Ep. 155. Dr. Barbara Masters: Food Safety Regulatory Policy—More Than One Side to the Story

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Oct 10, 2023

Dr. Barbara Masters, VP of Regulatory Policy at Tyson Foods, talks about the meaning of 'Never let a good crisis go to waste' in food safety policy. She discusses her involvement in developing landmark regulations, FDA's efforts to prevent Chronobacter illnesses, and building relationships in food safety policy.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

FDA Update on Food Allergen Program and Control

02:01 • 13min

Opportunities in the Market and FDA's Efforts to Prevent Chronobacter Illnesses

15:06 • 2min

FDA Inspections and Food-Worn Bacteria Detection Tool

17:05 • 2min

Discussion on Bacterial Cell Viability and Antibiotic Certifications, Introducing Dr. Barbara Masters

18:44 • 4min

Building Relationships in Food Safety Policy

23:01 • 22min

Gaining Firsthand Experience and Exploring Career Opportunities in Food Safety

45:07 • 3min

Barbara Masters, D.V.M., is the Vice President of Regulatory Policy, Food, and Agriculture at Tyson Foods Inc., where she provides regulatory vision and support to the enterprise and gives oversight to the Office of Animal Welfare. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Partnership for Food Safety Education, the Center for Foodborne Illness, and the Steering Committee of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Previously, Dr. Masters spent nine years as a Senior Policy Advisor at Olsson Frank Weeda, where she worked closely with the meat and poultry industry to ensure regulatory compliance. She also served as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS), where she established a solid infrastructure of science-based policies and data analysis to reduce foodborne illness and product recalls. Dr. Masters holds a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi State University and a Food Animal Internship from Kansas State University.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Masters [21:42] about:

The meaning behind “Never let a good crisis go to waste”—a lesson learned through significant foodborne illness and animal disease outbreaks she experienced during her career—as it relates to Dr. Masters’ approach to food safety policy
What it was like to be part of USDA-FSIS’ efforts to develop landmark regulations and guidelines, such as for HACCP or SSOPs, from the administrative process to training and implementation
Dr. Masters’ work at Tyson with the Office of Animal Welfare to monitor regulatory developments and establish steps for implementation
How the GFSI Steering Committee works with small food businesses with limited resources to help them achieve GFSI certification
The “mutual vision” GFSI shares with industry for a future where certification bodies can work more closely with regulators to help improve audits
The critical importance of “doing the right thing every time”—a saying borrowed from the late Dr. David Theno, co-recipient of Food Safety Magazine’s 2010 Distinguished Service Award alongside Dr. Masters—as a leader in food safety.

News and Resources

FDA Updates Guidance to Address Food Manufacturers Circumventing Allergen Cross-Contact Requirements for Sesame [2:06]FDA Responds to CFP Recommendations for Food Code, Retail Program Standards [8:45]USDA Begins Sampling for Drug Residues in Cattle Claimed to be "Raised Without Antibiotics" [10:59]FDA Updates on Prevention Strategy for Cronobacter Contamination of Infant Formula [15:03]Experimental Rapid Tool Can Accurately Detect Bacteria Levels in Food Before it Leaves Production Facility [17:22]

[October 19 WEBINAR] Beat the Recall: Effective Allergen Control in Food Manufacturing