Rephonic
Artwork for Smarter Food Safety

Smarter Food Safety

Frank Yiannas
Food Safety
Cyclospora
Food Safety Culture
Food Safety Modernization Act
FDA
Salmonella
Food Colorings
Artificial Intelligence
Whole Genome Sequencing
Public Health Surveillance
Food Traceability
CNN
New World Screwworm
Leadership
Water
Foodborne Illness
Public Health
Hyperactivity
Listeria
Policy

Smarter Food Safety is a science-based, straight-talk podcast hosted by former FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas. Each episode goes beyond headlines to explore outbreaks, policy, culture, and emerging risks, with practical insights from global leaders across industry, government, and academia. Designed for food safety professionals, decision-makers, and innovators, the show delivers real-world... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes20Founded8 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyNewsNews Commentary

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Artwork for Smarter Food Safety

Latest Episodes

Is the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) framework a regulatory loophole or an intentional legal pathway established by Congress? In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, host Frank Yiannas welcomes Lyle D. Burgoon, PhD, ATS, President a... more

In this special episode of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, Frank Yiannas takes the stage at Ecolab’s annual Food Safety Symposium for a fireside chat with Lisa Robertson, Ecolab’s VP of Global Food Safety & Public Health. Together, they challenge th... more

The future of food safety demands more than learning from the past, it requires anticipating what comes next. In this episode of the Smarter Food Safety podcast, Frank Yiannas speaks with Dr. Vittorio Fattori, Food Safety Officer at the Food and Agri... more

This week on the Smarter Food Safety Podcast, Frank is joined by Dr. Joan Rose, Professor at Michigan State University and an internationally recognized water microbiologist, to explore the overlooked role of water in the Cyclospora story.

Could wa... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
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Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Vittorio Fattori
Food Safety Officer, FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Episode: The Future of Food Safety: From Hindsight to Foresight
Joan Rose
Water microbiologist, Homer Nolan Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Episode: Early Warning System or Source of Cyclospora
Craig Hedberg
Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health
University of Minnesota
Episode: Summer of Cyclospora and Salmonella: Lessons Learned (with Dr. Craig Hedberg)
Lee Cockerell
Former Executive Vice President of Operations, Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World / Disney
Episode: Food Safe D Begins with Me: Leadership Lessons (with Lee Cockerell)
Marcia Brown
Food safety and health reporter, Politico (Inside the Beltway)
Politico
Episode: Breaking News, Broken Trust: The Media's Role in Food Safety (Inside the Beltway Perspective)
Mindy Brashears
Undersecretary for Food Safety, USDA
USDA
Episode: The Return of Screwworm - Is the US Food System Ready?
Brenda Goodman
Health reporter at CNN covering health, health policy, and medicine
CNN
Episode: Breaking News, Broken Trust: The Media's Role in Food Safety (Mainstream Media Perspective)
Dr. Phil Bremer
Chief Scientist at the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre; Professor at the University of Otago
New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre; University of Otago
Episode: Safe, Until it Isn't: Why Companies Become Complacent in Food Safety
Marcel Zwietering
Professor of food microbiology; Chair of ICMSF
Wageningen University, Netherlands
Episode: False Confidence: When Food Testing Gets Sampling Wrong

Host

Frank Yiannas
Host of Smarter Food Safety with extensive background in U.S. FDA leadership and food safety policy.

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 16 ratings
  • Frank Yiannas on the Future of Food Safety

    Frank Yiannas delivers a clear and timely message: food safety is no longer just about compliance—it’s about culture, data, and speed.

    Drawing on his leadership at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and in industry, Frank Yiannas outlines the shift from reactive systems to predictive, technology-enabled food safety. It’s a message that resonates—but more importantly, it’s one that’s already playing out operationally.

    ⸻

    Where This Hits in the Real World

    In my first month leading Food Safe... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    John F. Schulz
    United States6 months ago
  • One of a kind

    I love that Frank is having real experts in the food safety field on as guests! The episode on food colorings was eye opening, and in general I love hearing the various perspectives and the technologies shaping the future of food safety.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Aaron_eVega
    United States7 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Consistently actionable, data-driven discussions with real-world impact.
High-quality, expert guests that bring practical insights.
Great for sponsors seeking credible, policy-forward safety conversations.
Thoughtful take on culture as the real control point for food safety.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#148
Italy/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Rethinking Food Safety: A Fireside Chat
Q: Can a strong food safety culture compensate for weaker technical competencies?
Culture helps, but you need both—strong culture to drive the hard sciences and the right interventions; otherwise, solid culture alone won't prevent failures.
Rethinking Food Safety: A Fireside Chat
Q: Why are we still seeing recalls and outbreaks despite extensive standards and audits?
Because activity and perceived compliance do not always translate into actual risk reduction; we must measure and improve outcomes, not just processes.
Summer of Cyclospora and Salmonella: Lessons Learned (with Dr. Craig Hedberg)
Q: What infrastructure or systemic changes are most needed to improve future responses?
Sustained funding for public health surveillance, adequate staffing at state and local levels, and stronger public-private collaboration to translate signals into rapid investigations and timely recalls.
Summer of Cyclospora and Salmonella: Lessons Learned (with Dr. Craig Hedberg)
Q: How does traceability inform both epidemiologic investigations and preventive actions?
Traceability helps identify the suspect vehicle during the outbreak, then traces it back through the supply chain to locate the source and understand the contamination event, enabling quicker recalls and stronger, preventive measures for future outbreaks.
Food Safe D Begins with Me: Leadership Lessons (with Lee Cockerell)
Q: What practical steps can someone take to build a strong safety culture when their leadership does not seem to buy in?
Begin with personal responsibility in your area, push back with evidence, talk to frontline employees for direct insights, and model psychological safety by encouraging truthful conversations and clear expectations.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
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Frequently Asked Questions About Smarter Food Safety

What is Smarter Food Safety about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A serious, policy- and practice-focused series that brings together leaders from government, industry, academia, and media to tackle food safety challenges. Topics span culture, prevention, surveillance, regulation, and emerging technologies, with a strong emphasis on practical steps, cross-sector collaboration, and real-world case studies. Noteworthy is a consistent focus on moving beyond compliance to culture-driven, data-informed actions, and the inclusion of high-profile guests from USDA, FDA, universities, and journalism. Listeners likely include safety professionals, policy makers, and operational leaders seeking concrete strategies to strengthen the food system.

Where can I find podcast stats for Smarter Food Safety?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Smarter Food Safety. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Smarter Food Safety and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Smarter Food Safety get?

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What are the audience demographics for Smarter Food Safety?

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How many subscribers and views does Smarter Food Safety have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Smarter Food Safety has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Smarter Food Safety?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Smarter Food Safety:

1. Food Safety Matters
2. The 7
3. Public Health On Call
4. Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta
5. Up First from NPR

How many episodes of Smarter Food Safety are there?

Smarter Food Safety launched 8 months ago and published 20 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Smarter Food Safety?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Smarter Food Safety?

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What guests have appeared on Smarter Food Safety?

Recent guests on Smarter Food Safety include:

1. Vittorio Fattori
2. Joan Rose
3. Craig Hedberg
4. Lee Cockerell
5. Marcia Brown
6. Mindy Brashears
7. Brenda Goodman
8. Dr. Phil Bremer

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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