Food Safety Matters

Beth Panko Briczinski, Ph.D. is the Senior Science Advisor for Milk Safety in the Office of Food Safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this capacity, she advises FDA senior leadership on policies and programs involving scientific matters affecting the safety of milk. Prior to working at FDA, Dr. Briczinski was a Vice President with the National Milk Producers Federation, where she worked with state and federal agencies on regulatory issues in the areas of food safety and nutrition. Dr. Briczinski holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Food Science, as well as a Ph.D. in Food Science, all from Pennsylvania State University. Casey McCue is the Conference Chair for the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) and the Director of the Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, a position he has held since 2000. Casey has served in many positions since starting as a Dairy Products Specialist in Jefferson and Lewis counties

Brandon Carter, D.V.M. is a Food Safety Technical Advisor for Elanco Animal Health. Dr. Carter received his B.S. degree in Animal Science and his D.V.M. from Mississippi State University. He also holds an M.S. degree in Veterinary Epidemiology from West Texas A&M University. His areas of expertise are disease prevention and control for poultry, with specialized expertise in epidemiology and data analysis. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Carter [1:20] about:  The significance of pre-harvest diagnostics in food safety risk management Common types of diagnostics used in the assessment of pre-harvest food safety risks The role of data analysis in the interpretation of diagnostic results for food safety decision-making Regulatory frameworks that influence the use of diagnostics in food safety management How diagnostic findings are integrated into food safety intervention strategies Limitations of diagnostics for food safety decision-making Challenges in implementing diagno

Caroline Smith DeWaal, J.D. is Senior Manager at the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). She also serves as Deputy Chief of Party of EatSafe—Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food—which is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded, five-year program running through June 2024. EatSafe aims to enable lasting improvements in the safety of nutritious foods in traditional markets by focusing on behavior change. Prior to joining GAIN, Caroline worked as an International Food Safety Policy Manager for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA’s CFSAN). She holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Vermont and a J.D. from Antioch School of Law. Richard Pluke, Ph.D. is the Food Safety Lead and Chief of Party for GAIN's EatSafe and an international rural development professional specializing in agricultural enterprises and value chains, with over 15 years of applied development experience in South Americ

Kathleen (Kathy) Glass, Ph.D. joined the Food Research Institute (FRI) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a food safety researcher in 1985, where she currently serves as Associate Director. Her primary duties are to assist the food industry in assessing and developing formulation-safe foods. In addition, she trains and oversees undergraduate and graduate student independent study research, and is a regular instructor at workshops on food microbiology, preventive controls, Listeria control methods, processed meat and processed cheese safety, and dairy Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). Dr. Glass's research interests include the safety of low-acid refrigerated foods, ready-to-eat (RTE) meats, processed cheese, and dairy foods, focusing on the control of various bacterial pathogens. She earned her Ph.D. in Food Microbiology and Safety at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is a Past President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and its Wisconsin affiliate.

Mark (Mick) Micklos, CP-FS, is an executive dedicated to food safety education and advocacy. His 27-year career includes 16 years in restaurant operations, training, and food safety, the majority of which was spent holding Director- or Vice President-level positions at Waffle House Inc.; seven years at the National Restaurant Association working on behalf of industry, culminating as Director of Food Safety and QA Programming; and most recently, as a Partner-Advisor with Active Food Safety LLC, where his work with the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) has led to breakthrough discoveries in Food Safety Management System and food safety culture behavior in foodservice establishments. Mick has served on 19 professional advisory boards and committees. He has published six articles and three book chapters, and has contributed to two guidance documents. He has earned ten awards for his work and is a frequently requested speaker on a wide variety of topics. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we spe

Barbara Kowalcyk, Ph.D., M.A., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and the Director of the Food Policy Institute at George Washington University's (GW's) Milken Institute School of Public Health. She also has an appointment in the U.S. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and is a fellow with the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness. Dr. Kowalcyk's research spans a range of topics related to food safety and infectious foodborne disease, and their intersection with nutrition security. She has extensively used epidemiologic methods, data analytics, and risk analysis to assess food safety risks and potential intervention strategies in both the U.S. and the Global South. Prior to joining GW in 2023, Dr. Kowalcyk was faculty at Ohio State University with appointments in the Department of Food Science and Technology and the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, and directed the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Preven

To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2024 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with Melody Ge, M.S., FSQA, Director at Starkist Co. and Co-Founder of Women in Food Safety (WIFS); Jacqueline Southee, Ph.D., North American Representative at Foundation FSSC and Co-Founder of WIFS; Jill Hoffman, M.S., Senior Director of Food Safety and Quality at B&G Foods; Anjan Chatterji, M.B.A., J.D., LL.M., CEO of NOMADX Holdings; Jorge Hernandez, Vice President of Quality Assurance at The Wendy’s Company; Chirag Bhatt, RS, CCFS, Director of Regulatory Affairs at HS GovTech Solutions; Tyler Williams, CEO of ASI Food; Marc Cwikowski and Tülay Kahraman, Co-Founders at World of Auditing; and Angela Nardone, COO of Share-ify. Discussions covered the advancement of female food safety professionals, allergen control in both foodservice and food processing, the future of food safety auditing, and other topics. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with: Melody, Jacqueline, and Jill [2:27]

To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2024 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness and Conrad Choiniere, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs (acting) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; Matt Taylor, Global Senior Manager of Food Consulting and Technical Solutions at NSF; Lori Dodson, Senior Advisor at the Maryland Cannabis Administration and Kathy Knutson, Ph.D., PCQI, Founder of Kathy Knutson Food Safety Consulting LLC; William Erdely, Head of Client Development at Körber Supply Chain Consulting; Larry Keener, CFS, PA, President and CEO of International Product Safety Consultants Inc. and Elizabeth (Liz) Presnell, J.D., Food Industry Consultant and Lawyer at Food Industry Counsel LLC; and Scott Jones, Director of North American Sales at Meritech. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with: Mitzi and Dr. Choiniere [3:26] about the joint Alliance to Stop Fo

Alissa Welsher, Ph.D. is an Associate Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety. Dr. Welsher received her B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh, as well as an M.S. degree in Poultry Science and a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Arkansas. Her area of expertise is molecular physiology, and she specializes in heat stress and gut health. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Welsher about: How industry’s understanding of pest management’s role in food safety has evolved in recent years Why pests are often an overlooked source of foodborne pathogens like Salmonella, and why darkling beetles, in particular, are important to consider as a possible contributor to Salmonella Insights on the darkling beetle, where darkling beetles are typically found, and how beetles can transmit disease The initiation and execution of a study that showed a correlation between beetle populations and Salmonella load in poultry flocks Current ind

Francine Shaw, CP-FS, FMP, is a food safety specialist, podcaster, speaker, entrepreneur, the Founder and CEO of Savvy Food Safety Inc., and the author of Who Watches the Kitchen? She has spent more than 30 years working in the foodservice industry and is committed to constantly evolving in the ever-changing landscape of foodservice. Her career has included performing services—such as operating partner, corporate/private trainer, health inspector, third-party inspector, and adjunct professor—in various sectors of the foodservice industry. Francine has also written hundreds of articles for national trade magazines and appeared on Dr. Oz, the BBC World Series Radio, and iHeart Radio as a food safety expert. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Francine [40:38] about: The importance of incorporating real-life anecdotes into food safety education to make it relatable and engaging to the audience The need for open discussions about real-world experiences in industry to address and correct issues

James (Jim) Jones joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September 2023 as the agency's first Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods. In this position, he leads the charge in setting and advancing priorities for a proposed, unified Human Foods Program, which includes food safety, chemical safety, and nutrition activities. He currently oversees the leadership of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and the Office of Food Policy and Response (OFPR), until the proposed Human Foods Program reorganization is implemented. Jones came to FDA with intimate knowledge of the Human Foods program, having served on the Reagan-Udall Foundation's Independent Expert Panel that evaluated the program in 2022. He has decades of leadership experience and a track record of forging partnerships among diverse stakeholders and achieving dynamic results to improve public health. He previously served as a federal regulator of pesticides, toxic substances, chemical safety, and pollution prevention at t

Robert (Bob) Manning, M.B.A., M.S., M.E.M., has worked in the food and beverage industry for over 25 years in various facility and senior corporate positions. He is currently CEO of Liquid, and formerly worked as Vice President of Technical Operations at Niagara Bottling. He has spent most of his time in Operations and Quality roles for large companies such as HP Hood LLC, Campbell's Soup, and Niagara Bottling, as well as consulting for major domestic and international firms. Bob is also the author of In the Midst of a Recall: Recall Management and Prevention Strategies in Real World Scenarios, which walks the reader through what actually happens in a major product recall, and he uses his website, Manning Resource, to provide helpful tips to prevent recalls. Throughout his career, Bob has led multiple investigations into product retrievals, market withdrawals, and recalls associated with various manufacturing defects and failures. He has extensive knowledge of plant operations and quality systems and has l

Brittany Sambol is the Vice President of Operations at Wildtype Foods, where she is responsible for leading the scale-up of the company’s operations function, including product commercialization and manufacturing facility expansion. Prior to joining Wildtype, Brittany spent six years at Clif Bar & Company, leading in various areas including supply chain and contract manufacturing management, product innovation and scale-up, and sustainable packaging development. Earlier in her career, Brittany worked as a chemical engineer and then spent over 12 years directly leading manufacturing operations in the CPG industry.  Khyati Shah, Ph.D. is an esteemed molecular biologist with a distinguished career spanning over ten years in the development and promotion of innovative pathogen testing of products for the food and beverage industry. Serving as a global product manager for the Food and Beverage segment of the Life Sciences business of MilliporeSigma, Dr. Shah is instrumental in creating and spearheading the

Jason Richardson, Ph.D. is the Vice President of Global Quality and Food Safety of The Coca-Cola Company, a position he has held since January 2021. In this role, Jason leads a team of quality and food safety professionals who are accountable for delivering global strategic and operational leadership for performance and progress of quality and food safety programs across the Coca-Cola system.   Jason joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 2009, holding a variety of quality, food safety, and technical leadership positions within Coca-Cola North America over the course of his career. Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Jason spent over seven years as a Microbiologist/Collateral Duty Safety Officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA’s ARS), conducting research on sanitizers, novel technologies, standard and rapid microbiological detection methods, and the ecology of bacterial foodborne pathogens in foods, achieving more than 150 peer-reviewed publications.   Jas

Brian Ronholm, M.A., is the Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports, where he leads advocacy efforts to advance a safe and healthy food system. He was in public service prior to joining Consumer Reports, having served as Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and before that, as a congressional staff person for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.  In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Brian [28:55] about: How his prior experience in regulatory policy informs his current consumer advocacy work The FDA Foods Coalition, of which Consumer Reports is a part, and how the Coalition will work with Jim Jones, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods, to bring about change The need for stricter limits, testing, and disclosure of toxic heavy metals in baby foods, and FDA’s handling of this issue through its Closer to Zero Initiative How FDA’s “historic inactivity” regarding food additives may be prompting state

Natalie Dyenson, M.P.H. is the Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). She has nearly three decades of experience in food safety that encompasses the entire produce supply chain, from farm to fork. In her role at IFPA, Natalie and her team actively work to guide industry on food safety issues and connect with regulators and policymakers to advocate for a science-focused and risk-based approach to food safety worldwide. Having previously served as Vice President of Food Safety and Quality for Dole Food Company, Natalie is an internationally recognized food safety expert with broad and extensive experience leading international food safety programs for produce. She has leadership experience in food safety, public health, and regulatory compliance, leading global teams with a focus on scientific, risk-based program development, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, and quality assurance. Prior to joining Dole, Natalie held food safety leadership r

Brian Sylvester, J.D., is a Partner in Perkins Coie LLP's Washington D.C. office and a former Attorney-Advisor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Marketing, Regulatory, and Food Safety Programs Division's Office of the General Counsel. At Perkins Coie, Brian focuses his practice on regulatory matters before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the USDA, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and analogous state regulatory bodies. He is a leading authority on food technology regulation and serves as a trusted advisor to global brands, startups, life science companies, investors, and trade associations. Brian is a prolific author and frequent speaker at industry-leading events in the U.S., the EU, Israel, and other parts of the world. He is regularly called upon to offer insights on trending legal issues by preeminent industry and global publications. He holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School and a Bachelor's degree in Psychological and Brain Sciences from Dartmouth College. In thi

Sara Mortimore, M.Sc., FRSPH, MIFST, is the Vice President and Global Subject Matter Expert for Food Safety at Walmart Inc. In her role, Sara is responsible for the global development and oversight of all food safety programs, compliance, and initiatives for the company's 10,500 stores, owned manufacturing facilities, and distribution and fulfilment centers. This includes the supplier and supply chain food safety program. Prior to joining Walmart in May 2019, Sara held the position of Vice President of Product Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Affairs with enterprise-wide responsibility at Land O'Lakes Inc. In this capacity, she covered both human and animal foods and supported nonprofit international development work. Sara began her career with Glaxo SmithKline as a Research Technologist in research and development. In 1989, she joined Grand Metropolitan Foods, which later became Pillsbury and was subsequently incorporated by General Mills Inc. There, she held various roles leading supply chain food safety,

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we review the top food safety stories of 2023 and their implications. Specifically, we discuss: Developments in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) restructuring of its Human Foods Program and Office of Regulatory Affairs Ongoing concerns around infant formula safety and supply, including new regulations and guidelines, and how the crisis served as the catalyst for the reorganization of FDA's Human Foods Program New allergen guidances delivered by authorities worldwide and growing global concern over industry compliance with food allergen requirements, as well as U.S. industry’s unexpected response to the FASTER Act, which added sesame as the ninth major allergen Industry’s ongoing efforts to comply with FDA's Final Food Traceability Rule, which goes into effect in January 2026 The battle over food additives legislation in the U.S. at the state level and FDA’s efforts to get ahead of a possible regulatory patchwork The growing concern with per- and p

Sherry Brice, M.B.A. is Chief Supply Chain Officer at W.K. Kellogg Co. She was formerly Vice President of Global Quality and Food Safety at the Kellogg Company, overseeing end-to-end food safety and quality for Kellogg's internal and external network. Sherry has over 20 years of experience in the industry and joined Kellogg in 2012 as part of the Pringles acquisition from Procter & Gamble. She has served in numerous supply chain roles in the company, ranging from operations to quality. Sherry is on the SSAFE board of directors and is affiliated with a number of other industry associations such as Stop Foodborne Illness, where she is an Alliance member. Sherry is also the Executive Sponsor for the Kellogg African American Resource Group (KAARG). Sherry holds M.B.A. and B.S. degrees in Business Management and is a member of the Golden Key International Honors Society. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Sherry [26:37] about: Her career spanning food safety, supply chain, and customer s