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An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program (2010)

Chapter: APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES

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Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
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APPENDIX A
COMMITTEE MEMBERS’ BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES

GARY R. ACUFF (Chair) is a professor of food microbiology and director of the Center for Food Safety at Texas A&M University. He is also a member of the Department of Animal Science, the Faculty of Food Science, and the Graduate Faculty. Dr. Acuff’s expertise is in the microbiological quality and safety of foods, including a focus on heat resistance of E. coli O157:H7 as influenced by ground beef storage and holding temperatures and methods of decontamination of red meat carcasses. His professional memberships include the American Society for Microbiology, the Society for Applied Microbiology and the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). He served as president of IAFP in 2008 and currently serves on several advising and planning committees for the professional organizations noted above, including the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs. He was a member of the Editorial Committee for the 4thedition of the Compendium of Methods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods, published in 2001, and served as a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods from 1992 to 1997. He received his B.S. in biology from Abilene Christian University and his M.S. and Ph.D. in food science and technology from Texas A&M University.


WILLIAM K. HALLMAN is a professor in the Department of Human Ecology and director of the Food Policy Institute of Rutgers University. He is also a member of the graduate faculties of psychology, nutritional sciences, and planning and public policy of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Dr. Hallman’s current research examines public perception of controversial issues concerning food, health, and the environment. Recent research projects have looked at consumer perception and behavior concerning agricultural biotechnology, animal cloning, avian influenza, accidental and intentional food contamination incidents, and food recalls. He was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study public awareness of, perception of, and reactions to intentional and unintentional food contamination. His current research projects include studies of public perception of and responses to food safety risks, the use of nanotechnology in food, and public understanding of health claims made for food products. Dr. Hallman serves on the Executive Committee of Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH) and helped to found the New Brunswick Community Farmers Market. His honors include the 2009 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Investigator Award in Health Policy Research and the 2004 Team Award for Research Excellence (Team Leader—Food Biotechnology Program) at Rutgers. He earned his Ph.D. in experimental and social psychology from the University of South Carolina.


KERRI B. HARRIS is the president and CEO of the International HACCP Alliance, associate director of the Center for Food Safety, and associate professor in the Department of Animal Science of Texas A&M University. She assisted in the standardization of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) training programs and helped to develop the Train-the-Trainer course and the accreditation program for HACCP training providers. She has published multiple refereed journal articles and other publications, is a coauthor of two book chapters, and has presented at multiple national meetings. She is responsible for team teaching a HACCP course for graduate and undergraduate students and for coordinating various HACCP and food safety industry training programs. Dr. Harris has received several awards and recognitions for her contributions and has served on multiple boards and councils. A three-time graduate of Texas A&M University, Dr. Harris received her Ph.D. in nutrition in 1994.

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×

CRAIG W. HEDBERG is a professor of environmental health sciences in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He previously served as supervisor of the Foodborne, Vector borne, and Zoonotic Disease Unit of the Minnesota Department of Health. His research focuses on foodborne-disease surveillance, surveillance of environmental factors associated with foodborne disease, the role of food workers in the occurrence of foodborne diseases, the use of epidemiological methods in outbreak investigations and disease control, and environmental contamination with enteric pathogens. Dr. Hedberg has served on National Research Council and Institute of Medicine committees, including two to review the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service methods and food safety programs, and currently serves on the Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs. He received his Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota.


GUY H. LONERAGAN is a veterinary epidemiologist and a professor of food safety and public health at Texas Tech University. Dr. Loneragan joined the Texas Tech University Department of Animal and Food Sciences in 2010. His research uses epidemiological and systems approaches to study food safety; in particular, he works to fill data gaps concerning pre-harvest ecology and mitigation of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella and on antimicrobial drug resistance. He is an active member of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA), the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, the Academy of Veterinary Consultants, the International Symposium of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD), and the International Association of Food Protection. Dr. Loneragan serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Veterinary Consultants. He is a member of the College of Reviewers for the Alberta Prion Research Institute and a former member of the board of scientific reviewers for the American Journal of Veterinary Research and is involved with numerous working groups for NCBA. He also served as an alternate member for the 2007 secretary of agriculture Advisory Committee on Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases, on the Steering Committee of the Food Safety Research and Response Network, and as Epidemiology Section leader for CRWAD. He received his veterinary degree from the University of Sydney, Australia, and his Ph.D. in epidemiology from Colorado State University.


JULIANA RUZANTE is the risk-analysis program manager for the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition with the Food and Drug Administration and the University of Maryland. She previously worked for the University of Guelph and the Public Health Agency of Canada, mainly in developing and operationalizing a multifactorial framework to rank foodborne risks with multi-criteria decision analysis. At the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, she developed training materials on animal health and food safety. She also worked as a quality assurance specialist for one of the largest pork and poultry processing companies in Brazil. Dr. Ruzante currently serves on the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs and served on previous National Research Council and Institute of Medicine committees studying Food Safety and Inspection Service inspection methods. She has served as an expert on the risks associated with Cronobacter sakazakii in follow-up formula in a meeting organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Dr. Ruzante received her D.V.M. from the University of São Paulo and her M.S. in preventive veterinary medicine and Ph.D. in comparative pathology from the University of California, Davis.


DONALD W. SCHAFFNER is an extension specialist in food science and a professor in the Department of Food Science at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. His research interests include quantitative microbial risk assessment and predictive food microbiology. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and abstracts, and he has received almost $4 million in grants and contracts (mostly grants). Dr. Schaffner has educated thousands of food-industry professionals through numerous short courses and workshops in the United States and more than a dozen other

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×

countries. He has served on committees with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and on National Research Council and Institute of Medicine committees, including the Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs, and has chaired two expert workshops on microbial risk for WHO/FAO. Dr. Schaffner is serving a 5-year term as editor of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. In April 2007, he was appointed to serve a second term on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. He holds a Ph.D. in food science and technology from the University of Georgia.


JOHN N. SOFOS is a University Distinguished Professor, the director of the Center for Meat Quality and Safety, and the leader of the Food Safety Cluster of the Infectious Diseases Super Cluster in the Department of Animal Sciences of Colorado State University. He also serves as a scientific editor of the Journal of Food Protection. His current research interests are related to sources, ecology, and extent of bacterial pathogen contamination of foods; procedures to reduce contamination with and to inactivate or inhibit bacterial pathogens; stress adaptation of pathogenic bacteria; resistance of microorganisms to preservation procedures; and methods of sampling and detection of bacteria in foods. He has served on numerous national and international committees, task forces, and food safety advisory boards, including the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods; as chair of a Task Force on Natural Antimicrobials for the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology; and as a reviewer of the World Health Organization Salmonella in Poultry Risk Assessment. He served as chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Escherichia coli O157:H7 Farm to Table Process Risk Assessment and the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Committee on the Review of the Methodology Proposed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service to Follow-Up Surveillance of In-Commerce Businesses. He is a member of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs. He has received the Distinguished Research Awards from the American Meat Science Association and the American Society of Animal Science. In 2001, he received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the USDA Secretary’s Honor Award for Superior Service. Dr. Sofos received his Ph.D. in food microbiology from the University of Minnesota.


JOHN G. SURAK is principal of Surak and Associates, a full-service food safety and quality consulting service. He is professor emeritus of food science in the Department of Applied Economics and Statistics and former coordinator of international programs for the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences of Clemson University. His work focused on continuous performance improvement and other statistical process controls for post–farm-gate processing of food products. Dr. Surak’s efforts included the development of international food safety management system standards. He is a former consultant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service on purchasing specifications for meat and poultry for the National School Lunch Program. Dr. Surak currently works with the food processing industry in developing food safety and quality management systems, designing and implementing process control systems, and implementing Six Sigma and business analytics systems. He is a recipient of the Reinventing Government Award from former Vice President Al Gore, the USDA Honor Award from former USDA Secretary Dan Glickman, and the South Carolina Milliken Medal of Quality Award. Dr. Surak holds certifications from the American Society of Quality in Quality Engineering, Quality Management, Quality Auditing, and HACCP Auditing and certification from the International HACCP Alliance in HACCP Train-the-Trainer. Dr. Surak earned his Ph.D. in food science and veterinary science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.


KATHERINE M.J. SWANSON is the vice president of food safety at Ecolab, Inc. in St. Paul, MN. She has over 25 years of food safety management and quality experience, including a focus on cleaning and

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×

sanitation, Listeria monocytogenes, and microbial inactivation. In her current position, she provides internal and external leadership by identifying emerging food safety trends and new control strategies. Previously, as director of microbiology and food safety for the Pillsbury Company, Dr. Swanson developed and implemented Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points and food allergen training and programs for research and development and operations, managed development of electronic specification systems, oversaw food quality system audits, and developed corporate product quality management systems. Dr. Swanson serves on two National Research Council and Institute of Medicine committees, including the Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs. In 2009, she was elected to the International Association for Food Protection Executive Board. Dr. Swanson is a member of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods and is the chair of its Editorial Committee. She was on the Journal of Food Protection Editorial Board from 1988 to 1999 and the Food Protection Trends Editorial Board from 2005 to 2007. She has received numerous awards, including the 2003 National Food Processors Association (now Grocery Manufacturers Association) Food Safety Award and the 2008 National Center for Food Safety and Technology Food Safety Award. Dr. Swanson received a Ph.D. in food science from the University of Minnesota.


MARTIN WIEDMANN is an associate professor in the Department of Food Science of Cornell University. His research interests include the pathogenesis, evolution, epidemiology, and diagnosis of bacterial foodborne diseases. His current work concentrates on the molecular characterization of Listeria monocytogenes, factors important for transmission along the food chain, and pathogenesis of animal and human foodborne disease. He joined the Cornell faculty in 1999 and is a member of the graduate fields of food science, microbiology, and comparative biomedical sciences. He serves as co-coordinator of the Cornell Food and Water Safety Program, and he participates in the Infection and Pathobiology Program and in the Cornell Genomics Initiative. In addition, he serves as director of the Cornell Institute of Food Science Summer Scholar Program and director of the Cornell Laboratory of Molecular Typing. He served on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Veterinary Research from 1999 to 2001 and currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Food Protection and on the Editorial Board of Applied and Environmental Microbiology. He is a member of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on the Use of Public Health Data in FSIS Food Safety Programs. Dr. Wiedmann received a veterinary degree (D.V.M. equivalent) and Dr. med. vet. (Ph.D. equivalent) in veterinary medicine from the University of Munich, Germany, and a Ph.D. in food science from Cornell University.

Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×
Page 29
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×
Page 30
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×
Page 31
Suggested Citation:"APPENDIX A COMMITTEE MEMBERS' BIOGRAPHIC SKETCHES." National Research Council. 2010. An Evaluation of the Food Safety Requirements of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13069.
×
Page 32
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To ensure the safety of food distributed through the National School Lunch Program, food banks, and other federal food and nutrition programs, the United States Department of Agriculture has established food safety and quality requirements for the ground beef it purchases. This National Research Council book reviews the scientific basis of the Department's ground beef safety standards, evaluates how the standards compare to those used by large retail and commercial food service purchasers of ground beef, and looks at ways to establish periodic evaluations of the Federal Purchase Ground Beef Program. The book finds that although the safety requirements could be strengthened using scientific concepts, the prevention of future outbreaks of foodborne disease will depend on eliminating contamination during production and ensuring meat is properly cooked before it is served.

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