Like the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration keeps “public calendars” to document when its top officials meet with people outside the federal government.
The FDA’s top official for food is Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response. FDA calendars are not as complete as FSIS’s in that they frequently do not list the actual names of those outside the federal government who are in the meetings, but rather who they represent.
What follows is a summary of meetings Yiannas has had from the time the pandemic was declared to just after the 4th of July.
- Event Date: 03/18/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak
- FDA Participant/Group: Several Senior FDA Officials and Staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the food industry, government, and academia
- Event Date: 03/19/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak
- FDA Participant/Group: LEEANNE JACKSON; NINA ZIMDAHL; CAITLIN BOON;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 04/07/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several HHS and FDA officials and staff members
- Non FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 04/08/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Salmonella Testing in Foods
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from industry, academia, trade associations, and government
- Event Date: 04/09/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff members
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from consumer groups
- Event Date: 04/10/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff members
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from federal, state, and local governments
- Event Date: 04/10/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff members
- Non FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 04/14/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: NINA ZIMDAHL; CAITLIN BOON;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 04/15/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA staff members
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members from the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Event Date: 04/15/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: MARK MOORMAN;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the National Restaurant Association
- Event Date: 04/17/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: KATHERINE SERRANO; MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ; DONALD PRATER;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Amada Velez Mendez, Javier Trujillo Arriaga, Jose Luis Lara (National Service for Animal and Plant Health, Food Safety and Quality, Government of Mexico)
- Event Date: 04/20/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: CAITLIN BOON; NINA ZIMDAHL; ANDREW KENNEDY;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Claudia Davidson, Conner Jager, Julie Bush, Liz Stone (Palantir Technologies)
- Event Date: 04/20/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several officials from FDA, CDC, and HHS
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 04/24/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several officials from FDA, CDC, and HHS
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several representatives from the produce industry
- Event Date: 04/24/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: DAVID GOLDMAN; ROSEMARY EARLEY; DANIEL HATTIS; LEEANNE JACKSON;
- Non FDA Participant/Group: Christian Lovell (Rep. Rosa DeLauro [D-CT])
- Event Date: 04/28/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA staff members
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several staff members from the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Event Date: 04/29/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA staff members
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several staff members from the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Event Date: 05/05/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Data Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: CAITLIN BOON; CHARLES PASTEL; ANDREW KENNEDY; SARA MARRIE; KASEY HEINTZ; SUZANNE ROOSEN; NINA ZIMDAHL;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Don Lowery, Jay Dennis, Jeff Ritchie, Kristie Stegen (The Nielsen Company)
- Event Date: 05/08/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Budget Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several Senate Agriculture Appropriations Sub-Committee staff members
- Event Date: 05/14/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Safe Food Coalition Meeting
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA leaders and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Representatives from consumer, trade union, and foodborne illness victim organizations
- Event Date: 05/14/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 05/20/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues in Response to COVID-19
- FDA Participant/Group: KARI BARRETT; SUSAN MAYNE; MARK MOORMAN;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives from the food industry
- Event Date: 05/20/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Leafy Greens Investigation Report
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non FDA Participant/Group: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
- Event Date: 05/21/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: United States-Canada Joint Committee on Food Safety
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA staff members
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives and staff from Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Event Date: 05/29/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Produce Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives from the produce industry and trade associations
- Event Date: 06/04/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Leafy Green Investigation Report
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several staff members of the House Agriculture Committee
- Event Date: 06/04/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: COVID-19 Update and Impacts to Dietary Supplement Industry
- FDA Participant/Group: MICHAEL ROGERS; STEVEN TAVE;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members of the Council for Responsible Nutrition Board of Directors
- Event Date: 06/05/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Association of Food and Drug Officials World Food Safety Day Webinar
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Members from across the food and beverage industry, trade associations, consumer groups, and academia
- Event Date: 06/08/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety and Supply Chain Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: NINA ZIMDAHL;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives from the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 06/09/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Produce Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members from the produce industry, academia, and government
- Event Date: 06/11/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Safe Food Coalition Meeting
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Representatives from consumer, trade union, and foodborne illness victim organizations
- Event Date: 06/11/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members and executives from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
- Event Date: 06/17/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: United Fresh Live Webinar on Food Safety
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Members from across the produce industry
- Event Date: 06/17/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Supply Chain Continuity and Food Worker/Migrant Worker Safety
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members from Indiana State Departments of Health and Agriculture
- Event Date: 06/18/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Supply Chain Continuity and Food Worker/Migrant Worker Safety
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members from Wisconsin’s State Departments of Health and Agriculture
- Event Date: 06/18/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Supply Chain Continuity and Food Worker/Migrant Worker Safety
- FDA Participant/Group: Several FDA officials and staff
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several members from Minnesota’s State Departments of Health and Agriculture
- Event Date: 06/19/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Hilary Thesmar, Leslie Sarasin (Food Marketing Institute)
- Event Date: 06/19/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Alison Bodor ( American Frozen Food Institute ); Robb MacKie (American Bakers Association )
- Event Date: 06/29/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: N/A
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Several executives from across the food and beverage industry
- Event Date: 07/01/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: JEFFREY FARRAR;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: Mark Killian (Arizona Department of Agriculture)
- Event Date: 07/02/2020 Location: Virtual
- Subject: Food Safety Issues of Mutual Interest
- FDA Participant/Group: REBECCA BUCKNER; KARI IRVIN; NINA ZIMDAHL; ANDREW KENNEDY; CAITLIN BOON;
- Non-FDA Participant/Group: George Atkinson, Nicole Bice (Institute on Science for Global Policy).
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