Food Safety Matters

Conrad Choiniere, Ph.D., is the Director of the Office of Analytics and Outreach at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). Dr. Choiniere provides executive leadership for a broad portfolio of scientific and regulatory functions including risk and decision analysis, social and behavioral sciences, epidemiology, biostatistics and informatics, education and outreach, and food defense. Dr. Choiniere currently co-leads a core element of FDA's New Era of Smarter Food Safety focused on fostering and supporting food safety culture across the food system. He also chairs FDA's Toxic Elements Working Group, which prioritizes the Administration's efforts to reduce exposures to lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals from foods to the greatest extent feasible. Dr. Choiniere holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Maryland and a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.  Kruti Ravaliya, M.S., Consumer Safety Officer in the Division of Produce Safety at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, joined the Division of Produce Safety as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Fellow in July 2013, and transitioned to be a Consumer Safety Officer in April 2015. She has been involved with the Division of Produce Safety in a variety of ways, most significantly in developing the Supplemental and Final Agricultural Water Quality provision in the Produce Safety Rule. She earned her M.S. degree in Food Science, with minors in Biotechnology and Food Safety, at North Carolina State University in 2013, and a B.S. degree in Food Science and Spanish from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 2007. Previously, Ms. Ravaliya worked in food product development with the International Food Network. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Kruti [22:16] about: FDA’s recent updates to Subpart E of the Produce Safety Rule, including the recently extended compliance dates for pre-harvest agricultural water requirements The nuances of microbial quality testing for water, and why it is a “tool within the grower’s toolbox,” rather than a requirement for growers How stakeholder feedback has informed FDA’s updates to its regulation of pre- and post-harvest agricultural water Ways in which FDA intends to partner with state and local officials to educate and train growers on compliance with the Proposed Agricultural Water Rule We also speak with Conrad [33:47] about: His work within FDA's Toxic Elements Working Group and its considerations when assessing the risk to public health from toxic elements in certain foods How scientific advancements and regulatory changes over time have affected actual and detected levels of toxic elements in the U.S. food supply Actions that growers and manufacturers can take to reduce the uptake of toxic elements into foods, and to ensure that toxic elements are not introduced at the production level FDA’s intent to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and industry to develop and disseminate guidance regarding preventive controls for toxic elements in food production The purpose of action levels in signaling to industry the importance of monitoring and finding solutions for reducing certain contaminants FDA’s “cycle of continual improvement” approach in its Closer to Zero initiative, including four key steps to understanding and mitigating the health risk of toxic elements in baby foods Why it is crucial to consider nutrition when setting action levels The importance of FDA’s collaboration with USDA in expanding upon and executing the goals of its Closer to Zero initiative FDA’s current and future work to understand and reduce the presence of toxic elements in food, including the agency’s sampling activities, its intent to target cadmium and arsenic, and other initiatives Key achievements of FDA's Toxic Elements Working Group since its inception in 2017 The importance of collaborating with relevant agencies and industry stakeholders to find appropriate solutions for the not-so-simple task of reducing toxic elements in the U.S. food supply. News and Resources: USDA FSIS Declares Salmonella an Adulterant in Breaded, Stuffed Raw Chicken Products [5:14]FDA Shares Updates on Cyclospora Action Plan [8:20] FDA Plans to Continue Remote Regulatory Assessments [10:52] FDA Releases New Dashboard for Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods Program [WEBINAR] FDA's Smarter Tools—How Remote Regulatory Assessments Help Ensure Food Safety FDA has more information on its website about the agency’s continued work to address toxic elements in the food supply. Learn more about FDA’s programs referenced in the podcast: Closer to Zero Action Plan for Baby Foods Ongoing Total Diet Study Monitoring Nutrients and Contaminants in Foods Eaten by People in the U.S. Advice about Eating Fish for Those Who Might Become or are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1–11 Years Toxic Elements in Food and Foodware, and Radionuclides in Food Compliance Program Food Safety Insights Column, Bob Ferguson Focusing Ahead—Processors' Priorities for the Near Term [17:37] We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Gillian Kelleher is President and CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC, as well as the Chairperson of the Educational Advisory Board (EAB) for the 2023 Food Safety Summit. Gillian has significant, global leadership experience in the food industry and in food safety and quality, having lived and worked in Ireland, the UK, France, and the U.S. She has worked in diverse sectors including manufacturing, foodservice, retail, and distribution. She was formerly Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Wegmans Food Markets, where her scope of responsibility included all aspects of food safety and quality for stores, self-manufacturing, distribution, and Wegmans' private-label program. Prior to her tenure at Wegmans, Kelleher also worked at Häagen Dazs, Burger King, Express Foods, and Pillsbury. In addition, she has led the development of food safety and quality programs for many large and small private-label suppliers and distributors. Kelleher earned her B.S. degree in Dairy and Food Science from University College Cork in Ireland. She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). She is a past co-Vice Chair of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Directors of Stop Foodborne Illness, a longstanding member of Harvard's Private and Public Scientific, Academic, and Consumer Food Policy Committee (PAPSAC), and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine. Kelleher is also actively involved in the Leafy Greens Safety Coalition (LGSC). With her significant industry experience and dedication to food safety and quality, Kelleher will work with the esteemed Food Safety Summit EAB and the Summit planning team to shape the educational agenda for the 2023 Food Safety Summit, which will be held May 8–11 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Gillian [6:04] about: Changes that have occurred in the food industry throughout Gillian’s career, stemming from globalization, food safety crises, e-commerce, and other factors How suppliers can leverage their relationships with retail partners to inform their food safety and quality (FSQ) programs The importance of having top-down commitment to FSQ within an organization and keeping hazards analysis and critical control points (HACCP) at the core of a company’s food safety system The ways in which consumer advocacy groups can work with industry to drive improvements in food safety, exemplified by Stop Foodborne Illness’ initiatives such as its Food Safety Culture Toolkit Why it is important for food companies to hire the right talent, invest in employee training and resources, and actively work on relationship-building The value of industry organizations and events—such as the Food Safety Summit—in driving positive change through collaboration How FSQ professionals can find success and satisfaction in their careers and day-to-day duties, including advice for young FSQ professionals who are beginning their professional journeys. News and Resources: [WEBINAR] August 18, 2022: ATP Depletion – An Overlooked Concern of Rapid Hygiene Assessments [WEBINAR] August 23, 2022: Pathogen Control in a Low-Moisture Environment [WEBINAR] August 30, 2022: One Size Fits…How to Adapt Your Food Safety Culture Efforts to Functional Ways of Working Sponsored by:Michigan State University We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Jill Stuber has served on FSQ teams for several multi-million-dollar food companies and food industry support companies, at both the corporate and frontline facility levels. She has defined expectations and programs for company-wide FSQ systems and has been responsible for verifying the implementation of those systems. Jill has led multi-plant teams to clearly define team and individual roles, expectations, and boundaries to more fully integrate and collaborate across organizations.  Jill holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in food science from the University of Wisconsin (at River Falls and Madison, respectively); as well as an M.S. degree in quality management from Eastern Michigan University. She is a professional coach certified through Learning Journeys, an accredited program through the International Coaching Federation. She is also HACCP Certified, PCQI Certified, an SQF Practitioner, an IFT Certified Food Scientist, a Lean Facilitator, and a Six Sigma Black Belt. Additionally, Jill is an active member of the International Association for Food Protection, serving as the Developing Food Safety Professional's Professional Development Group Vice Chair. Tia Glave is a food safety, quality, and regulatory professional with almost a decade of experience in large food manufacturing, food retail, and startup food environments. She is formally trained as a chemical engineer and holds a B.S. degree from the University of Tennessee. She is a qualified individual trained in PCQI and FSVP, is knowledgeable in GFSI schemes, and has worked with many food product categories. Tia has a passion for helping manufacturing and retail organizations of all sizes build and strengthen their FSQ programs. She uses systems, data, and proven methods to develop and implement FSQ strategies that create efficiencies, are effective, and identify cost savings, all while using servant leadership principles. She has led small and large teams across multiple functions, including operations and maintenance, giving her a unique approach to implementing a strategy cross-functionally. Tia's passion also extends to championing Black talent in food safety and quality, and she's the founder of the Black Professionals in Food Safety Group to foster sharing, development, and connection to support Black talent. You can find the group on LinkedIn! Tia is also an active member of the International Association for Food Protection, serving as the Retail and Foodservice Professional Development Group Vice Chair. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Tia and Jill [23:30] about: The importance of “meeting people where they’re at” when assessing a company’s level of food safety and crafting a plan for improvement The various factors that consultants must consider when guiding a company along its food safety journey Cultivating an effective FSQ leadership team to help build a robust and healthy food safety culture How an FSQ leader can embrace their role and lead their team by discerning and evaluating workload capacity How “coaching” is different from “mentoring” or “consulting,” and why coaching may be a more effective approach when helping clients improve food safety culture How the Black Professionals in Food Safety and Quality networking group creates an avenue for Black professionals to grow in their FSQ careers and includes them in critical industry conversations Why focusing on a company’s people, programs, and progress can reveal the "maturity stage" of its food safety culture Common growing pains within a food business operation, and how growing pains can be addressed through emotionally intelligent leadership Why FSQ leaders must take an active, intentional role in cultivating positive change within a company’s food safety culture How FSQ can become a trusted business asset by “stepping up instead of sitting back.” News and Resources: FSIS Summarizes Foodborne Illness Outbreak Investigations for FY 2021 [03:22]FSIS Releases FY2020 Foodborne Illness Outbreak Investigations Summary Report FDA Publishes Guidance on FSMA-Compliant Preventive Controls for Pet Food [07:50] FDA Finds Harmful PFAS in Imported Canned Clams [09:16] FDA Tests Nationally Distributed Processed Foods, Finds Almost No Evidence of PFAS FDA Provides Update on Sampling and Testing Efforts of PFAS in the Food Supply The Growing Challenge of Safe Water for Use in Food Processing Operations NEHA Surveys Retail Food Regulatory Community [16:32] Food Safety Insights Column, Bob Ferguson The Return to Normal—Ready to Travel Again? [17:27] We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Markus Lipp, Ph.D., is the Senior Food Safety Officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Dr. Lipp leads the food safety work within the Food Systems and Food Safety Division at FAO, coordinating FAO's efforts to provide chemical and microbiological food safety risk assessments and capacity development to strengthen national capacities for food safety. Dr. Lipp previously worked in various public and private organizations focusing on a myriad of topics related to food safety, biotechnology, and standards-setting, including the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the International Bottled Water Association, Monsanto, Unilever, and the European Commission. Dr. Lipp holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Lipp [19:11] about: The ways in which a country’s regulatory capacity and traditional cuisine determines its unique food safety challenges and priorities Some of the pressing chemical and microbiological hazards that are affecting food systems around the world The rippling effects of climate change, such as increased aflatoxin contamination, and how a nation’s economic stability and geography relate to its climate resilience The balance between food safety and food security, including conflicting factors The importance of recognizing the boundaries of global food systems and collectively working to ensure food safety goals by engaging in nuanced discussions about such boundaries Reaching consumers through effective risk communication that considers the personal and emotional nature of food Why it is difficult to clearly define “food fraud,” and why international collaboration is important to combatting fraud in an increasingly complex, global food system FAO and the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) joint work to achieve their overlapping goals, such as developing food safety standards through the Codex Alimentarius Commission. News and Resources: FSIS Reports 75 Percent Reduction of Salmonella in Poultry [2:28] Senate Mandates FDA to Ensure Infant Formula Safety, Supply [7:48] FSIS Releases HACCP Model for Raw, Liquid Egg Products [10:38] FDA Issues Final Guidance on Systems Recognition Arrangements [11:09] GFSI Exclusive Interview: FAO Food Safety Head Talks Collaboration, Sustainability FAO Publishes Paper on Regulatory Strategies to Counter Food Fraud Sponsored by: ActiveSense We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Tim Stubbs is Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Product Research at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. He leads the Innovation Center's Food Safety Committee, an active group of food safety expert volunteers from processors and academia that shares best practices across companies, produces guidance documents, and conducts training. He also coordinates and funds dairy foods and food safety research projects at universities. Mr. Stubbs has more than 30 years of food research and development experience in leadership roles at Kraft Foods, Sara Lee, Hillshire Brands, and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. He has a broad background in food science and engineering, new product innovation, and food safety across a wide variety of product categories. He also sits on several food industry nonprofit boards and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Tim Stubbs [21:14] about: The creation and funding of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy (IC), a dairy industry collective that addresses pre-competitive issues, such as food safety How the dairy industry and Dairy Management Incorporated (DMI), the national dairy checkoff program, makes IC's work possible How the IC unites the dairy industry through committees to tackle common goals, and the benefits of being a nonprofit How IC’s leadership team uses its knowledge and resources to deliver food safety training programs IC’s initiatives to compile and disseminate important data and knowledge to the dairy industry Work to address industry issues by developing best practices IC’s work in education, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Resources that IC provides to dairy producers, including unique tools for artisan and small-scale dairy processors and workshops for large-scale processors Microbiological studies and academic collaborations supported by IC’s Listeria Research Consortium Opportunities for improvement and advances within the dairy industry The importance of constant diligence in ensuring that food safety basics are properly executed in dairy facilities. News and Resources: Some Salmonella Strains Undetected by Traditional Testing Methods [05:09] FSIS Classifies Salmonella Newport as Reoccurring Strain [12:02] Researchers to Develop Rapid Biosensor Pathogen Test [13:36] ISO Updates New Food Safety Certification Standards for World Food Safety Day [12:57] Free Food Safety Culture Toolkit by Stop Foodborne Illness [18:45] Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy Food Safety website Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy brochure with links to classes and tools Dairy Pathogen Controls Document Small Cheesemaker/Artisan Cheesemaker Food Safety website Ice Cream Food Safety website We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Dr. Charles Hofacre is the Principal at The Southern Poultry Research Group, a private contract research company, which he established with his wife in 2013. Previously, he worked in industry for a number of years before becoming a professor at the University of Georgia in the Department of Population Health and serving as Director of Clinical Services for the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center. Dr. Hofacre also served as the Executive Vice President of the the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP). Dr. Hofacre received a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, a Master’s degree, and a Bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University, as well as Master’s degree in Avian Medicine and a Ph.D. in Veterinary Medical Microbiology from the University of Georgia. Bill Potter has spent three decades leading food safety initiatives in the poultry industry. Currently, Bill is a Food Safety Technical Advisor at Elanco Animal Health, where he helps clients optimize their pre-harvest and plant interventions.  Previously, Bill held strategic leadership roles in poultry food safety, quality, and technical services at George’s Inc., ConAgra Poultry, and Advance Food Company. He has chaired the National Chicken Council Technical and Regulatory Committee and has been active in the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).  Bill obtained a degree in Animal Science and a Master’s in Business Administration from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Poultry Science from the University of Arkansas. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Hofacre and Dr. Potter about: The meaning and importance of a multi-hurdle approach to controlling Salmonella in poultry The different pre-harvest intervention strategies that companies can utilize in poultry production Salmonella controls for processors using a “no antibiotics ever” (NAE) program Ideas on how to integrate quantitative Salmonella measurements in pre-harvest and processing The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) renewed focus on reducing Salmonella in poultry The Salmonella 360° website and its emphasis on a multi-hurdle approach to controlling the pathogen in poultry Controlling pathogens other than Salmonella by employing best practices for pre-harvest management and other tactics Elanco’s efforts to help companies respond to USDA’s focus on reducing Salmonella in poultry.   Sponsored by: ELANCO    We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Marc Cwikowski is Founder and Managing Director of All Food Consulting and Co-Founder of World of Auditing. He has worked for more than 30 years in the food and beverage industry and held various senior global leadership and executive positions in companies including Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, and Danone. His former functions include audit process manager, director of quality and food safety strategy, director of supply chain capability development, food safety center director, and vice president for quality and food safety. He has international experience in innovation, quality assurance, and food safety, and has successfully designed and implemented quality and food safety strategies, created advanced initiatives for people development, and implemented strong quality and food safety programs to secure companies' business and reputation worldwide. Mr. Cwikowski holds a master's degree in chemistry and bio-industries and has served as an expert and board member for various global organizations. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Marc [26:58] about: His 30-year career across a multitude of disciplines in the food safety sector, and how his experiences help him communicate the importance of auditing strategies and programs The three essential points for food companies to consider before developing a risk-based audit strategy The critical steps for food companies to take when developing a risk-based audit strategy How understanding and aligning audit strategies and business strategies can help businesses adapt to the challenges of today’s unstable supply chain The importance of demonstrating the return-on-investment of auditing programs and processes Four simple ways that food companies can maximize the value that audits bring to their business Why auditors and auditor training should encompass technical, human, and critical thinking skills What the food industry can learn from the aviation industry regarding traceability and transparency How the food industry’s traceability efforts can be advanced using modern technology Why the future of auditing should be consumer-focused, and the meaning behind “the future of audits will be no audits.” News and Resources: Codex Commission Drafting Guidance on Food Fraud [6:33] Time to Prepare: New FAO Report Highlights Possible Benefits, Risks Associated With Food of the Future [9:27] EFSA Reports on Microorganisms as Pesticides [10:22] Unstudied Chemicals Found in Food Packaging, Toxicity Questioned [15:03] WHO, FAO, Codex World Food Safety Day 2022 resources [2:15] GFSI webinar World Food Safety Day 2022 [3:40] Sponsored by: Redzone We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2022 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with Hal King, Managing Partner at Active Food Safety and John Zimmerman, Vice President of Quality Assurance and Food Safety at First Watch Restaurants; Mark Moorman, Director of the Office of Food Safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA’s CFSAN); Mikael Bengtsson, Industry Principle for Food and Beverage at Infor; Steve Mandernach, Executive Director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO); John Spink, Director of the Food Fraud Prevention Think Tank and Lead Instructor at the Food Fraud Prevention Academy; and Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with the following individuals about: Hal King and John Zimmerman [25:37]: The top risk factors that cause most foodborne illness outbreaks, and how a comprehensive food safety management system (FSMS) can help address those risk factors The importance of being proactive instead of reactive when it comes to food safety, and how a FSMS helps businesses take action The key steps to developing and executing a quality FSMS in a retail foodservice business, as well as how to sustain and update a FSMS despite turnover The importance of training and good standard operating procedures (SOPs) in a FSMS, as well as monitoring for continuous improvement. Mark Moorman [32:09]: How CFSAN helps execute FDA’s New Era of Smarter Food Safety by focusing on two of the New Era’s four core pillars: foodborne illness outbreak response and the retail sector The importance of leaders “taking a step back” to talk to and learn from others in the food safety community Why FDA’s and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) improved ability to detect and trace foodborne illness outbreaks will lead to an increase of recorded data on such outbreaks The need for food production companies to cooperate and communicate with regulators during food safety incidents The urgency of using technology to improve traceability and “connect the dots” to rapidly remove unsafe foods from the market FDA's emphasis on engaging with industry and building partnerships. Mikael Bengtsson [43:08]: What supply chain transparency is, and how it benefits food safety by making the supply chain more efficient The process by which food moves from farm to table, including the rise and effects of direct-to-consumer food retail How food and beverage manufacturers can increase transparency by using innovative technological tools The importance of being able to react precisely and quickly to food safety incidents How the food sector can modernize its methods for data collection and analysis. Steve Mandernach [50:54]: The action steps needed to improve and modernize food product recalls at all levels The public health and business costs of fighting regulators during a food safety incident investigation Key ways to modernize the inspection process, such as with remote audits, and the possible benefits of doing so How in-person collaboration expedites progress within the food safety community. John Spink [59:55]: The interrelationships of cybersecurity, supply chain management, and food safety How to prepare for and navigate supply chain disruptions by revisiting the fundamentals of supply chain management from the role of the supply chain manager How massive changes, as precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, lead to supply chain vulnerabilities, and how proactive thinking can prevent food fraud during vulnerable times The level of food crime over time and changes in the way fraudulent activities are carried out. Mitzi Baum [1:05:42]: Why modernizing recalls is essential in protecting consumers, and the need for it to be a collaborative effort Stop Foodborne Illness’ multi-stakeholder working group, The Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness, and the work being done to improve the U.S. recall system Stop Foodborne Illness’ approach to managing regulatory partnerships by stressing that “we are all in this together” The power of sharing effective messaging with industry, consumers, and regulators Stop Foodborne Illness’ and FDA’s joint webinar series on food safety culture. News and Resources: 2022 Food Safety Summit Opens with Riveting Mock Civil Trial [8:23] FSS 2022: Urgency, Communication Needed to Improve the Future of Recalls [13:58] AFDO Whitepaper FSS 2022: Regulators Highlight Policy, Technology Advances at Town Hall [15:06] FSS 2022: Keynote: Commitment and Collaboration in Food Safety Culture [16:16] FSS 2022: Improving Communication between Industry and Regulators [18:21] FSS 2022: Building a Blueprint for Tech-Enabled Traceability [19:01] Sponsored by: Infor We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Joe Stout, R.S. is a leader in quality and sanitation with over 40 years of experience in the industry. He founded Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS) in 2010, which provides strategic consulting, training, and solutions to address food safety, hygienic design, and sanitation challenges for food processing plants worldwide. Previously, Mr. Stout spent 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. While at Kraft, Mr. Stout 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. He also managed the Global Product Protection group, assuring global support for internal and external plants. Mr. Stout led the American Meat Institute's (AMI's) Equipment Design Task Force and has partnered for Listeria monocytogenes intervention training with AMI and the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) Hygienic Design initiatives. He is currently leading continuous improvement in equipment hygienic design, both in process plants and field harvest equipment. Mr. Stout also facilitated the development and execution of the Dairy Food Safety Training classes with Dairy Management Inc.'s Innovation Center. In addition to his involvement with these initiatives and other leading industry organizations, Mr. Stout is a published authority on the subjects of food safety, sanitation, hygiene, and related areas. He became a Registered Sanitarian in the state of Pennsylvania in 1985. He is also the recipient of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) 2015 Sanitarian of the Year Award, the IAFP 2020 Food Safety Award, and the 2022 Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Joe [27:19] about: The trajectory of his 42-year career in sanitation, what drives his passion for food safety, and his many contributions to the industry The importance of educating sanitarians and caring for worker safety, as well as cultivating an industry culture that prioritizes such goals The challenges of concurrently maintaining sanitation and productivity, and how hygienic design can help facilitate this balancing act The extent of hygienic restoration that is necessary to rectify a failed cleanliness incident in a facility, the difficulty of finding the root cause of an incident, and the importance of establishing measures to prevent future incidents The food safety and labor retention benefits of having a mature hygiene culture, and how expressing care and appreciation for sanitation workers can foster such a culture How equipping sanitarians with the tools and training they need to succeed, as well as employing hygienic design, can simultaneously improve safety conditions for workers and the cleanliness of food processing facilities How collaboration between OEMs, sanitarians, and food safety professionals can lead to improved industry design standards The importance of not overlooking simple guiding principles when seeking to improve hygienic design The need for technologically advanced solutions to foster productivity in sanitation. News and Resources Food Industry, NGOs, Consumers Urge FDA to Unify Food Program [4:50] Mike Taylor: Opinion—It’s Time to Fix FDA by Breaking It Up FAO Publishes Paper on Regulatory Strategies to Counter Food Fraud [10:20] FAO paper Eliminating Viruses in Food Production [14:28] Food Safety Insights Column, Bob Ferguson Supply Chain Recovery—Processors Speak Out [18:26] Sponsored by: Michigan State University  Michigan State University Online Food Safety Program Online MS in Food Safety Program Curriculum: Online MS in Food Safety Program We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com  

Dr. Guangtao Zhang, Ph.D., is the Director of the Mars Global Food Safety Center (GFSC), where he leads an international team of experts who are driving progress in several areas of food safety, including mycotoxin risk management, microbial risk management, and food integrity. Dr. Zhang has contributed to over 40 peer-reviewed publications and five patents that are advancing capabilities in food safety science and application. He has also shared insights at several international conferences in a range of key areas in food safety research. Prior to his time at GFSC, Dr. Zhang held a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University and developed therapeutics for breast cancer as a faculty member at Mount Sinai’s Ichan School of Medicine. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Zhang [18:10] about: The rise of food safety and quality hazards around the world, and how the Mars Global Food Safety Center aims to tackle such challenges by generating new insights, driving technology innovations, and improving food safety capabilities and methodologies How mycotoxins harm public health, the ways in which climate change is increasing mycotoxin production, and what GFSC is doing to improve mycotoxin risk management in the food industry The necessity of simplifying Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) so that farmers can reduce the risk of mycotoxins in their harvests by effectively employing GAPs How the 2021 United Nations Food System Summit created a coalition of organizations that is developing actionable food safety plans through data analysis, risk assessment, testing and learning, and risk communications The implications of microbiological contamination, and how the food industry can shift from a reactive to a proactive approach when combatting microbial hazards GFSC’s work in combatting microbiological contamination of the global food supply, including faster detection, better traceability, and predicting microbial hazards before they occur How GFSC is collaborating with academic institutions to make whole genome sequencing and multiplex sequencing more accessible, affordable, and efficient How GFSC is addressing food fraud with spectroscopy and spectrometry GFSC’s research and development efforts in advancing genomics and tracking shifts in the food microbiome GFSI’s intent to explore digitization, data, and AI as future food safety solutions, and what those solutions will look like when they are fully realized. News and Resources: E. coli in Lettuce Affected by Season of Harvest, Shelf Life, Storage Temperatures[4:55] Study Observes Two Decades of E. coli Evolution [8:80] AFDO Whitepaper Asks FDA to Modernize Recalls [12:40] AFDO Whitepaper Ep. 108. STOP Foodborne Illness and AFDO: Joining Forces for Recall Modernization (November 23, 2021) Sponsored by: Michigan State University Michigan State University Online Food Safety Program Online MS in Food Safety Program Curriculum: Online MS in Food Safety Program We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com