection and control of agriculture, food, and environmental related contaminants.His main research interests are in the development of innovative techniques to provide early warning of toxin threats across complex food supply systems. Protecting the integrity of the food supply chain from fraud is also a key research topic. Chris led the independent review of Britain’s food system following the 2013 horsemeat scandal.
Over the years, Chris has developed a high-level network of collaborators across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. He is a visiting professor at the China Agriculture University in Beijing and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a recipient of a Winston Churchill Fellowship, and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Royal Society of Biology, and the Institute of Food Science and Technology.
Chris has received numerous prizes and awards for his work. In 2017, he was awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Theophilus Redwood Prize and was also awarded the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Chris Elliott about:
The 2013 horsemeat scandal and how he unexpectedly became involved in the investigation
How a complex food supply chain made it easy for cheating and fraud to occur
His recommendation to set up a special police force to begin tracking food-related crimes, which eventually became the UK's National Food Crime Unit
The Food Industry Intelligence Network (FIIN)
The cutting-edge technology that's known as "food fingerprinting" to detect tampering or adulteration
The problem with constant auditing for compliance
The three ground challenges at Queens University
Genetically modified (GM) foods, and the importance of pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides
Concerns about the cocktail effect of eating every day GM foods
Advancements and achievements in the U.S. and Europe vs. in other parts of the world
Brexit and how it may affect current food safety work
As 2018 comes to an end, the Food Safety Matters team, along with Bob Ferguson of Strategic Consulting Inc., sat down to discuss the biggest moments in food safety this year, and what we have to look forward to in 2019.
Dr. Maria Lapinski is a joint professor in the Department of Communication and Michigan Ag-Bio Research at Michigan State University (MSU). She served as the associate dean for research for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. In that role, she facilitated interdisciplinary research partnerships and identification of funding sources for faculty research.
Maria's research examines the impact of messages and socio-psychological factors on health and environmental risk behaviors with a focus on culturally-based differences and similarities. To this end, she has conducted collaborative research projects with her students and colleagues in a number of countries in Asia, the Pacific Rim, Central America, and Africa. Her work has been presented at national and international communication and public health conferences, and published in many journals including The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Health Communication, Communication Monographs, and others.
Dr. Lapinski received her doctorate in 2000 from MSU and earned her Master of Arts from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Maria about:
Risk communication courses offered at MSU
What risk communication is, and how it requires an interdisciplinary approach
How consumers view their responsibility when it comes to food risk
How guidance and mandates about risk communication are not typically science-based
General risk communication approaches
The importance of social media monitoring for brands
What food processors and other food safety professionals can do to help consumers minimize their risk
The challenge of information overload when it comes to food recalls
How algorithms shape what messages consumers see—and don't see
How social media affects consumers' perception of risk and their behavioral decisions
Seemingly minor factors that can affect a person's food safety behaviors and attitudes
How cultural dynamics influence the way people respond to health issues and food safety
What motivates people to research more information, particularly in the event of a recall
The important work of extensions and land-grant institutions
The positive impact of brands engaging with consumers
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.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Keith Warriner Ph.D. about:
Effective antimicrobial treatments for fresh produce
Ridding leafy greens of microbial contamination
His research looking at pathogen survival in different types of soil, and the impact of soil temperature
His thoughts on what happened in the U.S. romaine lettuce outbreak
Clostridium difficile and its persistent presence in meat, seafood, and fresh produce
The new development of biosensors, and how they detect pathogens
The Internet of Things and how it can be used to track data and produce results
Challenges with contamination in low-moisture food products
The use of food-contact antimicrobial coatings
How getting certain products or processes is easier to get approved in the U.S. vs. Canada
The One Health approach, which focuses on animal health, which would then lead to safer food
Michael Cramer is currently the senior director of food safety and quality assurance with Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc. The company was formed through various acquisitions (Multifoods, Specialty Brands, and Windsor Foods) and ultimately the purchase of Windsor Foods by Ajinomoto. He will celebrate his 25th year with the company in October 2018.
Mike is an SQF practitioner, ASQ-certified quality auditor, and a preventive controls-qualified individual. CRC Press published Mike's book “Food Plant Sanitation: Design, Maintenance and Good Manufacturing Practices” (2nd Edition, 2013).
Mike is a graduate of West Chester University in West Chester, PA where he earned a B.Sc. Health Science in 1977. He spent 16 years working with Swift & Company (Armour, Swift – Eckrich, ConAgra) in poultry operations, processed meats and poultry, and corporate food safety and quality assurance.
Finally, Mike has been an esteemed member of Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board since 2001.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Mike Cramer about:
Why Listeria continues to be a challenge in food plants
Qualities that a food facility—and its staff—should have in order to tackle Listeria and environmental monitoring issues
The financial burden of setting up an environmental monitoring program, and why it's necessary
Implementing a program that is designed to look for Listeria spp., not just Listeria monocytogenes
What happens when regulatory inspectors come in to conduct swabbing
The pros and cons of testing in an in-house lab vs. a third-party lab
Testing methodologies: cultural method, polymerase chain reaction, VIDAS, lateral flow devices, etc.
What should happen when positive test results are confirmed
The Ishikawa process and how it relates to getting to the root cause of environmental problems
The importance of having a cross-functional team in place to attack Listeria harborage from all angles and departments
Implementing chemical and mechanical actions to rid a plant of biofilm
How the dirtiest areas of a food facility don't automatically equal Listeria contamination
Sanitary design and hygienic design
Quat, peroxyacetic acid, chlorine dioxide, silver dihydrous chloride, and other options for sanitizing
Taking advantage of industry conferences, events, and new technologies to hone in on what a particular food business needs to know to improve food safety operations
Presenting Sponsor: Eurofins Training Courses: Register and browse online for a training course near you Webinar: Is Your EMP Program Hitting the Mark? Watch our recorded webinar White Paper: Download Eurofins' Environmental Monitoring Guide
John Butts is the vice president of research at Land O’Frost. He first joined the company in 1974. His focus there includes the application of scientific principles and quality management technology to develop sanitation process control methods and procedures.
John is mostly known for the development of the “seek and destroy” process controls for Listeria which has been adopted throughout the food industry. He is a leading expert on sanitary design and food safety culture and has given over 100 presentations including the North American Meat Institute Listeria Intervention and Control workshops.
John is also the founder and president of FoodSafetyByDesign LLC, a private consulting firm he established in 2010. There, he aims to help producers of high-risk products learn how to prevent and manage food safety risks. Listeners can reach him directly by emailing him at foodsafetybydesign@gmail.com.
Finally, John is a longtime member of the Food Safety Magazine Editorial Advisory Board, along with having written numerous articles for the publication. He received the FSM Distinguished Service Award in 2006.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to John Butts about:
The many reasons why Listeria's presence in meat has diminished over the years
The importance of physical barriers and hygienic zoning within a food facility
Why Listeria is so problematic in both wet and dry environments
The proper processes of cleaning, sanitizing, disassembling equipment, and surface sampling
Problems associated with cleaning and disassembling equipment
Where Listeria actually comes from, and where it's commonly found
The definition of a harborage site
Unique ways to sanitize food facility equipment
The importance of having a multidisciplinary team in place
Sanitary design, sampling, and how keeping up with these tasks can save money
Training Courses: Register and browse online for a training course near you Webinar: Is Your EMP Program Hitting the Mark? Watch our recorded webinar White Paper: Download Eurofins' Environmental Monitoring Guide