Episode 23: Food Safety Experts on Recalls, COVID-19, Traceability, and more

September is National Food Safety Education Month and in this podcast, we’re joined by three food safety experts to explore the latest in foodborne illnesses, safety, and prevention. We’ll discuss the implications of food recalls, food safety and coronavirus, food traceability, and where food safety is headed. Experts predict the next 10 years will be the most dramatic transformation the food industry has experienced in the last three decades. Learn how experts are using next-generation technologies like AI and blockchain to revolutionize global food safety in our infographic. And to learn more about our November InFocus Event, Digitally Transforming Food Safety, please visit: https://www.ift.org/events/infocus

Dr. Catherine Adams Hutt serves as Chief Regulatory and Science Officer for SloanTrends and is President and CEO of RdR Solutions Consulting, specializing in food safety, nutrition and wellness, regulatory compliance, and quality management. She is also CEO and Principal for a food regulatory consulting firm, Food Regulatory Solutions (FRS) and Founder, Executive Director for a not-for-profit forum, "The Rialto Conference". Catherine has had senior leadership roles in the public and private sectors. She led quality and food safety programs for Fortune 200 manufacturing and food service companies, including HJ Heinz, Campbell Soup Company and Tricon Restaurants, before they became YUM! Brands. She was Chief Quality Officer for McDonald's Corporation and Coors Brewing Company. Dr. Adams Hutt also led McDonald's nutrition strategy. Prior to joining the private sector, Catherine was Assistant Administrator for the US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. She also worked for ILSI-Nutrition Foundation and the Grocery Manufacturers of America, in Washington, DC. Dr. Adams Hutt received her doctoral degree from the University of Illinois, Master of Science from Michigan State University and undergraduate degree from the Pennsylvania State University. She is a Registered Dietitian.

Robert B. Gravani, PhD is Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Director Emeritus of the National Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Program at Cornell University, where he has been actively engaged in extension/outreach, teaching, and research activities. He received his B.S. in Food Science from Rutgers University and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from Cornell University. Dr. Gravani has worked with all sectors of the food system and has developed innovative programs for constituents in production agriculture, food processing, food retailing, and food service, as well as for regulatory agencies and consumers. Collaboration with the Food Marketing Institute and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of USDA resulted in multiple editions of the Food Keeper, a publication detailing the keeping quality of over 500 foods that has been converted into a popular free telephone application. He has served as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods that advises the Secretaries of Agriculture and HHS and the Departments of Commerce, Defense and CDC on food safety issues, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) committee on Review of Scientific Criteria and Performance Standards for Safe Foods and chaired the NAS subcommittee on Seafood, Produce, and Dairy Products. In addition, he served as Senior Advisor for Food Safety in the Office of the Chief Scientist at USDA, where he worked for Undersecretary of Agriculture, Dr. Catherine Woteki.

Thomas Burke, MPH is the Food Traceability and Safety Scientist at IFT’s Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC). Currently, he is the technical lead for interoperability piloting, implementation guidance, and beta testing for the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST), an initiative funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The GDST is a business-to-business framework facilitating the creation of data and IT architecture standards addressing traceability use cases in the seafood sector, such as catch legality, food safety, and labor accountability. Burke also researches and writes on emerging technologies pertaining to digital food traceability and safety systems, writing for outlets such as Forbes and Food Technology. At GFTC, he led the creation of the food traceability course entitled “Demystifying Traceability” as well as developing and conducting interactive, standards-based traceability workshops for the food industry community. He previously worked as a Food Safety Analyst at the Georgia Department of Agriculture, working on food outbreak investigations, emergency response, regulatory policy, and informatics. He holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from Kansas State University and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Emory University.

Host:

Matt Teegarden, PhD is a food chemist and science communicator, with experience in both industry and academia. Matt is currently the Senior Researcher in the Foods for Health initiative at Ohio State, where he is largely responsible for the development and advancement of scientific operations and communications. Outside of work and IFT involvement, Matt enjoys baking and participating in LGBTQ+ recreational sports leagues around Columbus.