Applied Root Cause Analysis: Using Your Results to Effectively Manage Risk

2/22/24 2:00 pm to 2/22/25 EST

Root cause analysis (RCA) is an essential tool used for understanding and correctly identifying the root causes of a food safety/quality issue. It is also a cost-effective approach to management and operations in any organization. Subject matter experts from industry, regulatory, trade association, and industry advisory groups will review how to get to the core problem by undertaking an RCA investigation. This determination helps identify effective corrective/preventive actions to avoid reoccurrence of issues and is a crucial step in managing risks. The speakers will discuss the RCA workshop they led at the 2023 Food Safety Summit that included a hands-on exercise and the presentation of case studies, and they will preview their planned RCA session at the 2024 Food Safety Summit.

From this webinar, attendees will learn:

The importance of root cause analysis (RCA) to understanding food safety and quality issues
Best practices for conducting RCA investigations, and areas where analysis can fall short
How to apply RCA to real-world challenges and use results to develop corrective/preventive actions

Speakers:

Brendan Niemira, Ph.D., Lead Scientist, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Brendan A. Niemira is a Lead Scientist and Research Microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), where his research develops and validates a variety of nonthermal food processing technologies. He has published more than 180 peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and critical reviews. Dr. Niemira is a Fellow of IFT and a past member of the IFT Board of Directors.

Deb Kane, M.S., Vice President, Food Safety, Quality, EHSS, and Regulatory, J&J Snack Foods Corp. Deb Kane, M.S., is Vice President of Food Safety, Quality, EHSS, and Regulatory at J&J Snack Foods Corp. She has worked as a food safety microbiologist with experience in pathogen control, risk assessments, spoilage investigations, root cause analysis, and inoculation challenge studies. Ms. Kane holds an M.S. degree in Food Science and a graduate certificate in Food Safety and Defense from Kansas State University, as well as a B.S. degree in Biology from The College of New Jersey.

John Butts, Ph.D., Founder and Principal, FoodSafetyByDesign LLC. John Butts, Ph.D., founded FoodSafetyByDesign LLC in 2010 to help producers of high-risk products learn how to prevent and manage food safety risks. Dr. Butts’ specialty is the incorporation of food safety practices into company culture. Dr. Butts has received The NSF Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame in 2020.

Tim Jackson, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor for Food Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Tim Jackson, Ph.D., is a Senior Science Advisor for Food Safety with FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and the current President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). Dr. Jackson received his B.S. degree in Biology from Abilene Christian University and his M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Food Microbiology from Texas A&M University.

Tim King, M.S., Founder and Senior Consultant, Quality Matters LLC. Tim King, M.S., M.A., is Founder of and a Senior Partner with Quality Matters LLC. He is a quality SME and Instructor for the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Mr. King specializes in QMS implementations, process improvement teams, and corrective action investigations. He holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Engineering, an M.A. in Adult Learning, and ASQ certifications for Quality Manager, Auditor, and Inspector. He earned his Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt certification from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering.

Moderator: Adrienne Blume, Editorial Director, Food Safety Magazine

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