The Food Safety Summit kicked off yesterday with a State of the Industry workshop with in-depth insight from Oscar Garrison, United Egg Producers Association, Jennifer McEntire Ph.D., United Fresh Produce Association, and KatieRose McCullough, PhD, MPH, North American Meat Institute, who discuss the challenges in production, worker safety, virtual audits, and the impact of the supply chain in egg, produce, and meat processing. Hundreds of food safety professionals engaged in a dynamic Q&A session moderated by Craig Henry with discussions focused on labor shortages, impact of vaccinations, and working with public health authorities.
Following the workshop, Larry Keener, chair of Food Safety Magazine’s Award Committee, presented the magazine’s Distinguished Leadership Award to Frank Busta, Ph.D. Larry stated that “Frank had unanimous support for his personification of what it means to be a food safety scientist. He is an advocate and leader of the fundamental sciences of the basis of food safety and worthy of this prestigious award.” Dr. Busta is the director emeritus of the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD; now Food Protection & Defense Institute) and professor emeritus of food microbiology at the University of Minnesota. “I am truly honored to receive this award. Thank you for this honor. My success is truly a measure of the extraordinary students and colleagues I have worked with at the University of Minnesota and a variety of others school. Without these collegial relationships and teamwork, I would not have accomplished what I did in my career,” said Busta. Click here to tune in to hear an interview with Dr. Busta on the new episode of the Food Safety Matters podcast.