Barb Masters is the vice president for regulatory policy, food and agriculture at Tyson Foods. She provides regulatory vision and support across the business enterprise at Tyson Foods.

Masters came to Tyson from Keystone Foods, where she served as the global vice president for food safety and quality. She is a lead instructor for the Human Preventive Controls Rule.

Prior to joining Keystone Foods, she was a senior policy advisor at OFW Law. Before joining the firm, Masters spent 17 years at the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service. She held a variety of positions throughout the agency, both in the field and at headquarters, including serving as an in-plant inspector and the administrator for the agency.

Masters graduated from Mississippi State University with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 and served in a food animal internship at Kansas State University in 1988. She continued to further her education by taking advanced coursework in biotechnology at Texas A&M University.

Masters served on the nominating and foundation committees for IAFP, and she received the Silliker Lecture Award from the association in 2021. She serves on the Beef Industry Food Safety Council and was chair in 2021. Masters is also an active member of the Partnership for Food Safety Education, serving as chair of the board. She is a past member of the Sterring Committee for the Global Food Safety Initiative, and a past member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Masters received the Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award in 2007, and the Mississippi State Alumni Fellow of the Year for 2004.

Masters' publication contributions include "Advantages of Traceability Beyond Connecting Consumers to Their Food," CIOReview. Masters and Williams, 2022; "The Direct Relationship Between Animal Health and Food Safety Outcomes," CAST Commentary, Hurd, Masters, Mathew, Oliver, Preston, and Singer, 2012; "Food Safety and Inspection Service Update on Food Safety of Animals Derived from Biotechnology," Journal of Animal Science, 1993; "Physical Examination of Swine," Veterinary Clinics of North America Food Animal Practice, July 1992.

Master said her passion throughout her career has been teaching and stakeholder collaboration.

To celebrate the Meat Industry Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, MIHOF is once again hosting its annual in-person honors ceremony, with this year’s induction reception planned to take place July 25, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. during the AAMP American Convention of Meat Processors & Suppliers’ Exhibition in Kansas City, Mo.

The National Provisioner invites all meat and poultry industry professionals to join us in commemorating Barb Masters with our industry’s highest honor.

Learn more about the Meat Industry Hall of Fame and this year’s in-person induction reception honors ceremony here.