From PFAS to Pathogens: Emerging Food Safety Risks and How to Prepare

In this webinar, attendees will examine how food safety professionals can evaluate and prepare for emerging chemical and microbial risks—from PFAS and other environmental contaminants to pathogens affected by changing product, processing, and supply chain conditions. Expert speakers will explore how toxicological risk assessment helps distinguish hazard from actual consumer risk, how predictive tools and product-level controls can strengthen microbial prevention, and how companies can make science-based decisions while regulatory requirements and evidence are still evolving. Participants will leave with practical approaches for assessing emerging hazards, prioritizing appropriate controls, and strengthening food safety and regulatory readiness.

Learning objectives

• Distinguish between hazard and risk when evaluating emerging chemical contaminants, including the role of dose, exposure, and scientific uncertainty in determining potential food safety significance.
• Apply product-specific risk assessment and predictive approaches to anticipate and manage microbial hazards under changing formulation, processing, storage, and supply chain conditions.
• Identify practical strategies for managing emerging risks when scientific evidence and regulatory requirements are still evolving, including how to prioritize monitoring, prevention, and risk-based decision-making.

Speakers

Christine Crincoli, PhD, DABT, is a principal scientist in Scientific and Regulatory Affairs North America Research and Development at Cargill, Inc. She holds a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology with a Board Certification in Toxicology. Crincoli provides regulatory and safety expertise to support a variety of innovative food, feed, and industrial ingredients for use in global applications. She is also on the regulatory affairs faculty, College of Continuing & Professional Studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Tushar Verma is a senior scientist and team lead in food microbiology at Corbion, where he has been at the forefront of food preservation innovation for over four years. With deep expertise in microbial food safety, shelf-life extension, and clean-label preservation strategies, Tushar leads a team dedicated to developing cutting-edge, science-driven solutions that improve food quality and safety across diverse systems.

Gregory Jaffe is president of Jaffe Policy Consulting, which provides strategic advice on national and international policies involving agriculture and food, with specific expertise in sustainability, climate, bioeconomy, biotechnology, biofuels, sustainable proteins, biomanufacturing, PFAS, pesticides, food safety, and food loss and waste. He recently worked as the Senior Advisor for Regulatory Affairs in USDA’s Office of the Secretary and was the Department’s Chief Regulatory Officer where he managed a broad portfolio of policy issues that included bioeconomy, biotechnology, biofuels, pesticides, PFAS, food safety, sustainability, and scientific research and development.

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