Mike Taylor is a senior fellow at the Meridian Institute and an advisor to the Food and Society Program at the Aspen Institute. His primary interests are food safety globally and food security in Africa and other developing regions.
 
Until June 1, 2016, Mr. Taylor was Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He led the comprehensive overhaul of FDA’s food safety program Congress mandated in the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 and oversaw all of FDA’s food-related activities, including its nutrition, labeling, food additive, dietary supplement and animal drug programs. 
 
Mr. Taylor served previously at FDA as a staff attorney and as Deputy Commissioner for Policy (1991–1994) and at the U.S. Department of Agriculture as Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service and Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety (1994–1996). Prior to joining FDA in July 2009, he spent nearly a decade in academia conducting food safety, food security and public health policy research, most recently at George Washington University’s School of Public Health. He also served during that time as a Senior Fellow at the Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa, where he conducted research on U.S. policies affecting agricultural development and food security in Africa.  
 
In the private sector, Mr. Taylor founded the food and drug practice and was a partner in the law firm of King & Spalding. He also was vice president for public policy at Monsanto Company and served on the boards of the Alliance to End Hunger and RESOLVE, Inc. He is currently a board member of STOP Foodborne Illness and Clear Labs, Inc. He is a graduate of Davidson College and the University of Virginia School of Law.

In this episode, we speak to Mike Taylor about:

• His role at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service following Jack-In-the-Box, when he advocated for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) for meat and poultry and Escherichia coli O157:H7 being labeled an adulterant.
• His tour of the country in support of Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) implementation and how comments effected rulemaking
• How after a 10-year break, academic kibitzing about implementing a modern risk-based system led to his tenure at FDA. 
• His advocacy for a single food agency and HACCP for all foods. 
• How he believes we’ve turned the corner from reaction to prevention in the age of FSMA. 
• His work on food safety and security issues in Africa. 
• His role at the Aspen Institute and oversight of the next wave of gene technology. 
• How the conversation has changed from what we should do to how we are going to do it. 
• His thoughts about the important role of food safety culture. 

 
Also in the Episode:
Checking in with Adriene Cooper, senior event manager for the Food Safety Summit on their Food Safety Theater programming at this years’ Process Expo. 

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Dr. William Sperber is a renowned food microbiologist who has been appointed five times by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and has been recognized for his pioneering work at the Pillsbury Co. in the development of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety program model. 
 
During his career, Dr. Sperber worked for three major food companies—Best Foods, Pillsbury and Cargill—and has become one of the world’s experts in controlling the microbiological safety and quality of foods. 
 
A former chair of the IFT Division of Food Microbiology and the Food Microbiology Research Conference, Dr. Sperber was appointed in 2000 to the FAO/WHO roster of experts for microbiological risk assessments. 
 
In 2001, the International Association for Food Protection presented Dr. Sperber with the Harold Barnum Industry Award, and in 2002, the American Meat Institute Foundation presented him with its inaugural Scientific Achievement Award. In 2004 he received our Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award
 
Now retired, Dr. Sperber is a strategic advisor to Cargill’s food safety program and remains actively involved in professional activities on a personal level, including the development of a textbook on food safety and HACCP.  

In this episode of Food Safety Matters we speak to Dr. Bill Sperber about:
 

• Bill’s early life influences and what lead him to a career in food microbiology
• Why Salmonella is his ‘favorite’ bacterium
• The food industry before HACCP
• Developing and implementing HACCP
• Listeria hysteria
• Canned foods regulation, pasteurization, and raw milk
• Who’s responsible for safe foods?
• Insights from visiting 1,000+ plants in 20 years
• Top advances in food safety in the last 50 years
• The advent of 'The Friendly Microbiologist'

Articles by Dr. Sperber in Food Safety Magazine
Good Consumer Practices Are Necessary to Further Improve Global Food Safety (April/May 2015)
Sean Leighton, M.Sc., M.B.A., and William H. Sperber, Ph.D.
Happy 50th Birthday to HACCP: Retrospective and Prospective  (December 2009/January 2010)
William H. Sperber. Ph.D., and Richard F. Stier
Shifting the Emphasis from Product Testing to Process Testing (April/May 2010)
William H. Sperber, Ph.D.
Advancing the Food Safety Agenda (June/July 2004)
An interview with William H. Sperber, Ph.D.

 
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
USDA Integrates Recall Information into 'FoodKeeper' Application
FDA Launches Food Safety Plan Builder to Help with FSMA Requirements 
Federal court upholds Seafood Traceability Rule; targets fraud
USDA Offers Food Safety Tips for Areas Affected by Hurricanes

Dr. Ben Chapman is an associate professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. He received a Ph.D. in plant agriculture in 2009 from the University of Guelph. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman. His research interests include consumer, retail and food safety culture, home food preservation and communicating food safety risk reduction messages. He is a member of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Food Law professional development group and Outreach Education professional development group and the Carolinas Association for Food Protection. He currently co-chairs the North Carolina Fresh Produce Safety Task Force and is a member of the editorial boards of Food Protection Trends and the British Food Journal. He is the chair of the Risk Communication subgroup for the North Carolina Governor’s Task Force on Food.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Ben Chapman about:

• Supporting local retail, foodservice and consumer food safety through NC State Extension
• Co-founding Barfblog with Doug Powell and how it supports food safety efforts
• Emerging of niche markets like petting zoos and agritourism
• Developing NC State’s Master Food Volunteer program
• Working in food safety as a career
• Researching cookbooks for food safety instructions made Ben famous for two days
• Translating and communicating risk to consumers and businesses
• Using social media to arm the right people with the right messages
• Starting the Food Safety Talk podcast with Don Schaffner
• Using reality-based research
• Developing social media projects to engage citizen scientists

Ben Chapman's articles published in Food Safety Magazine
Crisis Management: How to Handle Outbreak Events (June-July 2012)
Food Safety for Food Handlers (December 2010-January 2011)

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
FDA Issues New FSMA Guidance for Exempt Canned Foods, Juice and Seafood
New FDA Guidance Document Clarifies FSMA’s Sanitary Transportation Rule
FAO to consider World Food Safety Day
New Data Ranks Food Safety  at America’s Baseball Stadiums 
Seven Filthy Food Habits and How Dirty They Really Are

Dr. Scott Brooks is the owner of River Run Consulting, LLC, providing food safety, quality, scientific and regulatory affairs services for food and beverage companies in manufacturing, food service and retail. He is the former senior vice president of Quality, Food Safety, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs for Kraft Foods. Scott joined Kraft from PepsiCo, where he held the position of vice president of Global Food Safety, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, and Quality Policy. He joined PepsiCo from Yum! Brands where he was Director of Global Food Safety and Quality Assurance. Scott also held senior quality, food safety and regulatory positions at Food Safety Net Services and at E&J Gallo. He started his career in food safety and quality with the U.S. Air Force as a public health officer and director of Air Force food safety programs.

Scott has a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University, as well as a Master’s degree in Food Science/Microbiology and a Master’s degree in Preventive Veterinary Medicine/Epidemiology, both from the University of California-Davis. He has served on numerous scientific boards and food industry advisory committees and was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to serve on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. Scott is Board Certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine and is currently the Past President of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine where he influences national farm-to-table food safety policy and systems with colleagues from government, academia and industry.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Scott Brooks about:

• His evolution from veterinary medicine to food safety
• How Dave Theno influenced his career pathway
• His time in the Air Force, including his food safety and bioterrorism responsibilities as a public health officer
• Working with Yum Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut
• How the industry's focus on food safety changed after 9/11
• Challenges food companies are faced with while balancing new regulations with ongoing requirements
• Tips to prepare for food plant inspections
• Advice on how to advocate for more (or better) food safety resources
• Top challenges facing the food safety industry
• Differences between food safety at the corporate level vs. at the plant level

Related Content:
FSMA Tips Dominate 2017 Food Safety Summit

News Mentioned in This Episode
USDA Food Safety Leader Al Almanza Retires
Mexican Papayas Triggers U.S. Salmonella Outbreak
Chipotle Customers Report Foodborne Illness Symptoms Online

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Joseph Corby worked for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for 37 years, ultimately retiring in 2008 as the director of the Division of Food Safety and Inspection. He is currently the executive director of the Association of Food & Drug Officials (AFDO), and he serves on the Board of Directors for the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) and the Partnership for Food Safety Education. He is also an Instructor for IFPTI, Louisiana State University, and the University of Tennessee. He has been an outspoken advocate for the advancement of a nationally integrated food safety system and continues to work with numerous groups and associations in support of this cause.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Joe Corby about:

• The role of AFDO, its history, accomplishments, government relationships, and resources the organization offers to the industry.
• AFDO involvement with creating an integrated food safety system in the U.S.
• AFDO's Directory of State and Local Officials, an interactive tool the industry can use to find the proper contacts when a problem occurs
• Increased focus on manufactured foods now that FSMA is in place
• FDA's recent adoption of a more education-based approach to their compliance regulations

Joe Corby's Articles Published in Food Safety Magazine
Cover Story: Building an Integrated Food Safety System One Brick at a Time (April/May 2017)
Cover Story: Integrating the Nation's Food Safety System: What You Need to Know: Past, Present and Future (April/May 2016)

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Donate: Dave Theno Fellowship (under Donation Information, choose the Designation: "Dave Theno Fellowship")
AFDO's Directory of State and Local Officials
AFDO's Manufactured Food Regulatory Program Alliance
International Food Protection Training Institute Toolkit Workshop: Introduction to the Integrated Food Safety System

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Dr. John Spink is the director of the Food Fraud Initiative at Michigan State University (MSU). Over the years, John's research has focused on economically motivated food adulteration, including the use of adulterant substances, counterfeit products, stolen goods, smuggled goods, tampering and intentional mislabeling. His leadership positions include product fraud related activities with the International Organization for Standardization, Global Food Safety Initiative's (GFSI's) Food Fraud Think Tank, and U.S. Pharmacopeia. 

John's global activities include engagements with the European Commission, INTERPOL and Operation Opson, New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. He also serves as the advisor on food fraud to the Chinese National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment. John's outreach includes MSU’s biannual Food Fraud Massive Open Online Course that offers free training and certificates online.

In addition to John's many involvements throughout the food industry, he is also a frequent contributor to Food Safety Magazine.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to John Spink about:

• MSU's work in studying how companies and governments make decisions related to food
• Food safety vs. food fraud and why these two entities deserve to be looked at separately
• Why food fraud prevention is more important than simply discovering new cases of food fraud
• The many different types of food fraud and how criminals are getting even more sophisticated with their methods
• The Food Safety Modernization Act: where food fraud fits in, and where it doesn't
• Sudan red, melamine, horse meat and how these food fraud cases have brought the problem to the forefront
• Upcoming regulations and requirements for companies who want to be GFSI-compliant
• The Codex Alimentarius global food code
• How criminology, consumer behavior and other disciplines play a role in food fraud prevention

John Spink's Articles Published in Food Safety Magazine
Food Fraud Vulnerability Assessment and Prefilter for FSMA, GFSI and SOX Requirements (Feb/March 2017)
Economically Motivated Adulteration: Broadening the Focus on Food Fraud (Aug/Sep 2014)
COVER STORY: Economically Motivated Adulteration: Another Dimension of the Expanding Umbrella of Food Defense (Oct/Nov 2013)

Related Content:
MSU Joins Codex for New Food Fraud Undertaking
IUFoST Bulletin Examines Worldwide Food Fraud Problem
Trends and Solutions in Combating Global Food Fraud
The Food Safety Challenge of the Global Food Supply Chain

About Don Schaffner
Dr. Donald W. Schaffner is Distinguished Professor and Extension Specialist in Food Science at Rutgers University. He has published over 150 peer reviews papers on a variety of topics including handwashing, cross-contamination, quantitative microbial risk assessment and predictive food microbiology. Dr. Schaffner has served on a variety of national and international expert committees, including service to U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization. He is active in several scientific associations including the International Association for Food Protection where he is a past-president. He holds a B.S. in Food Science from Cornell University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia. Don co-hosts a podcast—Food Safety Talk—on microbial food safety. 

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Congressional Research Service on Food Fraud (included Food Protection Risk Matrix)
GFSI White Paper: Position Paper on Mitigating the Public Health Risk of Food Fraud
SSAFE
Codex Alimentarius
Handwashing: Cool Water as Effective as Hot for Removing Germs
Quantifying the Effects of Water Temperature, Soap Volume, Lather Time, and Antimicrobial Soap as Variables in the Removal of Escherichia coli ATTC 11229 from Hands
 

Would you like to tell us what you think about Food Safety Matters so far? Do you have a suggestion on who we should interview? Are there hot topics you'd like us to cover? Email us at podcast@foodsafetymagazine.com.

Steve L. Taylor, Ph.D. currently serves as a professor in the Department of Food Science & Technology and founder and co-director of the Food Allergy Research & Resource Program (FARRP) at the University of Nebraska. Dr. Taylor received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in food science and technology from Oregon State University and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California - Davis. Dr. Taylor maintains an active research program in the area of food allergies.

Dr. Taylor initiated his professional interest in food allergies and sensitivities in 1980. His primary research interests involve the development of methods for the detection of residues of allergenic foods, the determination of the minimal eliciting doses for specific allergenic foods and their use in quantitative risk assessment, the assessment of the allergenicity of ingredients derived from allergenic sources, and the assessment of the allergenicity of foods produced through agricultural biotechnology. Dr. Taylor is heavily involved in outreach to the food industry on food allergies and sensitivities and has helped countless companies on a wide range of allergen-related topics. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Steve Taylor about:

• Why the number of food allergen recalls in the U.S. appears to be climbing
• How U.S. regulations continue to lag behind in terms of setting allergy thresholds
• The discrepancy between consumer allergy management and the U.S. healthcare system
• The development of allergies in infants vs. adults, and how food allergies are less common outside the U.S.
• Why allergy avoidance is not always the best treatment for consumers with perceived food allergies
• Immunotherapies, mass spectrometry, and other forms of allergy treatment currently undergoing research
• His industry work and ongoing research with detection methods, and his involvement with Food Allergy Research & Education, and FARRP at the University of Nebraska
• Thoughts on how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could help alleviate problems related to food allergens and product labeling
• The correlation between gluten-free foods and food allergens
• Whether or not food processors should have dedicated processing lines for foods made with allergenic ingredients

Related Content:
A Look Back at 2016 Recalls
Report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Recommendations to the Food Industry and Regulatory Agencies on the Management of Food Allergens (Feb/March 2017)
Steve Taylor, Ph.D., Receives Food Safety Magazine's Distinguished Service Award (2013)
Allergen Validation: Analytical Methods and Scientific Support for a Visually Clean Standard (Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012)
Ensuring the Safety and Quality of Fried Foods (June/July 2007)
Bakeries Rise to Food Safety and Defense Challenges (Aug/Sep 2006)

News Mentioned in This Episode
Food Safety Pioneer Dave Theno Dies at 66
Bernard and Bennett to Receive Food Safety Magazine's Distinguished Service Award
3.7 Million Pounds of Recalled Meat Products Linked to One Breadcrumb Supplier
Clemson Studies Stress Responses of Foodborne Illness and the Impact on Food Safety
New EU-China-Safe Project to Focus on Food Fraud 
EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Dr. Vytenis Andriukaitis Speaks with Food Safety Magazine

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