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Frank Yiannas

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Frank Yiannas was the deputy commissioner for food policy and response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a position he assumed in December of 2018 and held through early 2022. There he was the principal advisor to the FDA commissioner in the development and execution of policies related to food safety, including implementation of the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). His responsibilities included food safety priorities such as outbreak response, traceback investigations, product recall activities, and supply chain innovation. Before joining the FDA, Yiannas was vice president of food safety at Walmart. Yiannas is a past president of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and recipient of the 2007 NSF Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Food Safety. He is also the recipient of the Collaboration Award by FDA in 2008 and he was named the 2015 Industry Professional Food Safety Hero Award by STOP Foodborne Illness, a consumer advocacy group.

Yiannas also is a past vice-chairman of the Global Food Safety Initiative. He is an adjunct professor in the Food Safety Program at Michigan State University. In 2017 he received the university's Outstanding Faculty Award. A microbiologist, Yiannas received a bachelor's degree in microbiology from the University of Central Florida and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.

— OPINION —

The battle against foodborne disease has been waged since the beginning of time.  Historical literature provides evidence of how earlier civilizations tried to protect themselves, their families, tribes, and villages from getting sick from the food they ate. The examples range from the emergence of cooking with…

Continue Reading Solving new era food safety challenges requires advancements in data sharing

– OPINION –

Despite the unprecedented challenges we’ve all faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 was another important year for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Foods Program.

I’d like to highlight some of the strides we made last year in protecting the safety of human foods, which we will…
Continue Reading FDA’s 2021 strides: Thinking outside the box to strengthen prevention

– Opinion –

Editor’s note: Frank Yiannas, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response

Foodborne outbreaks can affect all of us, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is at the forefront of helping to protect consumers from foodborne illnesses. Every day, the agency takes steps to help protect…
Continue Reading Too many people are still getting sick from foodborne illness; FDA has a plan to change that

contributed

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiative in April 2019 and then released the blueprint in July 2020 outlining our goals, we put both in the context of doing our work differently, leveraging new and emerging technologies and approaches to…
Continue Reading FDA challenges stakeholders to help develop tools for better traceability

Opinion

Ten years ago, on Jan. 4, 2011, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law and Congress’ mandate was clear: It’s not enough to respond to outbreaks of foodborne illness. We must prevent them from happening in the first place. FSMA was fueled by widespread concern…
Continue Reading A decade later, FDA still working on congressional mandate known as FSMA