The Food Safety Set: Five More Leaders in Food Safety

In our January/February issue, we published a list of 16 people who have helped shape food safety over the last 30 years since the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. We knew the list was lacking in diversity when we published it and tried to acknowledge it in last issue’s editor’s column. You can read that here. But words can only do so much.

It was not our intention to leave off diverse individuals who have made great strides in the industry over the last 30 years and beyond. What’s great about a vibrant online community is that they aren’t afraid to share their ideas. We took those to heart.

With the help of Tia Glave, who founded Black Professionals in Food Safety & Quality, and insight from other industry experts and readers, we’ve updated the list to include a handful of notable, diverse food safety leaders.

In addition to these changes, and so that we can further the important conversation that this has brought up, the magazine is committing to several initiatives this year:

• We will add several diverse individuals to our advisory board, so that more voices are present during discussions such as the ones that resulted in the creation of this list.
• We will cover diversity, equity and inclusion more fully in both print and digital this year.
• We will endeavor to engage more with our readers directly on this topic (and many others) via social media and other avenues.

Yvonne Chan Masters, The Instructor

An IAFP Student Travel Scholarship award winner, Yvonne Chan Masters has led initiatives such as revising the Pocket Guide to Dairy Sanitation while serving as IAFP’s Dairy Safety & Quality PDG Chair and updating sections of the Industry Handbook for the Safe Processing of Nuts while a member of the Peanut Tree Nut Processors Association (PTNPA) technical committee. The director of food safety and quality policy at John B. Sanfilippo & Son, a processor and distributor of tree nuts and peanuts, she was awarded the Harold Barnum Industry Award at last year’s IAFP 2022 annual meeting for her service to the organization, the public and the food industry. Masters teaches food industry workers about food safety and is a regular speaker at the PTNPA Technical Forum and webinars.

Jorge Hernandez, The Foodservice Pro

It’s easy to be inspired by Jorge Hernandez. Maybe that’s why he’s so often asked to be part of sessions and panels at events — such as Food Safety Summit and IAFP’s annual meeting — and serve on boards such as The Ohio State University’s Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention external advisory committee. Hernandez led the development of the ServSafe food safety training program for the National Restaurant Association, US Foods, where he led it to become the first U.S. distributor to obtain a GFSI certification, and Wholesome International. He is currently quality assurance vice president at The Wendy’s Co., where he has helped introduce new technologies aimed at improving quality and safety, such as a project using Google Glass to track certain processes at the restaurant level, and leveraging big data.

Larry Keener, The Validator

Like a few members of The Food Safety Set, Larry Keener’s impact on food safety predates the 1993 Jack in the Box outbreak, including when he led the Unilever team that successfully validated and commissioned the first bulk (200 gal) aseptic processing system used for the production and processing of diced tomatoes in 1991. An Institute of Food Technologists fellow, Keener formed International Product Safety Consultants, a food safety consulting group, in 1996. His work since in areas such as the use of pressure assisted thermal sterilization (PATS) in the production of low acid canned foods and low energy electron beam (LEEB) technology for use in pathogen reduction on whole spices and low moisture foods has helped transform food processing regulations.

Barack Obama, The President

In 2011, President Barack Obama signed the most sweeping reform of United States food safety in more than 70 years into law, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), with the goal of ensuring the country’s food supply is safe by shifting the focus to preventing contamination rather than responding to it. Since it was passed, FSMA’s legacy has continued to be built upon. During his presidency, Obama also advocated for condensing the country’s food safety operations into one agency to better monitor food safety and quality.

Lisa Robinson, The Driving Force

At each stop along her more than 30-year career, Lisa Robinson has pushed for improvements in quality and food safety. While at General Mills, she brought in lean manufacturing techniques before it was all the rage. At Target, she created and facilitated three new corporate training classes for new hires, including one offering a merchants’ level introduction to food safety and quality assurance. While serving as vice president of food safety and quality assurance at SunOpta Grains and Foods, she led new label regulation and FSMA implementation for the organization. In 2019, she became vice president of global food safety and public health at Ecolab, where she also serves as spokesperson on food safety and public health for the $42.3 billion company. This year, she was elected to the Stop Foodborne Illness board of directors.