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.
Craig Wilson is the vice president, general merchandising manager of quality assurance/food safety, non-foods quality assurance, environmental services/HAZMAT, and merchandise services for Costco Wholesale Corporation.
Prior to joining Costco, Craig worked as a special projects director for Frigoscandia Equipment Food Safety Systems for over 24 years. During his time there, Craig published numerous research papers in the areas of food safety and food processing. He holds many patents, the most notable for steam pasteurization of food. He was the recipient of the Gia/Matek Global Excellence in Food Safety Award.
Craig currently serves on the Global Food Safety Initiative Board, the Center for Produce Safety Board, the Center for Food Integrity Board, and the STOP Foodborne Illness Board.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Craig [17:47] about:
How Costco handles employee food safety training
Costco's four-legged approach to food safety
How Costco approaches food safety and varying regulatory requirements throughout the U.S. and globally
The importance of building relationships with local and state health inspectors
Costco's test and hold program
Using Costco's membership program to keep consumers safe when recalls occur
How Costco manages a supply chain with over 3,000 SKUs per store
How food safety has changed over the past 50 years
Lone Jespersen is principal of Cultivate, an organization dedicated to helping food manufacturers globally make safe, great tasting food through cultural effectiveness. Lone has significant experience with food manufacturing, having previously spent 11 years with Maple Leaf Foods. Following the tragic event in 2008 when Maple Leaf products claimed 23 Canadian lives, Lone lead the execution of the Maple Leaf Foods, food safety strategy, and its operations learning strategy.
Prior to that, Lone worked for Woodbridge Foam as the engineering and operations manager responsible for the safety and quality of automobile safety products. Lone holds a Master's degree in mechanical engineering from Syd Dansk University, Denmark, and a Master's of food science and a Ph.D. from the University of Guelph, Canada.
Mike Robach is chairman of the GFSI board. Up until August 2018, he served as the vice president, corporate food safety, quality, & regulatory for Cargill based in Minneapolis, MN. Prior to joining Cargill, he headed up technical services for Conti Group’s meat and poultry businesses, and began his career with Monsanto.
Mike is the past president of Safe Supply of Affordable Food Everywhere, a member of the Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Council Executive Committee for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and a member of the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association’s Research Advisory Committee.
Mike has worked with the World Organization of Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization on harmonized animal health and food safety standards. He has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding food safety policy, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, and regulatory reforms based on science. From 1995 through 2000, Mike was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria in Foods.
Mike is a graduate of Michigan State University and Virginia Tech.
Frank Yiannas is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, a position he assumed in December 2018. He is the principal advisor to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb in the development and execution of policies related to food safety, including implementation of the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. His leadership role within the agency covers a broad spectrum of food safety priorities, such as outbreak response, traceback investigations, product recall activities, and supply chain innovation across the full spectrum of FDA-regulated products.
Prior to joining FDA, Frank was the vice president of food safety at Walmart—the world's largest food retailer. In that role, Frank oversaw all food safety—as well as other public health functions—for Walmart, serving over 200 million customers around the world on a weekly basis. His scope of responsibilities included food safety oversight of Walmart’s stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Clubs. He was also charged with training and education of associates, food safety oversight of thousands of food suppliers, and a number of critical regulatory compliance issues.
Prior to joining Walmart in 2008, Frank was the director of safety and health for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked for 19 years. In 2001, under his tenure, Walt Disney World received the prestigious Black Pearl Award for corporate excellence in food safety by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP).
Frank is a registered microbiologist with the American Academy of Microbiology and holds memberships with several professional associations. Frank received his B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Central Florida and his Master's of Public Health from the University of South Florida.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak toFrank [15:07], and Lone and Mike [25:08] about:
Highlights, key moments, and takeaways from this year's GFSI conference in Nice, France
The value of networking, collaborating, sharing challenges, and learning best practices at GFSI
Projects that GFSI is working on with various government entities, the private sector, academia, and consumers
The Global Markets Program
GFSI's continuous improvement in the areas of benchmarking requirements, technology, certification programs, and capacity building
The emerging trend of e-commerce as a food safety topic to watch
Produce safety as a global issue, not just a North American issue
GFSI's partnerships with STOP Foodborne Illness and Pew Charitable Trusts
GFSI's unique position as the industry's premier place to bring together food industry professionals from all cultures and backgrounds
Improvements that can be made around how food safety performance is measured
Working in the retail/private vs. regulatory sectors
Government's continuously improving response to foodborne illness outbreaks
FDA's future use of blockchain technology and spreading the idea of food safety culture
Dr. David Acheson, is the founder and CEO of The Acheson Group and brings more than 30 years of medical and food safety research and experience to provide strategic advice as well as recall and crisis management support to food companies and ancillary technology companies on a global basis on all matters relating to food safety and food defense.
David graduated from the University of London Medical School and practiced internal medicine and infectious diseases in the United Kingdom until 1987 when he moved to the New England Medical Center and became an Associate Professor at Tufts University in Boston, studying the molecular pathogenesis of foodborne pathogens.
Prior to forming The Acheson Group, David served as the Chief Medical Officer at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service and then joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the Chief Medical Officer at the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). After serving as the director of CFSAN’s Office of Food Defense, Communication, and Emergency Response, David was appointed as the Assistant and then Associate Commissioner for Foods, which provided him an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues and the responsibility for the development of the 2007 Food Protection Plan, which served as the basis for many of the authorities granted to FDA by the Food Safety Modernization Act.
From 2009 to 2013, he was a partner at Leavitt Partners where he managed Leavitt Partners Global Food Safety Solutions.
David has published extensively and is internationally recognized both for his public health expertise in food safety and his research in infectious diseases. He is a sought-after speaker and regular guest on national news programs. He serves on a variety of boards and food safety advisory groups of several major food manufacturers.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to David [32:48] about:
The food industry's hesitation about speaking openly about food safety and the science behind it
Consumers' lack of trust and understanding when it comes to food science
How the media plays a role in shaping consumer attitudes about food safety
Scientists and their traditional lack of ability to effectively communicate with consumers
The state of food safety today vs. years/decades ago
Why it makes sense that today's food supply is safe despite an increasing number of recalls and outbreaks
Balancing science, public health, consumer demand, and marketing messages
The top misperceptions that consumers have about food
Jeremy Zenlea is the director of corporate food safety at Cumberland Farms, Inc. In this role, he oversees all aspects of food safety, including regulatory compliance, retail and commissary food safety operations, and supply chain integrity. Jeremy has worked with a variety of different product categories, including refrigerated, high-risk ready-to-eat foods (meat, poultry, pork, and fresh-cut produce), chocolate, and confectionaries. Due to his diverse background, Jeremy has gained a wide range of knowledge of different food products and is an expert in constructing, implementing, and managing complex food safety and food defense systems for large domestic and international food manufacturers. He is an active member of both the Institute of Food Technologists and the International Association for Food Protection, and enjoys lecturing on food safety at local universities and mentoring other food safety professionals in his spare time.
Jeremy received a B.Sc. from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an MBA from Northeastern University.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Jeremy [11:49] about:
What makes the convenience store environment different—and more complicated—than more traditional outlets that sell food
Why having simple food safety procedures is a plus for all stakeholders
Cold chain issues and temperature monitoring
What he sees as the biggest threat to food safety in the convenience store setting
The difficulties of training and certification for food safety professionals in convenience stores
Turnover, foot traffic, and other challenges that convenience stores face
Effective communication and establishing a positive food safety culture
This BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters is all about Michigan State University's Food Processing and Innovation Center (FPIC). The Center, the first of its kind in the U.S., will be Michigan's leading independent commercial food development, processing, packaging, and research facility. Here, mid- to large-size food companies have access to a real-time production environment to support the creation of new food products.
In this interview, Matt Birbeck (FPIC) and Gerry Broski (Neogen) go into great detail about how the FPIC can help food companies with their research and development efforts.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Matt (FPIC) and Gerry (Neogen) about:
Why the creation of the FPIC was necessary
FPIC's purpose within the food industry
Advantages, benefits, and services for clients who use the FPIC
How the partnership between the FPIC, MSU, and Neogen works
Why mid- and large-size food companies are ideal clients for the FPIC
Food product categories that the FPIC can accommodate
Alternative options for small or start-up food companies
Joe Stout is the founder of Commercial Food Sanitation, a consulting firm that provides food safety and sanitation solutions to food processing plants. Before that, Joe spent nearly 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.
In this role at Kraft, Joe 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. Joe also managed the Global Product Protection Group, assuring global support for internal and external plants.
Joe led the American Meat Institute’s (AMI) Equipment Design Task Force and has led Listeria Intervention training for AMI and the American Frozen Food Institute. He is the current leader of the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s Sanitary Design Working Group. He also conducts allergen training for the Food Allergy Research Resource Program. In addition to his involvement with these and many other leading industry organizations, Joe is a published authority when it comes to food safety, sanitation, hygiene, and other related areas.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Joe [16:19] about:
The basic fundamentals of sanitation in food safety
The persistent problem of Listeria in food processing environments
Sanitation best practices
The problem with preventative and corrective actions
The importance of using science-based approaches
Sanitation training offered by Commercial Food Sanitation
Advice regarding a food plant's implementation of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs)
His thoughts on whether or not SSOPs should be shared amongst the food industry
Technological advancements vs. increasing productivity needs
The 7 Steps of Sanitation developed at Kraft, and the importance of performing those steps in the right order
Hygienic design and its implications regarding the future of food safety
The 10 Principles of Equipment Design
Good—and not so good—things he's seen when touring food processing plants