Smarter Food Safety
Smarter Food Safety is a science-based podcast hosted by former FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas. Each episode goes beyond headlines to explore food safety topics such as outbreaks, policy, culture, and emerging risks. The show features practical insights from global leaders in industry, government, and academia, offering real-world solutions and forward-thinking conversations. It is designed for food safety professionals, decision-makers, and innovators, and is sponsored by Ecolab.
Episodes
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 differe
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 beha
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 contribut
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
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,
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 traceabi
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
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
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
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
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 Mi
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 c
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 ass
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 sh
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
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 col
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 deca
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,
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 podca
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