Food Safety Matters

Oscar Garrison is the senior vice president of food safety regulatory affairs at United Egg Producers. Previously, he was the director of food safety with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. As a past president of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, Oscar led the national organization's efforts to promote an integrated food safety system by working with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies and industry. Oscar earned his B.Sc. in Forensic Science and Technology from Jacksonville State University. In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Oscar [20:25] about: How his background in forensic science led him to an unexpected career in food safety The most challenging aspects of being a state regulator How state regulatory bodies work with federal and local agencies to investigate foodborne illness outbreaks Why having specialized staff and maintaining those staff members are crucial at the state regulatory level How state regulators can help educate small and independent producers I