Ep. 175. Joelle Mosso: Food Safety Starts on the Farm

Joelle Mosso, M.S., is Associate Vice President of Science Programs for Western Growers, where she works alongside growers to develop improved approaches to food safety and sustainability challenges. She is an entrepreneurial scientist with a passion for pathogenic food microbiology, risk assessment, and working toward practical solutions for the food industry. She has a background in quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), building microbial testing laboratories, and evaluating and designing microbial diagnostic tools/approaches, as well as firsthand experience with produce and with managing food safety for complex international supply chains.

Before Western Growers, Joelle was Senior Director of Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the Organic Trade Association (OTA), served as the Chief Scientific Officer for Eurofins Produce, and held food safety and business leadership roles at Earthbound Farm and Olam Spices and Vegetable Ingredients. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Maryland in Microbiology with honors in Molecular Biology and an M.S. degree in Food Science focused on pathogenic food microbiology from the University of California–Davis. Joelle has served on numerous industry technical groups including the Center for Produce Safety Technical Committee, the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Food Safety Council, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), and the USDA National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Joelle [27:50] about:

• The unique path that led Joelle to her food safety career, beginning with her interest in agriculture as a child growing up in the California Central Valley growing region
• Western Growers' efforts to help its members comply with food safety regulations like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Food Safety Modernization Act Agricultural Water Rule
• Available resources for industry on pathogen and environmental testing, including Western Growers' "Primer on Preharvest Pathogen Testing of Leafy Green Products" and its recently released guide on soil sampling
• Why Cyclospora poses a distinct challenge to domestic produce safety, and ongoing efforts by FDA and USDA to address the growing threat
• The new Canadian P2 Proposal on the primary plastic packaging of consumer goods—for which Western Growers now offers a resource to help industry prepare—and how it affects packaging for fresh produce
• The complexity of packaging design for fresh-cut produce, which must consider a multitude of factors to ensure a food-safe internal atmosphere and adequate shelf life
• Farm-to-fork food safety risks that are introduced when changes are made in the name of sustainability, and the importance of taking into account factors like consumer behaviors as transitions are made
• The collaborative effort and systems approach that will be required to implement hygienic equipment design of farm equipment at scale, and the importance of doing so.

News and Resources

News USDA-FSIS Publishes Final Regulatory Framework for Salmonella in Raw Poultry [3:48] USDA-FSIS Begins New RTE Sampling Program to Verify Allergen Label Claims [15:45] FDA Releases Data on Prevalence of Three Important Pathogens in Fresh Herbs [18:05] Bill Aims to Create New Federal Food Administration That Would Take FDA's Food Responsibilities [20:16] FAO/WHO Expert Committee Publishes Safety Evaluation of Certain Food Additives [23:13]

Interview Links "Primer on Preharvest Pathogen Testing of Leafy Green Products" "Fresh Produce Food Safety Considerations Relative to the Canadian P2 Proposal and the Role of Primary Plastic Packaging for Consumer Safety"

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