Food Safety Forum Speakers

Dr. Donna Garren’s extensive background and expertise in food safety, food science, nutrition and regulatory affairs are instrumental in building and enhancing strong and effective regulatory programs for the food and beverage industry. Prior to joining AFFI, Dr. Garren was the President and General Manager for NSF Agriculture (formerly NSF Davis Fresh), a business unit of NSF International. Dr. Garren has also held senior food safety and health positions with The Consumer Goods Forum, National Restaurant Association and United Fresh Produce Association. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia and her Bachelor of Science in Food Science from Clemson University.

Sharon Mayl applies her decades of senior level experience at FDA to assist her clients in the areas of food safety, food labelling, product development, imports, third-party audits, dietary supplements, and cannabis. At FDA, Sharon served as Senior Advisor for Policy in Office of the Commissioner, playing a leading role in implementing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), including FSVP, VQIP, and Third-Party Certification.

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Alex Eapen is the Director of the R&D Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Team – North America at Cargill. He has over 25 years of experience as a toxicologist and risk assessor for FDA-regulated products. Additionally, Alex is an adjunct faculty at the University of Minnesota College of Continuing and Professional studies. He serves on numerous academic advisory boards as well as several scientific and trade organizations representing the food industry. He is also a diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

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Krisi Muldoon-Jacobs is a Regulatory Toxicologist with over 15 years experience in the pre-clinical assessment of FDA regulated products including drugs, dietary supplements, and foods. She has extensive knowledge in use of standards to support regulatory systems globally to ensure quality and safety of products and an internationally recognized expert in the application of new and alternative safety and risk assessment methods.

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As Regulatory Counsel, Jensen Jose focuses on supporting CSPI’s efforts to strengthen the oversight of food additives and dietary supplements. Jensen’s prior experience includes having served as regulatory policy specialist and staff liaison for the American Optometric Association. He also served as associate counsel for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and a research associate for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

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Joseph Zagorski is dedicated to better understanding and supporting the safety of consumer products as they pertain to bettering public health. At the Center for Research on Ingredient Safety, his goal is to develop alternative model systems, utilizing primary human cells and tissues. The overarching goal of his research is to utilize these models to promote public health and support research for ingredient safety.

Andrea Bruce has spent her career advising the country’s food & beverage manufacturers and the trade associations that represent them. Immediately prior to joining Hogan Lovells, Andrea spent over 17 years in-house at Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, and The Hershey Company, handling the full suite of food regulatory issues facing food companies in the U.S. including product labeling, claims substantiation, FSMA and Proposition 65 compliance, product recalls, ingredient safety, and federal and state food facility inspections. Drawing on lessons learned in-house, Andrea brings a pragmatic orientation to her practice, always striving for actionable solutions to problems that mesh well with existing business practices.

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Riëtte van Laack provides regulatory counsel on OTC products, including foods and dietary supplements, OTC drugs, cosmetics, and animal feed and drugs on a range of FDA, USDA, FTC, and CPSC issues. Her practice includes USDA regulatory issues ranging from requirements for import of animal products (APHIS), use of ingredients in meat, poultry, and egg products (FSIS), and organic labeling requirements (AMS).  Riëtte van Laack conducts due diligence evaluations of FDA- and USDA-regulated companies. She additionally assists clients with compliance and liability issues related to products regulated both by the CPSC and FDA.