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. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Phil [14:59] about:

• Effects of politics on the food supply chain: Trade and tariffs and regulatory environment
• Leadership changes in our federal food agencies
• Important topics to watch for in 2021: FSMA compliance, genetically modified foods, climate issues, and country of origin labeling
• Changes in import and export regulations
• The future of foodservice
• Effects of the pandemic on the food industry: Stimulus payments, lockdowns, and transportation
• Third-party delivery: Lack of regulations, packaging and temperature challenges, and who's responsible for food safety?
• Pandemic-inspired innovations

Bob Ferguson: Food Safety Insights [5:35]2021: What Changes of the Past Year Are Likely to Stick?

News and Resources: FDA Publishes Information from Food Traceability Public Meetings, Including Supply Chain Example FDA's Core Response Teams Releases List of Outbreak Investigations Global Food Safety Culture Series: Europe Global Food Safety Culture Series: Australia

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