Ep. 132: David Acheson: A Food Safety Smorgasbord—Salmonella, Cannabis, PFAS, and More

<p><strong>David W.K. Acheson, M.D., F.R.C.P.,</strong> is the President and CEO of The Acheson Group, a consulting firm that provides strategic advice on all matters relating to food safety and food defense, as well as recall and crisis management support, to food companies and ancillary technology companies around the world.</p> <p>Prior to founding The Acheson Group in 2013, Dr. Acheson served as the Chief Medical Officer in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FDA's CFSAN). Following several other positions at FDA, he was appointed Associate Commissioner for Foods, which gave him an agency-wide leadership role for all food and feed issues, including health promotion and nutrition. Dr. Acheson was also a partner at Leavitt Partners and managed Leavitt Partners Global Food Safety Solutions from 2009 to 2013.</p> <p>Dr. Acheson graduated from the University of London Medical School in 1980. Following training in internal medicine and infectious diseases in the UK, in 1987 he moved to the New England Medical Center and Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts. As an Associate Professor at Tufts University, Dr. Acheson undertook basic molecular pathogenesis research on foodborne pathogens, especially Shiga toxin-producing <em>Escherichia coli</em>.</p> <p><strong>In this episode of <em>Food Safety Matters</em>, we speak with David</strong> [28:53] <strong>about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (USDA’s FSIS’) declaration of <em>Salmonella</em> as an adulterant in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products, as well as future federal regulation of <em>Salmonella</em> contamination of poultry</li> <li>Considerations that could affect the way in which <em>Salmonella</em> in poultry is regulated, such as different serotypes and the risk they pose to public health</li> <li>The importance of FDA clearly defining for growers what compliance with the agricultural water rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act