Food Safety Summit

Gary Ades, Ph.D., President of G&L Consulting Group, LLC

Gary Ades is President of G&L Consulting Group, LLC. He is an experienced food professional having worked in the technical, manufacturing and marketing areas of the Food and Food Service industry.

He provides Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Crisis Planning/Management and Business Planning assistance to his clients (Farm to Fork).

Prior to his current position, he held senior level positions with Wal-Mart, Foster Farms and Tasty Baking Company as well as with Arthur D. Little (ADL) and Technomic. He has also been a principal with Marketing Spectrum and Technical Food Information Spectrum (TFIS).

He is a member of numerous organizations and serves on advisory committees such as the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), the Conference For Food Protection and Food Quality magazine.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in Food Science from The Pennsylvania State University and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Food Science & Technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Scott Brooks, Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance, Yum! Brands

Dr. Scott Brooks is currently Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Yum! Brands. He previously served in positions as Chief Operating Officer for Food Safety Net Services and Senior Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for E&J Gallo. Prior to E&J Gallo, Dr. Brooks was Senior Manager of Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Taco Bell Corporation where he directed food safety and quality assurance programs covering over 150 national suppliers and distributors and more than 6,500 restaurants. In addition to food service HACCP system development, Dr. Brooks led Taco Bell corporate initiatives with suppliers in animal welfare, responsible antibiotic use, BSE control, GMO management, and other farm-to-table issues. Before joining Taco Bell, he served on active and reserve military duty as Director of Food Safety Programs for the U.S. Air Force. In this role, he developed food safety and antiterrorism policy for Air Force food facilities and suppliers worldwide. Dr. Brooks earned the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University in 1990, a M.S. in Food Science (food microbiology) from U.C. Davis in 1996, and a Masters of Preventive Veterinary Medicine Degree from U.C. Davis in 1996. He earned a B.S. degree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University in 1986. Dr. Brooks is currently an appointed member of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. He has also held leadership positions in the Institute of Food Technologists including service as a Distinguished Lecturer and chair of the Hot Topics Committee for the IFT Annual Meeting. Dr. Brooks is a board certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

Joseph Corby, Executive Director, Association of Food & Drug Officials

Joseph Corby enjoyed a 37 1/2 year working career with the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Division of Food Safety and Inspection. After receiving his Environmental Health degree in 1970, he became a Food Inspector with the Department in the Syracuse, NY area. Following promotions to Senior Food Inspector in Buffalo, NY in 1975, Supervising Inspector in Albany, NY in 1984, Director of Field Operations in 1989, and Assistant Director in 1994, he was appointed Director of the Division of Food Safety & Inspection in 1999 until he retired in May of 2008. His service with the Department included the development of numerous food safety training programs for regulators and industry, the design of the Division’s risk based inspection system, and authoring the state's smoked fish regulations. He was nominated four consecutive years for the Governor’s Productivity Award.

He was an FDA Commissioned Officer and Cornell University Certified Instructor for Human Resources Development. He also served as Faculty Advisor for Food Processing Technology at SUNY Morrisville and was a member of Cornell University's Institute of Food Science Advisory Council. He was a frequent lecturer for the Food and Drug Administration’s State Training Branch where he spoke on Seafood Safety, Vacuum Packaging, Meat and Poultry Processing, and Retail Food Protection issues.

He has been a member of the Central Atlantic States Association of Food and Drug Officials (CASA) since 1975 and has served as the Niagara Frontier Conference President, North East New York Conference Executive Board Representative, and CASA President. He was awarded the coveted CASA Award in 1991, CASA Service Recognition Award in 1992, and CASA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. The New York State Association of Food Protection awarded him the prestigious William V. Hickey Award in 1995 for outstanding service in the field of food sanitation and the Emmitt Gauhn Award which is the association’s highest award.

With the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) since 1985, he was the Chairperson for the Food Committee, where he spearheaded the development of several model codes, food processing guidelines for industry and government regulators, training programs, AFDO’s Food Code Pocket Guide, and official AFDO comments to national food safety issues. In addition to the Food Committee, he continues to serve on AFDO’s Seafood Committee, International and Government Relations Committee, Meat and Poultry Committee, and FoodSHIELD Steering Committee. He was awarded AFDO’s Distinguished Service Award in 1995 and 2000 and became President of AFDO in June of 1998. He has also received the prestigious Harvey W. Wiley Award on June 19, 2001 and AFDO’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 16, 2008.

He currently serves as the Executive Director for the Association of Food & Drug Officials and continues to work on a part time basis for the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s State Training Branch. He is also a member of the University of Florida Food Science & Human Nutrition Advisory Council.

Will Daniels, Vice President of Quality, Food Safety and Organic Integrity at Earthbound Farm

Daniels has been with Earthbound Farm since 1999. He has helped the company grow from a small, regional salad producer to the nation’s largest grower, packer and shipper of organic produce.

In this role, Daniels is responsible for leading the continued enhancements to Earthbound Farm’s food safety program, including work on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program, which includes the implementation of the two-level “Test & Hold” process. In addition to leading these crucial programs for our the company’s processing facilities, he will is responsible for the implementation of these programs at co-packers’ facilities.

Daniels also leads the Food Safety and Organic Integrity Advisory Panel, consisting of some of the leading food safety scientists in the country.

An active leader in the organic industry, he also serves on the board of directors of California Certified Organic Farmers as Chair, as well as being President of the Processor/Handler Chapter. He also serves on the Technical Advisory Committee of the United Fresh Produce Association. Prior to working with Earthbound Farm, he had his own food service consulting company where he worked on projects in menu revision, nutrition and food safety. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo with a bachelor of science in nutrition. In his free time, Daniels likes to cook - he makes a mean barbecue sauce - and enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.

Craig W. Henry Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, GMA/FPA Association, Washington D.C.

Craig Henry, Ph.D. serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. He is responsible for defining strategy and providing senior leadership, staff management, program direction, and financial management to the scientific and regulatory activities of the Association. This includes oversight of the Center for Technical and Laboratory Services, the Office of Food Safety programs, and is the President of the GMA Science and Education Foundation. Dr. Henry has published numerous articles in scientific journals. Dr. Henry serves on the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection and the Subcommittee on Data. He is a member of the International Association for Food Protection, Institute of Food Technologists, the American Association of Avian Pathologists and the U.S. Poultry Science Association, where he has served as a member of the Committee on Drugs and Chemicals since 1994, including a term as Chairman. Dr. Henry earned his Ph.D. in Animal Science from Auburn University. He holds a M.S. in Poultry Science from Clemson University, and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from the University of Delaware.

Jorge Hernandez, Senior Vice-President, Food Safety & Quality Assurance

Mr. Hernandez began his career at US Foodservice in the fall of 2004. In this role, he is responsible for providing expertise and guidance in the area of food safety and quality assurance to all the business units that include 65 Distribution Centers, 16 Processing Facilities, the Alliance Logistics Division, the Culinary Innovation Center and the Monarch Division with its thousands Private Label products. Taking a Farm-To- Fork approach to food safety, Jorge is also responsible for enhancing the company’s processes and systems to ensure compliance with all food safety regulatory standards.

Prior to joining US Foodservice, Jorge was the Vice-President for Food Safety & Risk Management for the National Restaurant Association’s Educational Foundation. Here he headed the NRA’s development of the ServSafe food safety training and certification program for the foodservice industry.

At the same time Mr. Hernandez served as the Food Safety Vice-President for the International Food Safety Council. An NRA initiative focused on heightening the awareness of the importance of food safety in the foodservice industry. One of the key accomplishments of this Council was the designation of “September” as National Food Safety Education Month.

Prior to joining the NRA, Jorge worked for the Illinois Department of Public Health and was responsible for the training and standardization of food inspectors across the state, the implementation of the state’s food code and the writing of interpretations of the same.

Jorge is a registered sanitarian, a past FDA standardization officer, a member of the Center for Diseases Control-Environmental Health Committee, the Global Food Safety Initiative- Technical Committee, the American National Standards Institute- Accreditation Committee, the Conference for Food Protection, the National Restaurant Association Quality Assurance Executives Study Group and serves as a board member of the Produce Marketing Association, the Quality Executives Board and Advocate Hospitals Charitable Foundation. Jorge also served as a scientific member of the National Egg Board’s Food Safety Advisory Panel, Underwriter Laboratories Food Industry User panel, and the International HACCP Alliance.

Jorge is fluent in English, Spanish and French. Has bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry from Rockford College in Illinois, USA; a degree in French Culture from L’Universitè de la Sorbonne, in Paris, France; and a degree in Microbiology from the Centro de Estudios Cientificos y Tecnològicos Especialidades Mèdico-Biològicas, in Mèxico City, Mèxico.

Carletta Ooton, VP and Chief Quality Office, The Coca-Cola Company

Carletta Ooton is the VP and Chief Quality Office for The Coca-Cola Company. Carletta has overarching responsibility for global analytical services, global audit services – quality, environment and occupational safety & health, global quality policy, process and technology, customer quality, food safety and field quality and capability building. Carletta joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2006 and has over 20 years of quality and operational experience. Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Carletta worked for Cott Beverages, Bath & Body Works, Unilever and Tate and Lyle. Carletta received dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biological Sciences and Chemistry and a Master of Science degree in Microbiology.

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola®, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke®, Fanta®, Sprite®, Coca-Cola Zero™, vitaminwater®, POWERADE®, Minute Maid® and Georgia™ Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the company’s beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day.

Thomas A. Packer, Lawyer, Gordon & Rees LLP.

Tom Packer is a partner in the San Francisco, CA and Portland, OR offices of the national law firm of Gordon & Rees LLP. Mr. Packer defends domestic and foreign food and dietary supplement companies in product liability litigation and provides counseling on claims prevention, insurance, crisis management and other related issues. Tom’s experience includes being national coordinating defense counsel in the spinach E. Coli and L-Tryptophan litigation. He earned his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, in 1982 and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1979.

Michael C. Robach, Vice President, Corporate Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Cargill Incorporated

Mike Robach joined Cargill in January of 2004 to lead the company’s global food safety and regulatory affairs programs. In this role he leads Cargill’s corporate efforts across food safety, regulatory compliance, animal health, and quality assurance. Mike started out his career with Monsanto Company. Prior to joining Cargill, he headed up technical services for Wayne Farms LLC. Mike is a graduate of Michigan State University and of Virginia Tech.

John Spink, Director of the Packaging for Food and Product Protection (P-FAPP) Initiative at the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center (NFSTC) at Michigan State University (MSU)

John Spink is the Director of the Packaging for Food and Product Protection (P-FAPP) Initiative at the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center (NFSTC) at Michigan State University (MSU). Although located in the food safety group, this initiative covers all products since the threats and solutions are universal. For the NFSTC On-line Food Safety Master’s Degree program, John is the creator/ instructor for “Packaging for Food Safety” and “Packaging for Food and Product Protection”, in addition to running research projects, he is a contributor for courses such as “Food Protection and Defense” and the sustainability module for the School of Criminal Justice’s Environmental Enforcement course.

Sharon Wood, Director of Food Safety, H-E-B Company

Sharon is a native of San Antonio, Texas, and a graduate of Texas A&M University. She holds a degree in Biomedical Science with a Master’s degree in Microbiology. As a microbiologist, she has had over 20 years of experience in the food industry.

As a lead microbiologist for the Department of Defense, she provided expertise in the Food Testing and Diagnostic Laboratory at Fort Sam Houston, which services all branches of the military.

For a period of 8 years, she served as Vice President of Laboratory Services for Food Safety Net Services, an ISO 17025 Accredited network of food testing laboratories and food safety consultants. In this operational position, Sharon was responsible for accrediting 4 laboratory facilities in microbiological and chemical testing as well as establishing quality and food safety programs for many leading companies in the food industry.

Her most recent position is that of Director of Food Safety for H-E-B Company. Sharon oversees all food safety initiatives in the Central Markets and Food & Drug facilities for this Texas and Mexico based retailer. Responsibilities also include direction of the Scientific Affairs division as well as the H-E-B Analytical Services internal laboratory.

Sharon is active in the industry through International Association of Food Protection (IAFP) as a member of the Food Hygiene and Sanitation Professional Development Group, the Texas Retailer’s Association (TRA), Conference for Food Protection (CFP) committee member for Food Manager Training, Testing and Certification, Beef Industry Food Safety Council (BIFSCo) Executive Committee, Institute of Food Technology (IFT), as well as serving on the Cut Score Committee for the Texas Department of State Health Services for Certified Food Manager Training materials.