In 2008, Maple Leaf Foods had a devastating outbreak caused by Listeria contamination at one of its prepared meats facilities. It resulted in 23 deaths and many serious illnesses. Since this tragedy, Maple Leaf Foods has committed to becoming a global leader in food safety and has invested significant people and financial resources in achieving this commitment.

Maple Leaf Foods is a leading consumer protein company, making high-quality, innovative products under national brands including Maple Leaf^®, Maple Leaf Prime^®, Maple Leaf Natural Selections^®, Schneiders^®, Schneiders^® Country Naturals^®, Mina^®, Lightlife^™, and Field Roast Grain Meat Co. ^™.

Maple Leaf is one of Canada’s flagship food companies, with sales of $3.3 billion dollars, employing approximately 11,500 people and does business in Canada, the U.S., and Asia. Maple Leaf is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario.

Michael McCain, President, and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods and Randy Huffman, Chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer.

Michael has devoted his career to the food industry, starting at McCain Foods in the late 1970's where he held a variety of roles, including President and Chief Executive Officer of McCain Foods USA.  He joined Maple Leaf Foods in 1995. Since then, he has been instrumental in establishing Maple Leaf as a strong and sustainable, values-based company with leading brands and a bold vision for the future.

Dr. Randy Huffman joined Maple Leaf in 2009 and is currently Chief Food Safety and Sustainability Officer at the company.  This role encompasses Food Safety and Quality, Occupational Health, Safety and Security, Environmental Sustainability and Compliance, Animal Care and Corporate Engineering.  

Randy also leads the company's Food Safety Advisory Council, a team of external experts with the mandate to increase Maple Leaf's access to global knowledge and expertise in food safety, including best practices, regulatory compliance, microbiology, and fostering a food safety culture.

Prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, Dr. Huffman served as President of the American Meat Institute (AMI) Foundation, as well as Senior Vice President Scientific Affairs for 9 years at AMI. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Maple Leaf executives—Michael McCain and Randy Huffman about:

• What food safety processes and programs Maple Leaf had in place at the time of the 2008 listeriosis outbreak
• How complacency played a part in Maple Leaf's food safety crisis
• The steps Maple Leaf took in the hours, days, and weeks after learning of multiple illnesses and deaths
• How the tragedy led Maple Leaf to make a long-term food safety commitment to be a world leader in the food industry
• How Maple Leaf's story can help other food companies improve and avoid a similar situation
• What is believed to be the root cause of Maple Leaf's outbreak
• The consequences of not properly addressing positive environmental results
• The benefits of implementing a "seek and destroy" strategy
• Staying on top of food safety and swab results with a daily conference call that includes executive leadership
• The critical importance of segregation in ready-to-eat processing facilities
• What Maple Leaf might do differently if an outbreak or recall were to occur today
• The establishment of the Food Safety Advisory Council in 2009
• How they commemorate the outbreak every August, particularly marking the 10-year anniversary in 2018
• The 10th annual Food Safety Symposium

Resources:
Maple Leaf Food Safety Symposium
Free eBook Download - Exclusive Food Safety Culture Collection

Frank Yiannas is the vice president of food safety at Walmart—the world's largest food retailer. In that role, Frank oversees 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 includes food safety oversight of Walmart’s stores, Neighborhood Markets, and Sam’s Clubs. He is 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).

As a frequent speaker at national and international conferences, Frank is known for his ability to build partnerships. He is also known for his innovative approaches to food safety. In 2008, Frank was given the Collaboration Award by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He is the 2007 recipient of the NSF International Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Food Safety, and the 2015 Industry Professional Food Safety Hero Award by STOP Foodborne Illness. Frank is also a past president of IAFP and a past vice chair of the Global Food Safety Initiative. He is also an adjunct professor in the food safety program at Michigan State University (MSU), and in 2017 was awarded the MSU Outstanding Faculty Award.

Frank has authored two books—Food Safety Culture, Creating a Behavior-based Food Safety Management System, and Food Safety = Behavior, 30 Proven Techniques to Enhance Employee Compliance.

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 of Public Health from the University of South Florida.

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

• Traditional food safety management vs. behavior-based food safety management
• Creating a successful food safety culture at Walmart
• Food safety programs implemented at Walmart stores
• Working with suppliers to improve food safety
• Walmart's initiatives around poultry and deli meat safety
• How Walmart associates use handheld technology for daily and periodic food safety checks
• His thoughts on blockchain technology, what it is, how it can improve the future of food safety, and how it could have possibly prevented past outbreaks
• How Walmart has started using blockchain traceability with some produce items
• Working with small suppliers who may be exempt from federal food safety regulations
• Advice for new food safety professionals

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights Articles
Lessons Learned: Careers in Food Safety (August/September 2018)
Listeria: An Important Focus of Environmental Monitoring (June/July 2018)
Sanitation Verification for Allergen Control (April/May 2018)
Testing and Sanitation for Allergen Control (February/March 2018) 
Outsourcing: Pathogen Testing under the Microscope (December 2017/January 2018)
The New Face of Sanitation Programs: New Rules, New Challenges (October/November 2017)
A Closer Look at Environmental Monitoring in the Processing Plant (August/September 2017)
What Industry and FDA Are Thinking About FSMA Implementation (June/July 2017)
The Drivers of Differences in Food Safety Testing Practices (April/May 2017)
A Look at the Microbiology Testing Market (February/March 2017)

News Mentioned in This Episode
Chipotle to Retrain All Workers on Food Safety After Ohio Episode 
Chipotle Illness Outbreak; Employees Must Take Food Safety Test 
Delaware General Health District-Aug. 16 Update 
Caito Foods' pre-cut melon recall and Salmonella outbreak 
Caito Foods' salad Cyclospora outbreak
McDonald's/Fresh Express salad Cyclospora outbreak 
Court Orders EPA to Ban Chlorpyrifos, Pesticide Tied to Children's Health Problems 
Court Orders Trump EPA to Ban Controversial Pesticide 
Three Companies Flip; Reveal Suppliers of Romaine Linked to Deadly E. coli Outbreak
CDC's final romaine lettuce outbreak update

Sponsored by:

FoodLogiQ is launching a blockchain pilot to research opportunities and challenges of this emerging technology within the food industry.

Learn More about FoodLogiQ's Blockchain Pilot 
Watch On-Demand Demo 
Download eBook: The Fact, Fiction, and Future of Blockchain

Dane Bernard is currently the managing director of Bold Bear Food Safety where he offers consulting services. Prior to that, he served as the vice president of food safety and quality assurance at Keystone Foods until 2014. That role also included responsibilities over global programs on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and food safety. Before that, Dane was the vice president of food safety for the National Food Processors Association (NFPA)—formerly the National Canners Association—an organization he joined in 1973. 

Dane is a registered specialist in food, dairy, and sanitation microbiology with the American Academy of Microbiology. He has also done extensive testing of food processing systems, supervised research in many areas of food safety, and has authored/co-authored many technical articles. Dane has been an instructor and lecturer on principles and applications of HACCP and has helped to formulate HACCP plans for the U.S. food industry. He’s has been invited as an expert to five International Consultations—sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization—that dealt with certain aspects of HACCP, risk analysis, and other food safety issues.

Dane received an M.Sc. in Food Microbiology from University of Maryland, College Park. Finally, Dane received the Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award in 2017.

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

• How he got started in the field of food microbiology so early
• His 28 years with the National Food Processors Association
• Working in the U.S. Army as a food inspector
• His thoughts on the shift from HAACP to HARPC (Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls) 
• How HACCP regulations originated and evolved over the years
• The importance of soft skills and learning to work with other divisions within a single organization
• His time at Keystone Foods
• What it takes to be a good, effective manager
• The challenge of getting management to approve additional resources for food safety
• Why he hasn't totally and officially retired yet
• Where he thinks the food safety needs to focus in the near future

We also speak with Hilary Thesmar (Food Marketing Institute) and Marianne Gravely (U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service) and about:

• The processes that retailers use to minimize cross-contamination and keep consumers safe from allergens
• The importance of accurate labeling and making sure that every food product only contains ingredients listed on the label
• Food allergen labels and what is not required for meat and poultry products regulated by FSIS
• The complexities of allergen labeling for ingredients within a supply chain 
• Allergen labels that are—and are not—required for some food products
• Messaging efforts that FMI and FSIS have in place for their respective audiences

About Hilary Thesmar
In her role as the chief food and product safety officer and senior vice president of food safety programs for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), Dr. Thesmar provides leadership for all safety programs for FMI’s retail and wholesale members and provides support for members on food safety training programs, FSMA training, recall plans and management, crisis management, research, and overall safety and sanitation programs. Dr. Thesmar has a Ph.D. in food technology from Clemson University, an M.Sc. in human nutrition from Winthrop University, a B.Sc. in food science from Clemson, and she is a Registered Dietitian. She has over a decade of experience in scientific and regulatory affairs with food trade associations. 

About Marianne Gravely
Marianne joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Meat and Poultry Hotline staff in 1988. As the senior technical information specialist, she provides consumers with safe food handling guidance daily through phone, live chat, and email inquiries and is one of the persons behind the USDA virtual representative “Ask Karen” answering food safety questions. She also researches and writes materials for the Food Safety Inspection Service website, and handles media inquiries. Marianne has a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics with an emphasis on foods and nutrition from Hood College in Frederick, MD. She received her M.Sc. in human nutrition and foods from Virginia Tech. 

Related Content 
BOOK: The First 90 Days
USDA FSIS 
USDA FSIS History
Milestones in U.S. Food and Drug Law History

News Mentioned in This Episode
Romaine Lettuce Outbreak: FDA Identifies Cattle Operation Near Contaminated Canal Water 
Chipotle Store Temporarily Closes Amid Hundreds of Foodborne Illness Complaints - Delaware General Health District Updates 
FDA Update on FSMA's Produce Safety Rule 
Whey Powder Salmonella Recall Impacts Popular Household Snack Brands 
Listeriosis Outbreak Situation Report-July 2018 
Pre-Cut Melon Salmonella Outbreak Declared Over 
Ongoing Del Monte Vegetable Tray Outbreak 
UPDATE: McDonald's Cyclospora Illnesses Linked to Fresh Express Salads 

Keep Up with Food Safety Magazine
Follow Us on Twitter @FoodSafetyMag, and on Facebook 
Subscribe to our magazine, and our bi-weekly eNewsletter

Earlier this month, the Food Safety Magazine team gathered in Salt Lake City, UT for the Annual Meeting of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). The IAFP Annual Meeting was attended by more than 3,800 top industry, academic, and governmental food safety professionals from six continents. Each year, this premiere event for industry professionals convenes and discusses current and emerging food safety issues, the latest science, and innovative solutions to new and recurring problems. The meeting also presents opportunities to network with thousands of food safety professionals from around the globe.

While in Salt Lake City, we invited experts from across the industry to come to our booth and chat with us about all things food safety. Some of those impromptu conversations and interviews are included in our 30th installment of the Food Safety Matters podcast.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we spoke to a number of food safety professionals about a variety of hot topics:

Tim Stubbs, National Dairy Council (NDC)

• NDC's role within the dairy industry, resources provided, etc.
• Various food technologies including atmospheric cold plasma for packaging treatment, antimicrobial use in cheese, and more
• Advances inl food safety and technology in the next three to five years.

Will Daniels, IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group

• The romaine lettuce outbreak that originated in the Yuma, AZ, growing region (desert Southwest) and new food safety issues that have been brought to the forefront because of it
• One health concept: Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and soil… the connection between the animal world and the produce world
• Reducing microbial shedding events
• Community relations and food safety
• Lessons learned from the Earthbound Farms spinach outbreak
• Communicating risk within an organization, and publicly 

Paul Kiecker, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• His roles within USDA
• What “modernizing” does (and does not) mean
• What food companies should expect
• USDA inspection roles (vs. U.S. Food and Drug Administration roles)
• Top priorities at USDA in terms of modernization
• Progress with pathogen sampling and whole-genome sequencing use
• Salmonella as an adulterant
• Standard setting for Campylobacter

Carmen Rottenberg, USDA

• An in-depth conversation about USDA's study on consumer handwashing, meal preparation, and thermometer use

Sean Leighton is the vice president of food safety and quality for Cargill, based in Wayzata, MN. In August 2018, Sean will be moving into the role of vice president corporate food safety, quality and regulatory for Cargill when Mike Robach retires.

Prior to joining Cargill, Sean worked for over 13 years at The Coca-Cola Company in various roles across quality, food safety, and environmental sustainability. He worked in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. 

Sean has a B.Sc. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Science degree in Food Science from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA from Emory University. 

Sean sits on the advisory board of many organizations, including the International Association for Food Protection's Journal of Food Protection, The Center for Food Safety (University of Georgia), the Grocery Manufacturers Association's Science & Education Foundation, and the Food Fraud Think Tank (Michigan State University).

Sean is also a member of the Food Safety Magazine Editorial Advisory Board.

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

• Food safety vs. food quality culture
• The difference between making safety decisions vs. quality decisions
• How food safety and quality are sometimes at odds with other corporate departments and their business goals
• Making the case for food safety when cost-benefit is at play
• Building a food safety culture with the younger, millennial workforce, and dealing with quick turnover rates
• Sean's thoughts on today's biggest food safety challenges
• Connecting the dots between food safety, technology, finance, and all other parts of a business
• How earning an MBA has shaped his career path
• His mentors and influencers over the years
• What he believes is the next big opportunity for food safety
• The opportunities and problems with big data

News Mentioned in This Episode
Yuma Region Environmental Samples Test Positive for E. coli 
Politico - Victims Blame FDA for Food Recall Failures
Study: Consumers are Spreading Bacteria All Over the Kitchen - Study/Executive Summary 
Free eBook Download - Exclusive Food Safety Culture Collection

Keep Up with Food Safety Magazine
Follow Us on Twitter - @FoodSafetyMag and on Facebook 
Subscribe to our magazine, and our bi-weekly eNewsletter

Sponsored by:

Complete Solus Pathogen Testing Platform 
Solus One Listeria 
Solus One Listeria PDF

In this special BONUS episode of Food Safety Matters, we focus on the topic of blockchain and how it can be used within the food industry. 

You will learn all about what exactly blockchain is, its history, and how it can be applied to our food supply chain.

To help us better understand blockchain's use in the food sector, our editorial director, Barbara Van Renterghem, spoke with two experts from FoodLogiQ. 

Katy Jones is the chief marketing officer at FoodLogiQ. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master’s degree in data marketing communications from West Virginia University.

Charles Irizarry is the chief technology officer at FoodLogiQ. He oversees technology efforts and core company building activities at FoodLogiQ. His experience includes managing sophisticated, multi-disciplinary technology teams, having launched over 20 different platforms and products across multiple businesses and industries. With a background in distributed computing systems and cloud-based software architectures, Charles is currently focused on innovation in the areas of natural language processing, machine learning, and real-time computational networks. He has a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University in business management and marketing.

FoodLogiQ, together with a select group of customers, recently announced the launch of a Blockchain pilot. AgBiome Innovations, Subway®- Independent Purchasing Cooperative, Testo, Tyson Foods and others are partnering with FoodLogiQ to test the application of blockchain to raise transparency within their own supply chains. 

In this episode, we speak to FoodLogiQ about:

• The history and concept behind blockchain technology
• How and why more people, companies, and industries are investing in blockchain, even if prematurely
• How blockchain could potentially impact and benefit the food industry
• "Public" vs. "permissioned" blockchains
• FoodLogiQ's blockchain pilot
• How blockchain might play a role in boosting consumer confidence in a time of many foodborne illness outbreaks and food product recalls
• How food suppliers, manufacturers, and operators can prepare for blockchain

Resources: 
Learn More: FoodLogiQ Blockchain Pilot
Register to Attend: FoodLogiQ Demo: Exploring Blockchain Solutions within the Food Supply Chain
Download eBook: The Fact, Fiction, and Future of Blockchain

Sponsored by:

Dr. Bob Brackett is the vice president of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) and director of the Institute for Food Safety and Health (IFSH). 

Prior to joining IIT, Dr. Brackett served as senior vice president and chief science and regulatory officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association. 

Before that, he served at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA's) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). His initial role there was as a senior microbiologist. After several promotions, Dr. Brackett was appointed CFSAN director, where he provided executive leadership to CFSAN’s development and implementation of programs and policies relative to the composition, quality, safety, and labeling of foods, food and color additives, dietary supplements, and cosmetics.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Brackett held professorial positions with North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia.

Dr. Brackett has been honored with the FDA Award of Merit, the FDA Distinguished Alumni Award, the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, the International Association for Food Protection's President’s Appreciation Award, and the William C. Frazier Food Microbiology Award. 

Bob received his doctorate in food microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of the Food Safety Magazine editorial advisory board. 

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Bob Brackett about:

• The impetus behind starting IIT
• IIT's collaborative research practices
• His research on nanotechnology in the food industry and why he thinks that type of research has become less of an industry focus
• The growing interest in researching the survival and elimination of pathogens from low-moisture ingredients
• New technologies being used in food safety: high-pressure, pulse light, and cool plasma
• IIT's Biocontaminant Pilot Plant
• Current studies and research that may help to explain what happened in the recent romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak, and the 2006 spinach outbreak
• Joint research with FDA that found an effective way to clean pipes and rid them of Salmonella bacteria in a peanut butter production facility
• IIT's work with NOROCORE and norovirus interventions
• What goes on at the Center for Nutrition Research, the Center for Process Innovation, and the Center for Specialty Programs
• The most innovative developments to come out of IIT
• IIT's top goals moving forward
• His advice to food safety graduate students

Related Content and Resources:
Illinois Institute of Technology 
Institute for Food Safety and Health 

News Mentioned in This Episode:
Feedback Wanted: FDA to Seek Comments on Cell Culture Technology Use in Food Sector 
FDA's Constituent Update/Public Meeting Announcement on Cell Culture Technology 
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's Statement on Cell Culture Technology 
Safe Food for Canadians Regulations Announced for 2019 
Pre-Cut Fruit Causes Multistate Salmonella Outbreak; FDA Outbreak Updates 
CDC Advisory: Do Not Consume Any Kellogg's Honey Smacks Cereal 
FDA: Del Monte Vegetable Trays Linked to Multistate Cyclospora Outbreak 
Darin Detwiler to Receive Food Safety Magazine's Distinguished Service Award

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights Articles 
Listeria: An Important Focus of Environmental Monitoring (June/July 2018)
Sanitation Verification for Allergen Control (April/May 2018)
Testing and Sanitation for Allergen Control (February/March 2018) 
Outsourcing: Pathogen Testing under the Microscope (December 2017/January 2018)
The New Face of Sanitation Programs: New Rules, New Challenges (October/November 2017)
A Closer Look at Environmental Monitoring in the Processing Plant (August/September 2017)
What Industry and FDA Are Thinking About FSMA Implementation (June/July 2017)
The Drivers of Differences in Food Safety Testing Practices (April/May 2017)
A Look at the Microbiology Testing Market (February/March 2017)

Sponsored by:

Purell Foodservice Surface Sanitizer kills norovirus in 30 seconds. No rinse required. To get a free bottle, visit podcast.purellsurface.com