Beyond Mandates: Inspiring Proactive Food Safety Leadership. Episode 11

Author, columnist, industry consultant, academic, Navy nuclear submarine veteran,
and “Food Safety Icon.”

Dr. Detwiler is well-known for his keynote speeches that inspire leaders to rethink courage, responsibility, trust, and legacy.  He is currently an Associate Professor of Sustainability, Global Economics of Food and Agriculture, as well as Global Corporate Social Responsibility at Northeastern University, where his students have gone on to leadership positions in industry and state and federal agencies. 

For 30 years, he has played a unique role in controlling foodborne illness, serving in appointed advisories for the USDA, representing consumers as the Senior Policy Coordinator for NGOs, serving on Conference for Food Protection councils, and supporting the FDA’s implementation of FSMA.  In addition to his current role as the Chair of the National Environmental Health Association’s Food Safety Program Committee, his leadership capacities include numerous advisory and editorial boards as well as having long consulted on food safety issues with industry in the U.S. and abroad.

Detwiler’s research and insights have appeared on television and in print, including his columns and articles in Quality Assurance and Food Safety Magazine and his books, including his acclaimed 2020 books Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and Building the Future of Food Safety Technology: Blockchain and Beyond.  Dr. Detwiler can be seen in multiple podcasts, webinars, his 2020 TEDxNortheasternU talk, magazine and newspaper articles, books, TV shows, and in the 2023 Netflix documentary “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food.”

A U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Veteran, Dr. Detwiler earned his doctorate in Law and Policy, focusing on states’ ability to implement federal food policies.  He is the recipient of the International Association for Food Protection’s 2022 Ewen C.D. Todd Control of Foodborne Illness Award as well as their 2018 Distinguished Service Award for dedicated and exceptional contributions to the reduction of risks of foodborne illness.