Dr. Mindy Brashears, former Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food Safety, recently discussed the need to build bridges among government, industry and academia on an episode of the Food Chain Chats podcast.

“At times, there was a disconnect in data sharing and communication due to the structure of everyone’s roles,” according to Dr. Brashears. “Knowing we all have the same objectives would go a long way in protecting public health. We could progress food safety by leaps and bounds with more communication and cooperation.”

Dr. Brashears held her position within the United States Department of Agriculture from 2019 to 2021. She currently serves as Associate Vice President of Research at Texas Tech University and Director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence.

The conversation covered a wide range of additional food safety topics, including the role that performance standards for Salmonella and other pathogens will have on the future of food safety and the importance of taking a farm-to-table approach that includes close monitoring of pathogen loads throughout. She also discussed the coordinated efforts to protect worker safety and the food supply during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The interview can be found in its entirety on the Food Chain Chats podcast. Launched in 2020 and produced by Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production, each episode features a wide-ranging, science-driven conversation between host Andy Vance and an important voice within the food chain, such as Dr. Brashears.

The podcast is available from all major podcast providers.