When you and your family sit down to eat at a restaurant, get room service in your hotel, or pick up cold cuts from your local deli, it’s comforting to know that people like Dr. David McSwane are working hard behind the scenes to make sure your food is free from harmful and potentially deadly pathogens.
A beloved friend of Stop Foodborne Illness, Dr. McSwane is a nationally recognized expert and trainer in food safety and sanitation. He serves as Executive Director at the Conference for Food Protection (CFP) and has authored two important books that help retail food establishments operate at the top of their food safety game. And you’ll quickly get the sense that Dr. McSwane LOVES his work when you dig in to our special Q & A with this brilliant, passionate food safety expert.
Q: David, tell us what inspired you to pursue a career in food safety.
A: As an undergraduate student I majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. My original career plan was going to medical school. However, my plans changed due to media coverage of environmental events in the 1960s.
In particular, I was impressed by the finiteness of our planet as illustrated by the first photos of Earth from space, the fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland due to pollution from local industries, Lake Erie being declared a “dead” lake, and the Santa Barbara oil spill that caused severe ecological and economic impact.
I took an Environmental Health Science course that covered a variety of environmental hazards (air pollution, water pollution, solid and hazardous waste, occupational hazards, etc.) and diseases, along with the adverse environmental/economic impact they cause. Late in the semester, there was a unit on food safety. It spotlighted examples of recent foodborne disease outbreaks, and the authors predicted there were more illnesses caused by contaminated food than from all other environmental hazards combined. It occurred to me that, while other types of environmental hazards receive most of the media attention, food safety should be priority one if we are to lessen the disease burden of society.
Q: In your role as Executive Director at the Conference for Food Protection (CFP), what activities fill your day?
A: Most of my time is spent supporting the efforts of our Executive Board, CFP’s three Councils, and its many Standing and Council Committees. Much of CFP’s work is performed by these groups. Sharing information with CFP members and fielding questions from the public, media, and other entities about food safety topics fills my day, too.
One thing I do that makes a big impact in protecting people from foodborne illness is planning and implementing the Conference for Food Protection’s biennial meeting. That event brings together representatives from the food industry, government, academia, and consumer organizations to identify emerging problems of food safety and formulate recommendations to address them. The recommendations accepted during a biennial meeting are commonly forwarded to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and others parties for consideration and implementation.
Though the CFP has no formal regulatory authority, it greatly influences key food safety laws and regulations such as the FDA Food Code. Our work includes promoting adoption of that Code and its interpretation/implementation by food safety regulatory agencies at all levels.
Q: Your research focuses on environmental factors that cause human illness and injury. Give us a sense of how your research is making a positive impact in preventing illness and saving lives.
A: I retired as Professor of Environmental Health Science and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Science in the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University in 2013. With retirement came a shift in the focus of my research where I now emphasize translating research into practice.
My work has been published in textbooks for college students and practicing professionals. I contributed a chapter entitled, “Changing Agricultural Practices and Their Impact on Disease Control” for a textbook entitled Introduction to Environmental Health by Joe E. Beck. I also co-authored two chapters “Microbiology (of the Food Code)” and “Environmental Health and Safety” in a book entitled Regulatory Foundations for the Food Protection Professional by Bradsher, et al.
Throughout my career, I’ve held the belief that a knowledgeable workforce is essential for preventing foodborne illness. This pertains to both managers and employees working in food establishments and the regulators who routinely inspect these types of operations. It’s my goal to present complex concepts in a manner that’s easy to understand and teach. This applies to foodborne pathogens, foodborne illness, and interventions that can be used to prevent or control risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness.
Feedback from people who read my work suggests they appreciate that I advocate that food establishment managers and inspectors must work together in a non-adversarial manner to solve food safety problems. Food managers frequently say that as a result of reading my books they gain a new appreciation for foodborne illness and how it can adversely affect the health of their customers and impact their business.
I’m most gratified when food establishment managers say the books and supplemental materials I’ve written have become the basis for their in-house employee food safety training programs. This helps assure that proper safeguards are used during food production, handling, and display, and ultimately reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
Q: You’ve authored a couple books, Food Safety Fundamentals and SafeMark Guide to Food Safety. How are these books bringing about positive change?
A: Studies have shown that food safety and sanitation are best in food establishments supervised by a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM). These studies also indicate the risk factors known to contribute to foodborne illness are more effectively managed when the person in charge has demonstrated knowledge of food safety including foodborne disease prevention, application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles, and FDA Food Code requirements.
The FDA Food Code recommends that retail food establishments have a minimum of one designated CFPM who’s accountable for food safety. To become a CFPM, an individual must pass a food safety certification examination from an accredited certification organization recognized by the CFP.
Food Safety Fundamentals and the SafeMark Guide to Food Safety help people take and pass a food safety certification examination. The content is also used to train employees about safe food handling and prevention of foodborne illness. Examples, illustrations, and applications found in Food Safety Fundamentals are customized for food establishments while the SafeMark Guide to Food Safety is customized for retail food stores and related types of operations.
At the end of the day, through these books, I help keep the food you eat at food establishments safe.
Q: How did you learn about STOP Foodborne Illness and how does your partnership with us benefit the work you do?
A: I’ve known about STOP Foodborne Illness since it was first created as Safe Tables Our Priority (S.T.O.P.) in the early 1990s. I followed closely the events surrounding the E. coli outbreak that prompted the formation of S.T.O.P. and have always been impressed by its mission, people, and supporters.
Over the years I’ve heard powerful, poignant presentations made by STOP Foodborne Illness speakers that moved me personally and helped advance my work. I’ve also used the organization as a trusted source of information about foodborne illness for food safety classes I’ve taught and research I’ve conducted.
Q: What’s one thing you’re working on that you’d like our readers to know about and take action on?
A: I’m currently investigating the potential public health impact of antibiotic resistant pathogens. Animals raised in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are stressed as a result of living in confined spaces, and living in close proximity also facilitates the spread of pathogens from one animal to another. This has prompted CAFO operators to deliver low doses of antimicrobial drugs to healthy animals through feed and water for nontherapeutic purposes.
Growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria occurs when bacteria are exposed to low doses of an antibiotic that kill only a portion of the bacteria present. Some of the bacteria that survive will transfer one or more resistant genes to their offspring, and they become more resistant to the effect of the drug. The development of antibiotic resistant microbes is occurring more rapidly than the development of new antimicrobial drugs. The scarcity of new antimicrobial drugs limits treatment options, particularly for patients with infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms. When this occurs, another drug that the bacteria do not exhibit a resistance to will have to be administered if available.
In recent years, consumers have voiced growing concern about drug-resistant bacteria. As a result, certain meat producers (beef, pork, and poultry) have started to phase out the practice of administering antibiotics to healthy animals. However, until all producers discontinue this practice, consumers should be proactive and buy antibiotic-free foods that bear a label such as USDA Organic/Certified Organic, Food Alliance Certified, Animal Welfare Approved, and American Grassfed Certified. Consumers should also understand the term “Natural” doesn’t always mean no antibiotics, and phrases like “Antibiotic-free,” “No antibiotic residues,” and “No antibiotic growth” are NOT approved by USDA and don’t ensure that no antibiotics were used during the animal’s life.
The State of California recently passed a law that prohibits the administration of medically important antimicrobial drugs to livestock unless ordered by a licensed veterinarian. This new law, which takes effect on January 1, 2018, is designed to protect the health and safety of animals and consumers. Under the law, antibiotics may be administered to animals if used to treat or control the spread of a disease or infection, as an enhancement to surgery or medical procedures, or as a prophylactic measure to lower the risk of contracting a disease or infection. However, the law specifically prohibits administration of antibiotics solely to promote weight gain or improve feed efficiency. Consumers should urge elected officials at the state and federal levels to pass similar legislation to ensure the judicious use of antibiotics.
Dr. David McSwane is the Executive Director of the Conference for Food Protection. He is also Professor Emeritus in Environmental Health Sciences at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at Indiana University.
Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana University, Dr. McSwane was Administrator of the Monroe County Health Department in Bloomington, Indiana and a Public Health Sanitarian with the Indiana State Department of Health. He is Past-President of the Indiana Environmental Health Association and the Indiana Public Health Association.
Dr. McSwane lives with his wife, Ava, in Martinsville, IN. In their free time they like to travel and spend time with their grandchildren.
As the voice of people affected by foodborne illness, we collaborate with partners in academia, the food industry, and government to prevent foodborne illness. We advocate for effective food safety policy and facilitate culture change to increase food safety.
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