Overview
On Monday, July 13, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn formally announced the New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint, which was first announced in 2019 by Deputy Commissioner of Food Policy and Response Frank Yiannas. The Blueprint’s stated goal is to leverage technology and other tools to improve the US Food System, and is centered on four core elements: (1) Tech-enabled traceability; (2) Smarter tools and approaches for prevention and outbreak response; (3) New business models and retail modernization; and (4) Food safety culture. This webinar will feature a presentation by FDA on each aspect of the blueprint, followed by perspectives on how it fits into the existing food safety framework, as well as issues and challenges to implementing the initiative.
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Speakers
Laurie Beyranevand, Director, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems and Professor of Law, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems Environmental Law Center, Vermont Law School
Ricardo Carvajal, Director, Hyman, Phelps & McNamara PC
Sarah Sorscher, Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
Sharon Lindan Mayl, Senior Advisor for Policy, Office of the Commissioner/Office of Food Policy and Response, FDA
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LAURIE BEYRANEVAND is Senior Faculty Fellow of Food Law and Policy at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, and a professor of law at Vermont Law School. In addition to teaching, she directs several grant-funded projects for the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems. She has published a number of scholarly articles and book chapters that focused on the connections between human health and the food system. Laurie’s work has been cited in petitions to major federal agencies, books, blogs, and articles, and she has been quoted in Politico, Mother Jones, the Christian Science Monitor, Climate Wire, and E & E Greenwire, among others. She is an appointed member of the Academic Programs Committee for the Food and Drug Law Institute, and formerly served as an Executive Committee Member of the Agriculture and Food Law Section of the American Association of Law Schools.
RICARDO CARVAJAL is a director at Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, PC, a law firm based in Washington, DC that specializes in FDA and related regulatory matters. From 2002 to 2007, he served as an associate chief counsel at FDA, where he counseled the agency on a variety of food-related enforcement and rulemaking activities. Drawing on that expertise, he now counsels clients on managing inspections, responding to warning letters and other enforcement actions, resolving import detentions, and conducting product recalls. He advises clients on the regulatory status of ingredients and finished products and provides guidance on compliance with labeling and advertising requirements, as well as representation in advertising-related disputes. He also helps clients interpret and comment on the implementation of new requirements, such as those arising under the Food Safety Modernization Act. He applies his subject matter expertise to corporate transactions, issuing opinions and conducting due diligence for acquisitions and initial public offerings. He is a member of the Food and Drug Law Institute, the American Bar Association, and the European Food Law Association, and a professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists.
SARAH SORSCHER is Deputy Director of Regulatory Affairs at Center for Science in the Public Interest, where she works to improve consumers’ access to information about the food they eat, stop deceptive food advertising, and reduce or remove harmful food additives and contaminants in our food supply. Prior to joining CSPI in 2017, she worked on health and safety issues at Public Citizen’s Health Research Group and served as a law clerk for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Sarah holds a J.D. from the Harvard Law School, an M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health, and a B.A. from Amherst College.
SHARON LINDAN MAYL, JD, has been with FDA for 25 years and currently serves as the Senior Advisor for Policy to the Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response. In this position, she oversees and manages significant policy initiatives related to food safety. Among other issues, Ms. Mayl is the lead for the foods program on issues related to cannabis and co-chairs the Marijuana Working Group at FDA. She also focuses on implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). She has played a lead role in the development and implementation of the import provisions of FSMA, overseeing the development of rules and guidance documents related to the Foreign Supplier Verification Program, Voluntary Qualified Import Program, and Accredited Third-Party Certification Program. Ms. Mayl is a graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law School. Prior to joining the agency, she worked first in private practice and then for a public interest advocacy group on foods issues.


































































