Smarter Food Safety

The return of New World Screwworm has raised important questions about the resilience of the U.S. food system. In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, Dr. Mindy Brashears, U.S. Under Secretary for Food Safety at the USDA, returns to discuss what recent Screwworm cases mean for food safety professionals.  Although not a traditional food safety issue, the parasite highlights the critical...

When a food safety crisis unfolds, journalists help shape how the public understands risk, responsibility, and trust. Over the next two episodes of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, in a two-part series, Frank Yiannas sits down with two different reporters, one representing mainstream media and another reporter from inside the beltway for two different perspectives. In part one, Frank is joined by...

Why do food safety failures continue to happen in companies with strong audit scores, detailed procedures, and years, or even decades, without a major incident? In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, Frank Yiannas is joined by Dr. Phil Bremer, Professor at the University of Otago and Chief Scientist of the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre, to explore one of the most...

This episode tackles one of the most misunderstood concepts in the food industry: microbiological testing. Just because a food test comes back negative doesn’t necessarily mean the food is safe, and overconfidence in testing can create dangerous blind spots. I’m joined by Marcel Zwietering, professor of food microbiology at Wageningen University and chairperson of the International Commission on M...

In this episode of Smarter Food Safety, we step beyond traditional food safety topics to explore one of the most urgent challenges facing the food system today: nutrition and its role in chronic disease. I’m  joined by Sophie Attwood, PhD, a behavioral science consultant specializing in health, sustainability, and food choice. Together, we’ll examine why poor diets have become a leading driver of...

In this episode, host Frank Yiannas sits down with Bill Marler, one of the most influential figures in food safety litigation. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, including the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak, Bill shares what he has learned from being at the center of major outbreaks. The conversation explores the roles of litigation, regulation, and innovation, and challenges common as...

What if food safety risks could be predicted and prevented before they ever occur?   In this thought-provoking episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, host Frank Yiannas sits down with AI pioneer Dr. Elliott Grant to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the future of food safety.   From his early work in traceability to leading innovation at Alphabet’s moonshot factory, Dr. Gran...

Despite decades of effort, foodborne illness rates have remained largely unchanged. Why has progress stalled, and what will it take to truly bend the curve? In this episode of Smarter Food Safety, I sit down with Dr. Martin Wiedmann, professor at Cornell University and a leading expert in food microbiology and public health, to explore the systemic challenges facing food safety today. We’ll examin...

In this episode of Smarter Food Safety, I sit down with Dr. Mindy Brashears, the U.S. Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for an early look at the priorities shaping federal food safety policy. Drawing on her background as a scientist, academic, and former USDA leader, Dr. Brashears discusses the agency’s focus on reducing foodborne illness while strengthening co...

Food colorings have become one of the most talked about issues in food policy today. But how much of the concern is grounded in science, and how much is driven by headlines? In this episode, I sit down with chemist and regulatory expert Dave Schoneker, President of Black Diamond Regulatory Consulting and former President of the International Association of Color Manufacturers. With nearly five dec...

Fifteen years after the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act, has it delivered on its promise to shift the U.S. food safety system from reaction to prevention? In this in depth conversation, I sat down with Mike Taylor, former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and widely regarded as one of the architects of FSMA. We revisit the outbreaks and systemic failures that led to the law’s passage,...

In this introduction to Smarter Food Safety, a new podcast hosted by former FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas, explains why food safety awareness is rising while foodborne illness rates remain stubbornly high, and why deeper, more honest conversations are needed now more than ever. Drawing on more than 35 years of leadership across industry and government, Frank shares the vision for the podca...