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.
John G. Keogh is a strategist, advisor, and management science researcher with 30 years of executive leadership roles as director, vice president, and senior vice president in global supply chain management, information technology, technology consulting, and supply chain standards. Currently, he is managing principal at Toronto-based, niche advisory, and research firm Shantalla Inc. He holds a post-graduate diploma in Management, an MBA in Management, and a Master of Science in Business and Management Research in Transparency and Trust in the Food Chain. He is currently completing doctoral research focused on transparency and trust in global food chains at Henley Business School, University of Reading, using the lenses of agency theory, signaling theory, and transactional cost theory.
Carl or ’’C.J.” Unis is a Systems Engineer with expertise in Continuity of Operations, Continuity of Government, devolution, infrastructure, supply chain logistics, and emergency management. He has a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology. C.J. was formerly the critical infrastructure protection program manager for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He has served as a federal agent in the capacity of providing classified transportation for the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration—Office of Secure Transportation, as well as holding numerous positions for the U.S. Marine Corps in the capacity of performing internal embassy, dignitary, motor transport specialist, and classified material security duties.
John G. Keogh is a strategist, advisor, and management science researcher with 30 years of executive leadership roles as director, vice president, and senior vice president in global supply chain management, information technology, technology consulting, and supply chain standards. Currently, he is managing principal at Toronto-based, niche advisory, and research firm Shantalla Inc. He holds a post-graduate diploma in Management, an MBA in Management, and a Master of Science in Business and Management Research in Transparency and Trust in the Food Chain. He is currently completing doctoral research focused on transparency and trust in global food chains at Henley Business School, University of Reading, using the lenses of agency theory, signaling theory, and transactional cost theory.
Carl or ’’C.J.” Unis is a Systems Engineer with expertise in Continuity of Operations, Continuity of Government, devolution, infrastructure, supply chain logistics, and emergency management. He has a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering from the Stevens Institute of Technology. C.J. was formerly the critical infrastructure protection program manager for the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He has served as a federal agent in the capacity of providing classified transportation for the Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration—Office of Secure Transportation, as well as holding numerous positions for the U.S. Marine Corps in the capacity of performing internal embassy, dignitary, motor transport specialist, and classified material security duties.
In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, hygiene expert Paul Barnhill tells us all about Meritech's innovative Employee Hygiene Toolbox created in partnership with Food Safety Magazine.
In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Paul Barnhill, chief technology officer and head engineer at Meritech, the leader in automated employee hygiene. He has over 28 years of experience working with professionals in food manufacturing, healthcare, and foodservice. He understands the challenges these industries face when creating hygiene programs and how to overcome these obstacles through education and automated technologies.
Paul often speaks on best practices in hand hygiene, footwear sanitation, and the science behind pathogen removal. Helping food processing and packaging facilities produce safe and healthy products through hygiene excellence is a passion for him.
Prior to joining Meritech, Paul worked at Medtronic, Inc. a leader in cardiovascular equipment and implantable devices, in their hemostasis division as a mechanical designer within the R&D department. Paul earned his accreditation degree from the American Institute for Design & Drafting.
In this BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Paul about:
The most prevalent challenges with traditional handwashing and instant sanitizers
The advantages of automated handwashing
Meritech's CleanTech automated handwashing system
Often overlooked steps in handwashing
The Meritech Employee Hygiene Toolbox--what's included and who it's for
Common problems with hygienic zoning and why it matters for handwashing
Why creating a food safety culture goes beyond basic regulatory requirements and why that matters
How foodservice is experimenting with new handwashing concepts
Keith Warriner, Ph.D., is a professor of food science at the University of Guelph. He is also the food science graduate coordinator of the department’s Master of Science and Ph.D. food science programs.
After completing his Ph.D. in microbial physiology at the University College of Wales, he worked for the Department of Medicine at the University of Manchester where he studied biosensors. He also attended the University of Nottingham as a research fellow in food microbiology, working with fresh produce.
He joined the Department of Food Science at the University of Guelph in 2002 and was promoted to full professor in 2011. He is the former president of the Ontario Food Protection Association, a member of the International Association of Food Protection, is an associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, and is on the editorial board for Applied & Environmental Microbiology and International Journal of Food Microbiology.
Keith's research revolves around food safety and food microbiology, allowing him to work closely with industry and apply his research findings in a practical way.
Keith was previously interviewed for Episode 37 of Food Safety Matters.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Keith [14:30] about:
The history of Henry Fenton, the Fenton reaction, and the Fenton reagent
The use of water, hydrogen peroxide, and UV light to kill pollutants, pesticides, etc.
Applying hydroxyl radicals to fresh produce including spinach and other leafy greens
The advanced oxidation process (AOP) and why it's so problematic with tomatoes
How the 2006 spinach outbreak change the leafy greens industry's outlook on food safety
Thoughts on how to address polluted water affecting leafy greens and how his process would likely be effective
The George Weston Seeding Innovation Program
Why washing is so problematic in preventing cross-contamination in leafy greens
What matters to food companies when it comes to AOP
AOP's use with meat and fish
The current pandemic, N95 masks, and how food recalls have been affected
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.
David was previously a guest on Food Safety Matters – episodes 12 and 45.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to David [11:31] about:
Classifying RTE foods and how consumer behavior plays a critical role
Challenges related to messaging and marketing tactics displayed on consumer packaging and how it can interfere with food safety perception
Consumer vs. manufacturer responsibility when foodborne illness occurs
How food processing trends, consumer behaviors, and regulations intertwine
Steps a company can take to determine if their product is truly RTE
Why consistently negative swabbing results is not a good thing
How FDA responds to positive contamination findings in a plant
The challenges associated with drilling down traceability to the item level
Romaine lettuce and why leafy greens are such a tricky commodity
Salmonella and the likelihood that it may officially become an adulterant
Bryan Hitchcock is the executive director of the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC) for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT). Bryan is responsible for managing and directing the GFTC, including overall leadership, strategy and governance, sales and marketing, and government, public, and industry relations.
Additionally, Bryan is IFT's principal scientific and technology leader on matters related to existing food chains and their digital transformation. His previous roles have been with PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and 3M Company.
Bryan earned his bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Bryan [26:44] about:
The birth of GFTC and how it was made possible with the help of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
What traceability and communication should look like within the food supply chain
Proactive steps food companies can take to improve their supply chain transparency and traceability
Four key data elements uncovered in research
GFTC's role in providing feedback to FDA
The need for more training at all levels of the food supply chain
Artificial intelligence and how it's been applied in agricultural farming
Bob Norton, Ph.D. is the chair of the Auburn University Food System Institute’s Food and Water Defense Working Group He is a long-time consultant to the U.S. military as well as federal and state law enforcement agencies. Bob is also a regular contributor to the Food Safety Magazine eDigest.
Soren Rodning, D.V.M., M.Sc., DACT, is an associate professor and extension veterinarian with the Auburn University Department of Animal Sciences and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
Jason Sawyer is an associate professor of meat science with the Department of Animal Sciences at Auburn University.
Alex Tigue is a regional extension agent, Animal Sciences & Forages, Auburn University.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Bob, Soren, Jason, and Alex [25:58] about:
Whether or not the food industry could have seen such an event coming
The current state of the U.S. food supply and whether or not we'll experience a food shortage
The changing relationship between food companies and the public health sector
The truth about whether or not COVID-19 can be transmitted from a food facility worker to the food they work so closely with
The risks associated with having sick employees in the workplace
Converting food products meant for foodservice to other food sectors and the complications that accompany such a change