Food Safety Matters

Justyce Jedlicka, Food and Beverage Regulatory Liaison in North America for MilliporeSigma, and Andrew Lienau, Food Regulatory and Validation Senior Expert at MilliporeSigma, discuss the threats posed by Cronobacter to food safety and public health, the challenges in preventing contamination, the development of a PCR-based detection method for Cronobacter, industry standards and regulations for control, and MilliporeSigma's involvement in developing innovative testing technologies.

Dr. Kathy Knutson discusses food safety considerations and regulations for cannabis-infused edibles. Topics include challenges in transitioning to the cannabis industry, the importance of packaging and labeling, the need for a federal regulatory framework, and the value of training in various roles for food safety.

Yinqing Ma, Director of Compliance Policy Staff at the FDA, and Carol D’lima, Food Technologist at FDA, discuss allergen recalls and labeling errors, FDA's enforcement of food allergen requirements, and ongoing efforts to protect food allergic consumers.

Dr. Lise Korsten, food safety expert, discusses the implications of FDA's infant formula compliance program, concerns around glyphosate, polluted water's impact on fresh produce, innovative technologies for contamination prevention, and the knowledge gaps in food safety.

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.

Patrick Guzzle, Vice President of Food Science for the National Restaurant Association, discusses the 30th anniversary of FDA's Food Code and its implementation. The podcast covers antimicrobial resistance trends, the discovery of a microorganism combating harmful mycotoxins, updates on the California Food Safety Act, challenges of food product reformulation, and the benefits of program standards in reducing foodborne outbreaks.

Britanny Saunier, Executive Director of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, and Ashley Eisenbeiser, Senior Director for Food and Product Safety Programs for FMI, discuss the significance of food safety education, the importance of partnerships in promoting safe food handling, the shift towards audio and video learning, changing consumer demands in the food industry, and the need to communicate scientific information effectively to consumers.

Dr. Darin Detwiler, food safety advocate, discusses his role in controlling foodborne illness and reflections on Netflix's documentary Poisoned. Topics include the importance of food safety advocacy, recovery of food processors from the pandemic, reactions and impact of the documentary, lack of accountability in the food industry, and reflections on the future of food safety.

Kris de Smet, D.V.M., is the Head of the Food Hygiene Team under the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety at the European Commission. Dr. de Smet graduated as a Veterinary Doctor in 1987, and from 1988–1992, he was a Researcher at the University of Ghent, Belgium in the faculty of Veterinary Science. From 1992–2001, he was employed in the private sector, being mainly involved in veterinary services and quality control of poultry integration. Since 2001, Dr. de Smet has worked as an official at the European Commission under the Health and Food Safety Directorate-General, where he has been involved in the management of EU legislation on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and zoonoses (mainly Salmonella). Since the beginning of 2009, he has served as the head of the team coordinating EU legislation on control of food hygiene, official controls for products of animal origin, and control of foodborne zoonoses. He also coordinates the EU position at the Codex Alimentarius Committee Food Hygiene and is Co-Chair in the development of several Codex standards.               In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. de Smet [3:01] about: The ongoing work of the European Commission’s Food Hygiene Team and how it operates within the structure of the EC EU-wide trends in Salmonella control and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mitigation, differences across Member States, and how trends in pathogen control are reflected in salmonellosis data His work as part of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene that finalized a 2022 guidance on microbiological foodborne illness outbreaks, the impacts of that guidance, and modern advancements that are helping address outbreaks How the European Commission and Codex are approaching food safety culture in regulations and guidelines, how inspectors measure culture, and how businesses can improve and evaluate their own food safety cultures. We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Andre Pierce joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2022 as the Retail Food Protection Division Director in the Office of State Cooperative Programs (OSCP). He came to FDA with 34 years of experience at a local health department, where he built relationships, shared knowledge, and promoted quality improvement through the Voluntary Retail Program Standards. Andre earned his B.Sc. degree in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.P.A. from North Carolina State University. David Morales is the Managing Supervisor for the Environmental Health Division at Arizona's Maricopa County Environmental Services Department. He joined the Department in June 2000 as a Health Inspector for the Environmental Health Division, performing health inspections for restaurants, hotels and motels, mobile home parks, swimming pools, and school grounds. David has also served as a Hispanic Liaison, Training Officer, Supervisor, and Managing Supervisor for the Quality and Compliance Division, and he currently manages the Eastern Regional Office within the Environmental Health division. He received a bachelor's degree in Zoology from Brigham Young University, and he is a Registered Sanitarian in the state of Arizona and an REHS with NEHA. He also received a Certified Public Manager certificate from Arizona State University's Bob Ramsey Executive Education Program. Susan Quam is the Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin Restaurant Association (WRA). She joined WRA in January 1997, serving as the Executive Director of WRA’s Education Foundation for her first 15 years, working to promote career opportunities and scholarships within the foodservice industry and provide continuing education programs for restaurateurs. In 2012, Susan moved to the Executive Vice President position, where she works closely with WRA's President and CEO to enact the vision of the WRA board of directors. She is also one of WRA's two registered lobbyists. In addition to WRA general advocacy responsibilities, her areas of emphasis include employment law, alcohol law, food safety regulations, food defense, nutrition issues, and state/national relations. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Andre, David, and Susan [34:22] about: How FDA works with state and local regulators to reduce the occurrence of foodborne illness risk factors at retail foodservice establishments through the Food Code and the Retail Program Standards Key initiatives and factors that Maricopa County leaders invest in or seek out to influence the behaviors of inspectors and source quality staff Generational, staffing, and expenditure obstacles that small foodservice establishments must overcome to uphold food safety standards How Maricopa County inspectors impact food safety behaviors in small retail or foodservice establishments through the Active Managerial Control and Cutting Edge programs The importance of regulators forging partnerships with and understanding the challenges of the retail food sector to effectively help industry implement food safety systems and best practices Specific considerations and training approaches for the retail foodservice sector to better connect with the new and emerging workforce. News and Resources FDA Updates on Chemical Safety Reassessment Work, Reveals Substances of Agency's Focus [7:09] California LGMA's "Romaine Test and Learn" Will Collect Members' Pathogen Testing Data to Improve Microbial Food Safety Knowledge [12:12] Half of U.S. Drinking Water Contaminated by Toxic PFAS, Reports USGS [17:42] Researchers Develop Tray that Alerts when Food is Contaminated by Pathogenic Bacteria [27:12] EFSA Finds No Critical Health Concerns for Herbicide Glyphosate [28:33] Sponsored by: Michigan State University Online Food Safety Program  We Want to Hear from You! Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com