Savannah Applegate, Ph.D. is a Senior Consultant at Elanco Poultry Food Safety. Dr. Applegate received her B.S. degree in Meat Science from Ohio State University and her M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Applied Food Microbiology from Texas Tech University. Her areas of expertise are meat and poultry food safety, and she specializes in diagnostics and pathogen mitigation.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Applegate [1:10] about:

• The importance of diagnostics for ensuring food safety and implementing effective disease management protocols in the poultry industry
• Common misconceptions among industry about diagnostics and how to effectively implement diagnostic tests on-farm
• Key first steps to integrating effective diagnostic testing protocols alongside biosecurity programs
• The difference between serotyping data versus quantitative data, and the importance of both to determining the effectiveness of Salmonella vaccines for poultry
• Support and solutions offered by Elanco for collecting and interpreting serotyping and quantification data to improve poultry food safety outcomes.

Sponsor
Elanco

We Want to Hear from You!
Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

Alex Truelove has served as Legislation and Advocacy Manager at BPI (Biodegradable Plastics Institute) since 2022. He previously directed U.S. PIRG's (Public Interest Research Group's) zero-waste program. He remains passionate about waste reduction, public policy, and working with others to incrementally solve messy environmental problems.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Alex [30:28] about:

• The work of the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI)
• California law AB 1201, which goes into effect in January 2026 and makes significant changes to compliance for compostable products, including food packaging, in the state
• The law's anticipated effects on food packaging and food safety for companies operating in California
• The roles that labeling and certification play in the safety and sustainability of California food packaging
• How companies will need to shift how they come to market and talk about the sustainability of their packaging
• How food companies who sell in California and across other U.S. markets may respond to the changes required by the California law
• Whether AB 1201 will have a "ripple effect" on the rest of the U.S.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we also speak with Bob Ferguson [19:31] about:

• His latest Food Safety Insights Column, “Hygienic Design: How are Processors Coping with This Essential Element of Food Safety?”

News

FDA Announces 'Proactive' Post-Market Chemical Review Program to Keep Food Supply Safe [4:33]

FDA Approves Three Food Colors from Natural Sources [6:45]

More Than 15,000 USDA Employees Take Trump Administration's Resignation Offer [12:35]

Unions Representing USDA Staff Request Congressional Oversight of Budget, Staffing Cuts [13:20]

FDA Announces Completion of First AI-Assisted Scientific Review Pilot and Agency-Wide AI Rollout Timeline [18:04]

Food Safety Summit Live Stream Sessions | On Demand

Hygienic Design: How are Processors Coping with This Essential Element of Food Safety?


We Want to Hear from You!

Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com

To get a taste of the discussions that were happening at the 2025 Food Safety Summit, we spoke face-to-face with Sharon Beals, Founder, SKKB; Peter Taormina, Ph.D., Founder and President, Etna Consulting Group; Sandra Eskin, J.D., CEO, STOP Foodborne Illness; John O'Fallon, Senior Manager Environmental Sensors, Zebra Technologies; Monica Khoury, Senior Quality Expert, Nestlé; and Lily Yasuda, Program Manager, Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with:

• Sharon Beals and Dr. Peter Taormina [2:24] about the function and limitations of finished product testing
• Sandra Eskin [20:24] about STOP Foodborne Illness' leadership in food safety
• John O’Fallon [37:33] about how to harness environmental sensors for enhanced food safety.
• Monica Khoury and Lily Yasuda [1:04:01] about how simple food safety culture tools can make a big impact
  

Sponsored by:

Zebra Technologies

We Want to Hear from You!

Please send us your questions and suggestions to podcast@food-safety.com