Process Specific Food Safety, Data Solutions, and Recall Perspectives From 2025 Food Safety Summit Day Three
Industry experts from the 2025 Food Safety Summit weigh in on topics ranging from fundamental food safety responsibility to needed shifts in recall perspectives.
Larry Keener, Ph.D., President and CEO of International Product Safety Consultants, sits next to Purnendu Vasavada, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Food Science at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Alvin Lee, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Processing Innovation at the Institute for Food Safety and Health during the 2025 Food Safety Summit.
Christopher Smith via PMMI Media Group
The 2025 Food Safety Summit in Rosemont, IL holds no shortage of insight for food manufacturers. The third day of the Summit featured food safety experts from a variety of backgrounds, and processors will appreciate their insights and perspectives. Here are three key takeaways based on Wednesday's speaker sessions.
Food safety operations depend on the product
During the "Innovative Processing Technologies for Challenging Food Products" session on Wednesday, Larry Keener, Ph.D., a Certified Food Scientist (CFS), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Fellow, and President and CEO of International Product Safety Consultants, provided insight into the state of food safety regulation in the U.S. versus other countries, emphasizing that regulations are specific to products and processes.
"Food safety is process and product specific," Keener said.
Keener provided the example of countries having a variety of diets and food cultures in which foods are processed differently, and thus, present specific food safety risks associated with them. Moreover, Keener said that while regulatory agencies like the FDA help enforce food safety, it ultimately falls onto the shoulder of manufacturers, as the FDA functions as more of an overseer, rather than an active approver of company products and technologies.
"The [responsibility] of food safety resides with the company that manufactures and markets food, not the FDA," Keener explained.
Companies must ensure their products are safe for consumption and technology is appropriately validated. This is done not only through internal measures, but can be conducted through independent consultants and third-party testing labs.
Utilize plant management platforms to improve operations
Kevin Lee, an ERP expert for SafetyChain Software, gives a presentation on digital plant platform solutions during the 2025 Food Safety Summit.Christopher Smith via PMMI Media Group
What is the purpose of capturing and visualizing data in food manufacturing plant operations? Kevin Maurice Lee, an ERP expert for SafetyChain Software, says the key is to paint a clearer picture for plant stakeholders, which ultimately leads to operational improvements.
"The reason for doing that is so we can tell a story... You can tell a story to the auditors, the production operator. You can tell a story to the supervisor. Everyone's looking at the data to tell a story. And what's the purpose of that story? To make tomorrow better than today," Lee told audience members during a "Tech Tent" session at the 2025 Food Safety Summit.
Lee further spoke about challenges process manufacturers face in 2025, which include labor and productivity, yield, and compliance. Manufacturers are dealing with a lack of visibility and real-time data, which undermines performance. In addition, disconnected teams and unempowered front line workers delay problem resolution.
Lee explains that plant management platforms like SafetyChain can help address these problems by offering real-time data capture and analysis, integration with existing systems, and role-based dashboards and analytics, allowing teams greater data connectivity needed to improve processes.
Industry leaders call for food recall perspective shifts
Darin Detwiler, LP.D., M.A.Ed., Founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group LLC, stands at the podium next to Hilary Thesmar, Ph.D. Chief Science Officer and SVP, Food Safety at FMI, William Hallman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, and Amy Philpott, APR, Founder of Philpott PR Solutions LLC.Christopher Smith via PMMI Media Group
A key question proposed during Wednesday's "Recall Modernization Initiatives With the Consumer in Mind" session was, "If you could change one thing about food recalls, what would it be?" Four panelists from the session gave their takes on what needs tweaking.
"We [need] to take what we know about selling our products to specific audiences, and we use that information to get the products back. We're really good at selling. We're not so good at recalling," said William Hallman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University.
"I would say that we stop focusing on the legal department and the marketing department when it comes to communication," added Darin Detwiler, LP.D., M.A.Ed., Founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group LLC.
Detwiler says lawyers and marketing teams influence company recall communications to prevent brand damage, but the priority should be trust and transparency.
Meanwhile, Amy Philpott, APR, Founder of Philpott PR Solutions LLC, says companies must make it clear that public relations and consumer communication teams have equal voices as legal teams.
"Your job as a recalling firm is to give both voices equal weight because you're never going to get rid of the legal voice at the table," Philpott added.
Lastly, Donald A. Prater, Acting Director at the Office of Food Policy and Response at the FDA, emphasizes consumer reach as a recall priority.
"If I could choose one thing, it would be the extent in which we can actually get [recall] information in people's hands and where they can take action," Prater stated.
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