Smarter Food Safety

GRAS: Loophole or Legal Pathway

Is the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) framework a regulatory loophole or an intentional legal pathway established by Congress? In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, host Frank Yiannas welcomes Lyle D. Burgoon, PhD, ATS, President and CEO of Raptor Pharm & Tox, Ltd., to examine the science, history, and controversy surrounding GRAS. They explore FDA's proposed reforms, transparency, scientific oversight, regulatory costs, and potential unintended consequences for food innovation. With public trust and food safety at stake, this conversation challenges listeners to consider whether proposed changes will deliver meaningful public health benefits. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Rethinking Food Safety: A Fireside Chat

In this special episode of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, Frank Yiannas takes the stage at Ecolab’s annual Food Safety Symposium for a fireside chat with Lisa Robertson, Ecolab’s VP of Global Food Safety & Public Health. Together, they challenge the industry to rethink why outbreaks and recalls persist despite more audits, testing, training, and regulation. Frank and Lisa explore the difference between food safety compliance and effectiveness, the signals organizations may be missing, the role of culture and leadership, and how AI and emerging technologies can strengthen prevention. It’s a candid conversation about what must change to achieve safer food. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

The Future of Food Safety: From Hindsight to Foresight

The future of food safety demands more than learning from the past, it requires anticipating what comes next. In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, Frank Yiannas speaks with Dr. Vittorio Fattori, Food Safety Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about the shift from hindsight to foresight. They explore how climate change, changing consumer behaviors, aging populations, novel foods, microbiome science, artificial intelligence, and evolving food systems may create new challenges and opportunities. Dr. Fattori shares practical guidance for horizon scanning, identifying meaningful signals, building networks, and making foresight a routine part of food safety. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Early Warning System or Source of Cyclospora

This week on the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, Frank is joined by Dr. Joan Rose, Professor at Michigan State University and an internationally recognized water microbiologist, to explore the overlooked role of water in the Cyclospora story. Could wastewater surveillance provide an early warning of infections and emerging hotspots? Could reclaimed, recreational, or other contaminated water contribute to transmission? And what might the extraordinary summer of 2026 mean for Cyclospora's future in the United States? Frank and Joan examine wastewater surveillance, treatment, research gaps, and the need to turn lessons from this outbreak into foresight and prevention for food safety professionals. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Summer of Cyclospora and Salmonella: Lessons Learned (with Dr. Craig Hedberg)

In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, Frank Yiannas sits down with Dr. Craig Hedberg to examine what the summer of 2026 can teach us about foodborne illness prevention. With major Cyclospora and Salmonella outbreaks occurring at the same time, they explore the challenges of surveillance, outbreak detection, traceback, traceability, and root-cause investigations. They discuss why the scale and distribution of contaminated foods can amplify outbreaks, the importance of timely public health response, and how stronger public-private collaboration can help protect consumers. Most importantly, they look beyond hindsight to identify practical lessons that can strengthen prevention and help prevent the next outbreak. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Food Safe D Begins with Me: Leadership Lessons (with Lee Cockerell)

Food safety begins with leadership. In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, Frank Yiannas sits down with Lee Cockerell, former Executive Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World Resort, to explore how leaders shape culture and turn food safety from a set of rules into a shared responsibility. Lee shares lessons on setting clear expectations, building teams, training employees, removing hassles, role modeling, psychological safety, positive recognition, and paying attention to what we tolerate. Together, Frank and Lee make the case that food safety begins with each of us, and that every person has a role to play. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Frankly Speaking: Cyclospora, What You Need to Know

In this special bonus episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, Frank Yiannas launches a new series, Frankly Speaking, to provide timely perspectives on the food safety issues shaping our world. Frank examines the unprecedented Cyclospora outbreak in the United States, explaining what Cyclospora is, why these outbreaks are so difficult to investigate, and what recent events reveal about traceability, surveillance, agricultural water, and prevention. Drawing on decades of experience in industry and government, he separates fact from speculation and shares practical insights into how science, leadership, and collaboration can help prevent future outbreaks and strengthen our food safety system. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Breaking News, Broken Trust: The Media's Role in Food Safety (Inside the Beltway Perspective)

When a food safety crisis unfolds, the media often becomes the public's first source of information, shaping perception, trust, and action. In this episode of Smarter Food Safety, I sit down with Marcia Brown, Food & Agriculture Reporter at POLITICO, to explore the media's evolving role in food safety. From outbreak coverage and policy debates to misinformation, declining public trust, and the importance of transparency, we discuss how journalists decide what makes news, why industry and government should engage with reporters, and how stronger relationships between media and food safety professionals can help ensure the public receives timely, accurate, and trustworthy information. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

The Return of Screwworm - Is the US Food System Ready?

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 connections between animal health, food security, surveillance, biosecurity, and national preparedness. Dr. Brashears explains how USDA is responding, the science behind sterile fly technology, and why protecting America's food supply requires a One Health approach that extends far beyond foodborne pathogens. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Breaking News, Broken Trust: The Media's Role in Food Safety (Mainstream Media Perspective)

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 Brenda Goodman, Senior Health News Writer at CNN, to explore how food safety stories become national news. They discuss what makes a recall newsworthy, the challenges of reporting accurately in an era of misinformation, the importance of local public health and investigative journalism, and why food safety professionals should engage with reporters before a crisis occurs. It's a timely conversation about transparency, communication, and strengthening public trust through responsible journalism. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Safe, Until it Isn't: Why Companies Become Complacent in Food Safety

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 under-discussed risks in food safety: complacency. Together, they examine how organizations can slowly drift from vigilance to vulnerability, why past success can create a false sense of security, and how blind spots emerge in hazard identification, risk assessment, and decision-making. Drawing on lessons from food safety incidents, behavioral science, and real-world industry experience, Frank and Phil discuss the psychology behind complacency and the practical steps leaders can take to challenge assumptions, strengthen risk awareness, and keep food safety front and center. If you've ever wondered how capable organizations can slowly become vulnerable to food safety failures, this is a conversation you won't want to miss. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

False Confidence: When Food Testing Gets Sampling Wrong

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 Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). In this episode we’ll discuss: Why microbiological sampling plans matter The limits of negative test results How false confidence can lead to complacency The importance of process validation over reliance on end-product testing Why contamination is often sporadic and difficult to detect The evolving role of AI and predictive analytics in food safety How regulators and industry can think more strategically about testing Dr. Zwietering also shares practical insights from decades of research and global leadership in food microbiology, reminding us that food safety starts with strong process control, validation, and hygiene (not simply more testing). If you work in food safety, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, or microbiology, this is an episode you won’t want to miss. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Front of Pack Food Labels: Nudge or Noise!

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 conditions like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes and why influencing healthier eating habits is far more complex than it seems. Drawing on behavioral science, Sophie explains how people make food decisions, why common assumptions about behavior change often fall short, and what emerging policies aim to do differently. The conversation dives into whether these approaches are likely to succeed and what it will take to create meaningful change at scale. If you are interested in the intersection of food policy, human behavior, and public health, this is an episode you will not want to miss. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Food Safety on Trial: Litigate, Regulate, or Innovate? (with Bill Marler)

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 assumptions. Bill explains why litigation is a limited tool, and why science and public health surveillance have done more to move food safety forward. Tools like whole genome sequencing are making it easier to identify sources, understand root causes, and prevent future outbreaks. This episode also tackles a key tension. While fear of litigation can slow adoption of new tools, avoiding the truth is not the answer. Transparency and better data are essential for prevention. The takeaway is clear. Most outbreaks are not mysteries. They are failures of fundamentals. Strong food safety culture, sound risk analysis, and attention to detail remain the foundation for prevention. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Food Safety Moonshot: Using AI to Strengthen Prevention (with Dr. Elliott Grant)

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. Grant shares a unique perspective on how AI is being applied today and where it is headed next. The conversation explores the different types of AI and what they mean for food safety, along with why high quality and shared data is essential for progress. They discuss real world applications such as predictive risk modeling and automated monitoring, and how these tools can shift food safety from reactive approaches to truly preventive systems. The episode also tackles important challenges, including regulation, trust, and the need for greater data sharing across the industry. You’ll walk away with practical ideas on how to begin using AI today, regardless of company size or technical expertise. This episode challenges conventional thinking and invites you to imagine a future where food safety is continuous, intelligent, and proactive. Whether you work in industry, government, or academia, this is a must listen conversation on the next era of smarter food safety. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world. Frank Yiannas is a globally recognized food safety leader and former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response. Through Smarter FY Solutions, he helps organizations strengthen food safety culture, leadership, and strategy. Learn more at https://smarterfysolutions.com

• Transcript

Rethinking Food Safety: Bending the Curve of Foodborne Illness (with Martin Wiedmann)

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 examine why traditional approaches have not delivered the expected reductions in illness, the limitations of relying solely on pathogen testing, and the need for more risk-based, data-driven strategies. The conversation also highlights the importance of food safety culture, stronger incentives, better measurement systems, and aligning industry, regulatory, and public health goals. Dr. Wiedmann shares a forward-looking perspective on how science, technology, and leadership can work together to drive meaningful, sustained improvement. If the goal is not just safer food, but fewer illnesses, this episode challenges conventional thinking and offers a path forward. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

Protecting America’s Plate: USDA’s Food Safety Priorities (with Dr. Mindy Brashears)

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 collaboration across government, industry, and academia. The conversation explores several critical issues facing the food system today, including strategies to reduce salmonella in poultry, the persistent challenge of listeria in ready-to-eat foods, and how data, science, and new technologies can help regulators and industry take a more preventive approach to food safety. Dr. Brashears also shares insights on workforce capacity, regulatory decision-making, and the importance of industry taking proactive responsibility for producing safe food. If you want to understand where U.S. food safety policy may be headed and what it means for producers, regulators, and consumers, this conversation offers an inside look at the challenges and opportunities ahead. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

• Transcript

The Frenzy Over Food Colorings – Real or Perceived Risks? (with Dave Schoneker)

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 decades of experience in food additives and regulatory affairs, Dave brings deep technical insight to a highly charged topic. We unpack common claims about synthetic dyes, including whether certain colors are banned in Europe, what the Southampton study actually showed, and why warning labels differ across regions. We’ll also clarify the science behind Red 3 and the Delaney Clause, explain the difference between synthetic and so-called natural colors, and explore the unintended consequences of rapid reformulation. The conversation goes beyond safety to examine supply chain realities, sustainability implications, labeling transparency, state level legal battles, and the role of consumer choice. If you are trying to separate fact from fear and understand what the science actually says about food colorings, this episode is for you. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

FSMA at 15: What Worked, What Didn't, & Where Do We Go from Here? | with Mike Taylor

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, reflect on what FSMA has accomplished, and candidly examine where progress has stalled. We’ll discuss prevention, traceability, imports, funding challenges, FDA structure, and the persistent reality that foodborne illness rates remain stubbornly high. The conversation also looks ahead to the future of produce safety, agricultural water standards, public private collaboration, and what true leadership will require to bend the curve of foodborne illness. This is not a retrospective victory lap. It is an honest assessment of what worked, what did not, and what must happen next. The Smarter Food Safety Podcast is sponsored by Ecolab, a trusted partner throughout my career. They’re dedicated to protecting what’s vital, by advancing food safety, ensuring clean and safe environments, and enhancing water quality around the world.

Introducing: Smarter Food Safety with Frank Yiannas

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 podcast, what listeners can expect from future episodes, and the kinds of tough questions the show will tackle — from policy and outbreaks to culture, technology, and innovation. This episode sets the stage for science-based, unscripted conversations with global food safety leaders aimed at strengthening systems, rebuilding trust, and helping create a safer, smarter food future.