Home » Multimedia » Podcasts » Food Safety Matters » Ep. 31. Dane Bernard: Taking the Lead on HACCP
Food Safety Matters
Food Safety Matters is a podcast for food safety professionals hosted by the Food Safety Magazine editorial team – the leading media brand in food safety for over 20 years. Each episode will feature a conversation with a food safety professional sharing their experiences and insights of the important job of safeguarding the world’s food supply.
Dane Bernard is currently the managing director of Bold Bear Food Safety where he offers consulting services. Prior to that, he served as the vice president of food safety and quality assurance at Keystone Foods until 2014. That role also included responsibilities over global programs on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and food safety. Before that, Dane was the vice president of food safety for the National Food Processors Association (NFPA)—formerly the National Canners Association—an organization he joined in 1973.
Dane is a registered specialist in food, dairy, and sanitation microbiology with the American Academy of Microbiology. He has also done extensive testing of food processing systems, supervised research in many areas of food safety, and has authored/co-authored many technical articles. Dane has been an instructor and lecturer on principles and applications of HACCP and has helped to formulate HACCP plans for the U.S. food industry. He’s has been invited as an expert to five International Consultations—sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization—that dealt with certain aspects of HACCP, risk analysis, and other food safety issues.
Dane received an M.Sc. in Food Microbiology from University of Maryland, College Park. Finally, Dane received the Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award in 2017.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Dane about:
How he got started in the field of food microbiology so early
His 28 years with the National Food Processors Association
Working in the U.S. Army as a food inspector
His thoughts on the shift from HAACP to HARPC (Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls)
How HACCP regulations originated and evolved over the years
The importance of soft skills and learning to work with other divisions within a single organization
His time at Keystone Foods
What it takes to be a good, effective manager
The challenge of getting management to approve additional resources for food safety
Why he hasn't totally and officially retired yet
Where he thinks the food safety needs to focus in the near future
We also speak with Hilary Thesmar (Food Marketing Institute) and Marianne Gravely (U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service) and about:
The processes that retailers use to minimize cross-contamination and keep consumers safe from allergens
The importance of accurate labeling and making sure that every food product only contains ingredients listed on the label
Food allergen labels and what is not required for meat and poultry products regulated by FSIS
The complexities of allergen labeling for ingredients within a supply chain
Allergen labels that are—and are not—required for some food products
Messaging efforts that FMI and FSIS have in place for their respective audiences
About Hilary Thesmar
In her role as the chief food and product safety officer and senior vice president of food safety programs for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Dr. Thesmar provides leadership for all safety programs for FMI’s retail and wholesale members and provides support for members on food safety training programs, FSMA training, recall plans and management, crisis management, research, and overall safety and sanitation programs. Dr. Thesmar has a Ph.D. in food technology from Clemson University, an M.Sc. in human nutrition from Winthrop University, a B.Sc. in food science from Clemson, and she is a Registered Dietitian. She has over a decade of experience in scientific and regulatory affairs with food trade associations.
About Marianne Gravely
Marianne joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Meat and Poultry Hotline staff in 1988. As the senior technical information specialist, she provides consumers with safe food handling guidance daily through phone, live chat, and email inquiries and is one of the persons behind the USDA virtual representative “Ask Karen” answering food safety questions. She also researches and writes materials for the Food Safety Inspection Service website, and handles media inquiries. Marianne has a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics with an emphasis on foods and nutrition from Hood College in Frederick, MD. She received her M.Sc. in human nutrition and foods from Virginia Tech.
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).
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.
Megin Nichols, D.V.M. serves as the Deputy Division Director for the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases at the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.
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.
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.
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 America, Asia, and Africa.
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).
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.
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.