Ep. 171. Dr. Kathleen Glass: An Award-Winning Career in Food Safety

Kathleen (Kathy) Glass, Ph.D. joined the Food Research Institute (FRI) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as a food safety researcher in 1985, where she currently serves as Associate Director. Her primary duties are to assist the food industry in assessing and developing formulation-safe foods. In addition, she trains and oversees undergraduate and graduate student independent study research, and is a regular instructor at workshops on food microbiology, preventive controls, Listeria control methods, processed meat and processed cheese safety, and dairy Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).

Dr. Glass's research interests include the safety of low-acid refrigerated foods, ready-to-eat (RTE) meats, processed cheese, and dairy foods, focusing on the control of various bacterial pathogens. She earned her Ph.D. in Food Microbiology and Safety at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is a Past President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and its Wisconsin affiliate.

In addition to receiving the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from Food Safety Magazine, Dr. Glass is a recipient of the 2023 IAFP Honorary Life Member Award, the 2020 University of Wisconsin–Madison Academic Staff Award for Excellence, the 2019 Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame, the 2017 National Cheese Institute (NCI) Laureate Award, and the 2011 IAFP Fellow Award. In addition, she served four terms on the National Advisory Committee for the Microbiological Criteria of Foods (NACMCF), including two terms as Co-Chair; as an academic advisor for the Food Microbiology Committee of the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS); and is an active member of several professional associations and advisory committees.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Dr. Glass [28:04] about:

• What led to her career in food safety, and how her research interests have evolved over the years in response to outbreaks, regulatory changes, and consumer demands
• Dr. Glass’s work in challenge studies for food products and their impacts, such as evaluating new antimicrobial ingredients
• The critical importance of dairy pasteurization, especially in light of the ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 outbreak, and the need to better understand the risk of contracting HPAI H5N1 from raw dairy
• Dr. Glass’s past experiences as Chair of NACMCF’s Subcommittee on Salmonella in poultry and as Co-Chair of NACMF’s Subcommittee on Cronobacter in Powdered Infant Formula, and insights about the progression of these charges
• In her work as a professor, how Dr. Glass guides her students to become effective food safety scientists and leaders
• Highlights of Dr. Glass’s career, and her hope that her work has influenced other food safety professionals to center the betterment of public health in their own roles. 

News and Resources

Legislation Would Delay FSMA 204 Compliance Date, Ease Retailer Recordkeeping Requirements [3:18]

USDA Finds HPAI in Muscle of Sick Dairy Cow; Study Shows Infectious Potential of Contaminated Raw Milk [11:57] Testing of Canadian Milk at Retail Shows No Presence of Viral HPAI [12:46] USDA Experiments Show Cooking Beef Patties to "Well Done" Kills HPAI Virus

Baby Food Safety Act Would Give FDA Authority to Limit Toxic Heavy Metals in Food for Children [16:08]

Only Three U.S. States Have Adopted Most Recent Version of FDA Food Code [23:25]

Dr. Kathleen Glass to be Honored with Food Safety Magazine's 2024 Distinguished Service Award

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