Ep. 189. Dr. Jason Evans: Leadership When Nothing is Easy—A Food Safety Summit Keynote Preview

Jason Evans, Ph.D. is the Dean of the College of Food Innovation and Technology (CFIT) at Johnson & Wales University, which offers baccalaureate and graduate programming in Culinary Arts, Culinary Science, Culinary Nutrition, Food and Beverage Entrepreneurship, and Sustainable Food Systems.

Formerly, Dr. Evans was an Associate Professor of Agricultural Business Management at the State University of New York's College of Agriculture and Technology, Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill), where he also served as the Director of the Institute for Rural Vitality and Chair of the Department of Agriculture and Food Management. Before joining the SUNY Cobleskill faculty in 2009, Dr. Evans was an Assistant Research Professor at West Virginia University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Economics in 2007.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Evans [47:30] about:

• His role as the Keynote Presenter at the 2025 Food Safety Summit in May, and what he is looking forward to at the Summit
• The topic of Dr. Evans' Keynote speech, "Leadership When Nothing is Easy," and the challenges he sees with worker disengagement in the context of food safety
• Why it is crucial for food industry leaders to foster a sense of engagement, accountability, and collaboration among their teams
• Dr. Evans' experience as the Founding Dean of CFIT at JWU, and what a JWU education in food innovation and technology offers to students
• Topics that Dr. Evans emphasizes as a food and agriculture educator and researcher, and how he has seen the academic field evolve throughout his career
• Why the need for problem-solvers in the food system is greater now than ever.

News and Resources

News

Changes happening at U.S. federal food safety regulatory agencies [3:48]

• Letter From 85 Congresspeople Urges End to Federal Public Health 'Gag Order,' Addressing Bird Flu [3:48]
• FDA Moves to Rehire Some Human Foods Staffers Who Were Previously Fired [7:09]
• USDA to Invest in Farm Biosecurity, Chicken Vaccinations to Combat Avian Influenza [7:50]
• FDA Leader Jim Jones Resigns After 89 'Indiscriminate' Firings in Human Foods Program [8:14]
• Attorney Kyle Diamantas Expected to Replace Jim Jones as FDA Deputy Commissioner of Human Foods [8:34]
• Major Advocacy Groups Say Mass Layoffs at FDA Could Jeopardize Food Safety, 'MAHA' Agenda [8:50]
• RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary; Widespread Firings Coming to FDA, CDC [9:39]
• Brooke Rollins Confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture, Cites 'Aggressive Plan' to Eliminate USDA Jobs [9:39]

Hospitalizations, Deaths Caused by Foodborne Illnesses More Than Doubled in 2024 [19:02]

Listeria Outbreak Linked to Nutritional Shakes Served at Healthcare Facilities Causes 12 Deaths [25:58]

California Bill Would Set State Drinking Water Limits for PFAS in Case EPA Standards are Weakened [31:12]

Food Safety Insights

"Food Safety Insights" by Bob Ferguson [35:24]

• Regulatory Changes Impacting Your Food Safety Program, Part 1—What Should FDA's Priorities Be? Food Safety Magazine December '24/January '25
• Regulatory Changes Impacting Your Food Safety Program, Part 2—What Should USDA's Priorities Be? Food Safety Magazine February/March '25

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CINTAS

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