Yuma, Arizona - Frank Yiannas, the Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will be speaking to agriculture students at Arizona Western College on Tuesday, December 3.
Yiannas will meet with 15 to 25 students to talk about his role at the FDA and answer questions that students may have. His presentation will be of particular interest to AWC and University of Arizona - Yuma agriculture majors interested in a career in food safety.
The visit will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Agriculture Research Lab (AL) building in room 102 at the AWC Yuma Campus, 2020 S. Ave 8E.
A renowned food safety expert, author, and microbiologist, Frank Yiannas began working with the FDA in December of 2018 after previously holding leadership roles at Walmart and the Walt Disney Company. Yiannas held the title of Vice President for Food Safety at Walmart and was the Director of Safety and Health at Disney. Throughout his career, he’s been recognized for his role in elevating food safety standards and building effective food safety management systems based on modern science and risk-based prevention principles.
He is now the principal advisor to FDA Commissioner in the development and execution of policies related to food safety, including implementation of the landmark FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). His leadership role within the agency covers a broad spectrum of food safety priorities, such as outbreak response, traceback investigations, product recall activities, and supply chain innovation across the full spectrum of FDA-regulated products.