USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety to speak April 15

April 9, 2019

Lincoln, Neb. — Merging science with policy to ensure food safety will be the topic of an April 15 seminar at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. United States Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, Mindy Brashears, will speak at 10 a.m. in Room 277 of the Food Innovation Center.

As Deputy Under Secretary, Brashears leads the Food Safety and Inspection Service, which has a mission of protecting the public’s health by preventing foodborne illness, modernizing inspection systems, policies and approaches, and achieving operational excellence. Brashears has served in the role since Jan. 29, 2019.

Prior to the USDA, Brashears was a professor and director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University. Her research program focused on improving food safety standards to make an impact on public health. Her work evaluated interventions in pre- and post-harvest environments and on the emergence of antimicrobial drug resistance in animal feeding systems. She has an extensive publication record in peer-reviewed journals and has been invited to speak at national and international events on the topics of her research to give keynote addresses. Her research has resulted in more than 20 patents or patents pending for her innovative approach to improving food safety in the food supply.

Brashears began her career at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, working as an assistant professor and extension food safety specialist from 1997-2001.

The seminar is supported by the Department of Food Science and Technology at Nebraska.