Ep. 185. Dr. Haley Oliver: Global Food Safety Innovation to 'Feed the Future'
Release Date: 01/14/2025
Elanco: Diagnostics and the Role of Testing in Ensuring Food Safety
Food Safety Matters
Savannah Applegate, Ph.D. is a Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety. Dr. Applegate received her B.S. degree in Meat Science from Ohio State University and her M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Applied Food Microbiology from Texas Tech University. Her areas of expertise are meat and poultry food safety, and she specializes in diagnostics and pathogen mitigation. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Applegate [1:10] about: The importance of diagnostics for ensuring food safety and implementing effective disease management protocols in the poultry industry ...
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Ep. 194. Alex Truelove: Impending Compliance Changes for Compostable Food Packaging
Food Safety Matters
Alex Truelove has served as Legislation and Advocacy Manager at BPI (Biodegradable Plastics Institute) since 2022. He previously directed U.S. PIRG's (Public Interest Research Group's) zero-waste program. He remains passionate about waste reduction, public policy, and working with others to incrementally solve messy environmental problems. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Alex [30:28] about: The work of the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI) California law AB 1201, which goes into effect in January 2026 and makes significant changes to compliance for compostable...
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Bonus Episode: Live from the 2025 Food Safety Summit—Part 2
Food Safety Matters
To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2025 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with Sharon Beals, Founder, SKKB; Peter Taormina, Ph.D., Founder and President, Etna Consulting Group; Sandra Eskin, J.D., CEO, STOP Foodborne Illness; John O'Fallon, Senior Manager Environmental Sensors, Zebra Technologies; Monica Khoury, Senior Quality Expert, Nestlé; and Lily Yasuda, Program Manager, Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with: Sharon Beals and Dr. Peter Taormina [2:24] about the function and limitations...
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Bonus Episode: Live from the 2025 Food Safety Summit—Part 1
Food Safety Matters
To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2025 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with keynote speaker Jason Evans, Ph.D., Dean, College of Food Innovation and Technology, Johnson & Wales University; as well as Brian Ronholm, M.A., Director of Food Policy, Consumer Reports; Michael Fang, Co-Founder, Spectacular Labs; and Steven Lyon, Ph.D., Director, Food Safety—Field Operations, Chick-fil-A Inc.; Purni Wickramasinghe, Ph.D., Food Safety & Restaurant Solutions, Chick-fil-A Inc. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with: Dr. Jason Evans [30:39]...
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Ep. 193. Christian Ararat: A Global Perspective on Auditing, Certifications, AI, and Beyond
Food Safety Matters
Christian Ararat, M.Sc., M.Eng. is a food safety professional with more than ten years of experience in food safety and quality. After earning a bachelor's degree in Food Science from Valley University in Colombia, he began his career in the bakery industry, where he implemented and enforced good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and prerequisite programs. After moving to Canada, Christian joined Natursource Inc., a Montreal-based food manufacturing company dedicated to producing healthy snacks. As head of the Quality Assurance department, Christian implemented the Global Food Safety Initiative...
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Ep. 192. Alfredo Fernández: Emerging U.S. Regulations for PFAS in Food Contact Materials
Food Safety Matters
Alfredo Fernández, J.D. is an attorney and Partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP. As a member of the firm's national Environmental Practice, Alfredo advises clients across industry types on environmental, health, and safety issues that arise in all areas of business operations. Risk management pertaining to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is one area of focus. Alfredo also counsels private and public entities regarding abatement of hazardous materials and conditions. He received his J.D. from University of Connecticut School of Law and holds a B.S. degree from the University of...
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Ep. 191. Dr. Edward Dudley: Wastewater Monitoring for Foodborne Pathogen Surveillance
Food Safety Matters
Edward G. Dudley, Ph.D. is the Director of the E. coli Reference Center and a Professor of Food Science at the Pennsylvania State University. He has a broad background in molecular biology, physiology, and foodborne bacteria genomics, with expertise in both beneficial and pathogenic species. His current research program focuses on factors that drive the virulence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and the development of DNA sequence-based methods for tracking pathogen spread during foodborne illness outbreaks, including wastewater monitoring. Dr. Dudley is a past Chair of the Food Microbiology...
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Ep. 190. Phil Kafarakis: Ensuring Food Safety for Food Away From Home
Food Safety Matters
Phil Kafarakis is the President and CEO of IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, formerly known as the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association. He is responsible for overseeing IFMA's day-to-day operations and directing the activities of the association in support of its policies, goals, and objectives. Phil is a highly accomplished senior executive with broad experience leading major food industry companies and associations. He began his industry career in the manufacturing sector, successfully leading and managing businesses at Kraft, Jones Dairy Farm, Cargill, and...
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Hygiena: Optimizing Data for Improved Food Safety Risk Management and Compliance
Food Safety Matters
Mark Carter is the Senior Software Product Manager at Hygiena. He assumed the presidency of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) at the conclusion of the IAFP Annual Meeting in July 2024. Mr. Carter has extensive international business and technical experience. He most recently served as COO of Matrix Sciences, as well as the Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, where he was responsible for Matrix Sciences Mergers and Acquisitions activity. He previously held positions as CEO of QC Laboratories and Corporate Vice President of Research and Development with...
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Ep. 189. Dr. Jason Evans: Leadership When Nothing is Easy—A Food Safety Summit Keynote Preview
Food Safety Matters
Jason Evans, Ph.D. is the Dean of the College of Food Innovation and Technology (CFIT) at Johnson & Wales University, which offers baccalaureate and graduate programming in Culinary Arts, Culinary Science, Culinary Nutrition, Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Food Systems. Formerly, Dr. Evans was an Associate Professor of Agricultural Business Management at the State University of New York's College of Agriculture and Technology, Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill), where he also served as the Director of the Institute for Rural Vitality and Chair of the Department of...
info_outlineHaley F. Oliver, Ph.D. is the Director of the Feed the Future Food Safety Innovation Lab at Purdue University. She is also the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars and the 150th Anniversary Professor of Food Science at Purdue University, renowned for her expertise in food safety microbiology. She earned dual B.S. degrees in Molecular Biology and Microbiology from the University of Wyoming in 2004, followed by a Ph.D. in Food Science, with minors in Epidemiology and Microbiology, from Cornell University in 2009. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell, Dr. Oliver joined Purdue University in 2010.
Her research focuses on the prevalence, persistence, and control of foodborne pathogens, particularly Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in retail food environments. She has been instrumental in developing practical strategies to mitigate cross-contamination in food systems. In June 2019, Dr. Oliver became the Director of the Feed the Future Food Safety Innovation Lab, leading efforts to enhance food safety in countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, and Senegal.
Throughout her career, Dr. Oliver has received numerous accolades, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food and Agriculture Science Excellence in Teaching Awards, the International Association for Food Protection's (IAFP’s) Larry Beuchat Young Researcher Award in 2016, and the Purdue University Agriculture Research Award in 2023. Beyond her research, Dr. Oliver is dedicated to serving the over 13,000 students and professionals seeking graduate education and postdoctoral training at Purdue University.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Oliver [3:40] about:
- Purdue’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Safety (FSIL), founded in 2019 by Dr. Oliver with a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Food safety knowledge gaps and challenges identified by FSIL during its first phase, and how FSIL will address these gaps and challenges in the project’s second phase over the next five years
- FSIL’s poultry safety project in Kenya, and the food safety challenges and opportunities faced by the Kenyan poultry sector
- FSIL’s project to reduce microbial contamination of Cambodian produce, and interventions that are being implemented as part of this work
- How FSIL will leverage insights from surveys measuring consumer perspectives and attitudes toward food safety in Kenya, Cambodia, and Nepal
- The intersections between FSIL’s food safety work and efforts to improve global food security, nutrition, and sustainability
- Other projects on the horizon for FSIL
- Insights from Dr. Oliver’s personal academic research work on foodborne pathogens in retail food systems, control strategies for reducing cross-contamination, and food safety capacity-building.
News and Resources
Purdue Receives $10 Million to Continue Work to Strengthen Global Food Safety
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