Ep. 84. Scott Brooks: Tyson Takes on COVID

Dr. Scott Brooks is the Senior Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Tyson Foods. Previously, Scott held similar food safety, quality, and regulatory executive positions at Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, and Yum! Brands after serving as a Public Health Officer in the Air Force. His Doctorate is in Veterinary Medicine with Master's degrees in both Food Microbiology and Preventive Veterinary Medicine. He served on the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and is a Past-President of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Scott [18:29] about:

• The centralized corporate structure of Tyson Foods
• Initial assumptions about the pandemic
• The challenge in keeping 120,000 team members safe and healthy
• How Tyson got its hands on PPE for their employees
• Facility changes as a result of the pandemic
• Sanitation challenges
• The creation of a cross-functional group consisting of occupational health and safety and food safety and quality teams
• What happens when facilities get locked down
• Challenges unique to the meat industry
• How to navigate federal guidance when the science is a moving target
• Positive outcomes as a result of COVID
• What still remains a challenge
• Rethinking crisis management plans
• Bringing healthcare to the workplace
• Supply chain impacts
• Unintended consequences of COVID on the food industry

Resource:
Promoting workplace safety in the era of COVID-19: keeping employees, their families, and communities healthy and safe

News Mentioned in the Episode:
FDA Provides Tools and Resources Related to Food Traceability Proposed Rule [4:31]
Here We Go Again: E.coli Found in Romaine [7:35]
Not Fare Enough: FARE Expresses Disappointment in FDA's Proposed Voluntary Disclosure of Sesame as Allergen [12:26]
U.S. House of Representatives Unanimously Passes Faster Act
Food Research and Resource Program: Food Allergens [FARRP] - International Regulatory Chart

Keep Up with Food Safety Magazine
Follow us on Twitter @FoodSafetyMag and on Facebook.
Subscribe to our magazine and our biweekly eNewsletter.

We Want to Hear From You!
Please share your comments, questions, and suggestions. Tell us about yourself—we'd love to hear about your food safety challenges and successes. We want to get to know you! Here are a few ways to be in touch with us.

• Email us at podcast@foodsafetymagazine.com.
• Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to us at podcast@foodsafetymagazine.com.