The 17-member NACMPI meets on food safety concerns and advises the Agriculture Secretary on matters affecting federal and state inspection program activities. The committee also contributes to the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) regulatory policy development.
“The diverse perspectives on food safety that the advisory members bring are invaluable to our success in ensuring the safety of the foods we eat,” said Vilsack. “I am firmly committed to aggressively decreasing the incidence of foodborne illnesses and these outstanding individuals will be instrumental in our work to protect the American people's food supply.”
Promoting diversity
In the past several years, USDA has broadened membership in the Committee to provide greater representation from state and consumer interests. The idea behind the change was to promote the NACMPI as a forum for significant sharing of ideas and insight about how the US regulatory system can best serve both consumers and industry.
Newly appointed NACMPI members include three academics: Dr Manpreet Singh of Purdue University; Dr Randall K. Phebus from Kansas State University; and Dr Patricia Curtis of Auburn University.
Representing consumer groups on the Committee will be Dr Michael Crupain, Consumer Product Safety and Sustainability, and Dr Tanya Roberts, Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention. Also joining NACMPI is George Wilson of Wilson & Associates, LLC, a food safety consulting firm; and Kurt Brandt with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union.
State of the state
Representing state organizations on the Committee are Dr Dustin Oedekoven, South Dakota Animal Industry Board; Dr Krzysztof Mazurczak, Illinois Department of Agriculture; and Michael Frances Link Jr., Ohio Department of Agriculture.
New NACMPI members from the meat and poultry industry are Brian Sapp from White Oak Pastures, Inc.; Sherri Jenkins with JBS USA; Dr Alice Johnson, Butterball, LLC., and Dr Betsy Booren of the American Meat Institute.
Committee members who began their terms in late 2013 and will return for their second year include Dr Michael L. Rybolt of Hillshire Brands Company; Sherika Harvey from the Mississippi Department of Agriculture; Dr Carol L. Lorenzen from the University of Missouri; Dr John A. Marcy with the University of Arkansas; and Christopher A. Waldrop, Consumer Federation of America.
NACMPI will host its next public meetings January 13-14, 2015, from 9 am to 5 pm each day. The meetings will be held in the first floor auditorium of the Patriot Plaza III building in Washington, DC. More information is available on the NACMPI website.