This episode features a panel of the Food Safety Preventive Control Alliance (FSPCA)'s lead instructors. They discuss virtual food safety training in the age of COVID.

Connie Landis Fisk is a northwest regional extension associate for the Produce Safety Alliance (PSA). PSA has a temporary policy allowing its trainers to deliver their Grower Training Course remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Connie offers a weekly office hour to share tips and answer questions about using Zoom for those remote trainings.

Amanda Evans-Lara is a principle food safety consultant and compliance specialist with HACCP Mentor, a website that provides tools, tips, and training to help food businesses comply with global, customer, and regulatory Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and food safety requirements. She has over 28 years of experience working with Australian and international food businesses. Amanda is an FSPCA lead instructor for Preventive Controls for Human Food and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessments courses. 

Charles Kalish is a managing member and co-founder of Food Safety Guides, a food safety and quality consulting and training firm that specializes in remote consulting. He is a lead instructor for FSPCA's Preventive Controls (Human and Animal), Foreign Supplier Verification Programs, and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment courses. Charlie is also a Safe Quality Food (SQF) trainer and lead instructor for the International Food Protection Institute (IFPTI)'s Instructor Skills Training.

Michael Kalish is a managing member and co-founder of Food Safety Guides. He is a lead instructor for FSPCA's Preventive Controls (Human and Animal), Foreign Supplier Verification Programs, and Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment courses. Michael is also an SQF trainer and lead instructor for IFPTI's Instructor Skills Training.

A special thanks to our friend and previous podcast guest Kathy Gombas (Ep. 26) for spearheading this discussion. Kathy is a member of FSPCA's Steering Committee. She also serves on Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to the panel [12:23] about:

• The features, benefits, and ins and outs of using Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other digital platforms to perform food safety certification courses
• Maintaining high levels of participation and engagement during online training
• How training and testing policies and procedures have changed to fit a virtual format
• Conducting oral exams vs. standardized tests online
• Challenges and limitations of web-based teaching and training

News Mentioned in This Episode
Salmonella Newport Outbreak Linked to Onions [3:46]
FDA Announces New Protocol for the Development and Registration of Treatments for Preharvest Ag Water Antimicrobial [5:40] | Water Disinfection: A Practical Approach to Calculating Dose Values for Pre- and Postharvest Applications (2001)
Pillsbury Announces "Safe to Eat Raw" Products [10:03]  

Savannah Applegate, Ph.D. is a Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety. Dr. Applegate received her B.S. degree in Meat Science from Ohio State University and her M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Applied Food Microbiology from Texas Tech University. Her areas of expertise are meat and poultry food safety, and she specializes in diagnostics and pathogen mitigation.

Alfredo Fernández, J.D. is an attorney and Partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP. As a member of the firm's national Environmental Practice, Alfredo advises clients across industry types on environmental, health, and safety issues that arise in all areas of business operations. Risk management pertaining to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is one area of focus. Alfredo also counsels private and public entities regarding abatement of hazardous materials and conditions. He received his J.D. from University of Connecticut School of Law and holds a B.S. degree from the University of Michigan.

Edward G. Dudley, Ph.D. is the Director of the E. coli Reference Center and a Professor of Food Science at the Pennsylvania State University. He has a broad background in molecular biology, physiology, and foodborne bacteria genomics, with expertise in both beneficial and pathogenic species. His current research program focuses on factors that drive the virulence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and the development of DNA sequence-based methods for tracking pathogen spread during foodborne illness outbreaks, including wastewater monitoring. 

Phil Kafarakis is the President and CEO of IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, formerly known as the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association. He is responsible for overseeing IFMA's day-to-day operations and directing the activities of the association in support of its policies, goals, and objectives. Phil is a highly accomplished senior executive with broad experience leading major food industry companies and associations. He began his industry career in the manufacturing sector, successfully leading and managing businesses at Kraft, Jones Dairy Farm, Cargill, and McCormick & Co., where he also served on IFMA's Board of Directors. He also previously served as President of the Specialty Food Association (SFA) and as the Chief Innovation and Member Advancement Officer at the National Restaurant Association (NRA).

Mark Carter is the Senior Software Product Manager at Hygiena. He assumed the presidency of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) at the conclusion of the IAFP Annual Meeting in July 2024.

Mr. Carter has extensive international business and technical experience. He most recently served as COO of Matrix Sciences, as well as the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, where he was responsible for Matrix Sciences Mergers and Acquisitions activity. He previously held positions as CEO of QC Laboratories and Corporate Vice President of Research and Development with the Silliker Group Corporation (now Mérieux NutriSciences). He has served within the food industry as Section Manager for Microbiology and Food Safety at Kraft Foods and Corporate Laboratory Group Leader at McKee Foods Corporation.

Jason Evans, Ph.D. is the Dean of the College of Food Innovation and Technology (CFIT) at Johnson & Wales University, which offers baccalaureate and graduate programming in Culinary Arts, Culinary Science, Culinary Nutrition, Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Food Systems.