Ep. 90. Phil Kafarakis: Pandemic-Inspired Innovations

<p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Phil Kafarakis is president of the Specialty Food Association, where he is an advocate and spokesman for the $140 billion U.S. specialty food industry. Prior to his appointment in 2016, he served as the Chief Innovation & Member Advancement Officer at the National Restaurant Association. He has held positions at Kraft, McCormick & Co., Cargill, and Jones Dairy Farm. He received an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Phil [14:59] about:</strong></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Effects of politics on the food supply chain: Trade and tariffs and regulatory environment</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Leadership changes in our federal food agencies</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Important topics to watch for in 2021: FSMA compliance, genetically modified foods, climate issues, and</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 12pt;">country of origin labeling</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Changes in import and export regulations</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The future of foodservice</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Effects of the pandemic on the food industry: Stimulus payments, lockdowns, and transportation</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Third-party delivery: Lack of regulations, packaging and temperature challenges, and who’s responsible for food safety?</span></li> <li><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pandemic-inspired innovations<strong style= "font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> </strong></span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Bob Ferguson: Food Safety Insights [5:35]<br /></strong><a href= "https://eit.vev.design/ucGpzwTe1/column-food-safety-insights">2021: What Changes of the Past Year Are Likel