Michael Cramer is currently the senior director of food safety and quality assurance with Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc. He is a Safe Quality Food practitioner, an American Society for Quality-certified quality auditor, and a Preventive Controls-Qualified Individual. A graduate of West Chester University, Mike earned a B.Sc. in health science in 1977. He's been an esteemed member of Food Safety Magazine's Editorial Advisory Board since 2001.

Dane Bernard is currently the managing director of Bold Bear Food Safety where he offers consulting services. He is a registered specialist in food, dairy, and sanitation microbiology with the American Academy of Microbiology. Dane has been an instructor and lecturer on principles and applications of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and has helped to formulate HACCP plans for the U.S. food industry. Dane received an M.Sc. in food microbiology from the University of Maryland, College Park. He's also a recipient of the Food Safety Magazine Distinguished Service Award (2017).

Dr. Robert (Bob) Powitz is the principal and technical director of R.W. Powitz & Associates. There, he specializes in forensic sanitation services to industry, law firms, insurance companies, and government agencies. Bob has dedicated his career to food safety having worked for over 54 years to study, develop, and implement the most effective sanitation practices. Bob received his undergraduate education in agronomy and plant pathology from the State University of New York and the University of Georgia. He holds a M.Sc. in public health with a specialty in institutional environmental health and a Ph.D. in environmental health, with specialties in environmental microbiology and epidemiology from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He also has a very long list of honors including, most impressively, a spot on the Food Safety Magazine Editorial Advisory Board.

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In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Mike, Dane, and Bob [13:43] about:

  • Sanitation, training, and other areas of instruction that colleges and universities fail to cover, and why reaching out to these institutions is so important
  • Working with regulators who do not fully understand the sanitation process
  • Some of the downfalls of contracting with chemical suppliers who lack technical expertise beyond the sale cycle
  • Why equipment design is so crucial to a sanitation program
  • The do's and don'ts of effective swabbing
  • Balancing marketing and product development ideas with food safety priorities and needs
  • Understanding the "why" behind sanitation
  • Keeping up with food codes and regulations not only state to state, but in other countries, particularly as it relates to allergens
  • Why industry needs to do a better job of representing the positive side of their work so that younger sanitarians see the benefits
  • Trends: sustainability and green cleaning

Mike Cramer's Articles Published in Food Safety Magazine:
Environmental Listeria Monitoring: Seek and Destroy Pathogens (December 2017/January 2018)
Allergen Management: A Personal and Professional Perspective (August/September 2016)
A Look at GMPs: How FSMA Will Change Expectations (February/March 2016)

For more articles from Mike Cramer? Access our compiled search at FoodSafetyMagazine.com

Bob Powitz's Articles Published in Food Safety Magazine:
Checking Field Thermometer Accuracy (April 2015 eDigest)
Chemical-Free Cleaning: Revisited (October/November 2014)
Non-EPA Registered Cleaners and Sanitizers For Use in Food Production Facilities and Retail Food Establishments (September 2013 eDigest)

Want more articles from Bob Powitz? Access our compiled search at FoodSafetyMagazine.com

News Mentioned in This Episode
Pork Industry Workers Sue USDA Over New Swine Rule's Faster Line Speeds [3:27]
New Report: IFSAC Releases 2017 Foodborne Illness Data [5:50]
FDA's FSMA Tracking Dashboard [9:55]  

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Author(s): Staff