In March, when Mindy M. Brashears became the fifth Senate-confirmed USDA Under Secretary for Food Safety and Paul Kiecker moved up to be theUSDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service Administrator, it’s likely neither could have imaged the meat industry crisis that was in store for them.

But just as former FSIS Administrator Carmen Rottenberg left government to form Groundswell Strategy with veteran lobbyist Randy Russell, the coronavirus pandemic put all of USDA into crisis mode.

April was like no month in the history of FSIS as Brashears and Kiecker had to scramble with beef, pork, and poultry plants closing or reducing production because too many employees were infected with the virus. The daily possibility of having too few FSIS inspectors available for some plant to remain open was also a problem.

And FSIS had to be quick about consulting with FDA, CDC, OHSA, and even EPA so the federal government could provide guidance to all sorts of businesses to get the country open again. Much of this action occurred during April.

The FSIS issues public calendars for the Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FSIS Administrator and his or her deputies. The public calendars are for any meetings with people outside the federal government.

April was the first full month since Rottenberg’s departure. And since it is not yet available, Food Safety News’ periodic review of the public calendars this time will focus on the last six months of Rottenberg’s tenure.

Six months before her exit in September 2019 Rottenberg and others from FSIS met with Travis Arp and others from the Denver-based U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). The topic was reported as “export issues.”

Later in the month, Rottenberg and others from FSIS met in Washington D.C. with Dave Carter, executive director of the National Bison Association, and numerous ranchers about bison inspection.

Rottenberg also was interviewed by CNN, CBS, USDA Radio, and other media outlets about the swine slaughter modernization rule.

With five months to go, in mid-October 2019, Rottenberg and others from FSIS discussed Siluriformes inspection with representatives of the Catfish Farmers of America and The Catfish Institute.

Rottenberg also discussed swine modernization with Joel Roberson and Michael Skahill, both with Smithfield Foods Inc.

With four months to go, Rottenberg and others from FSIS met on Nov. 12 met with a delegation that was in town for the quarterly meeting of The Partnership for Food Safety Education,  a nonprofit organization with a mission to end illness and death from foodborne infections in the United States.

The next day, Rottenberg was back talking about Siluriformes imports, but this time with the U.S. Seafood Distributors Association. Later Rottenberg was interviewed by a farm publication about Thanksgiving food safety.

With just three months to go, Joe Harris, president of the Southwest Meat Association, was in Rottenberg’s office to talk about regulatory reform for small and very small plants. Rottenberg also did some radio interviews as part of FSIS’s talent recruitment for open meat inspector positions

Labeling was the issue for Mike Brown, president and Ashley Peterson, senior vice president, both of the National Chicken Council. They met with Rottenberg and others from FSIS on Jan. 6.

Brian McFarlane, head of JBS USA technical services, and Sherri Williams, with JBS USA’s food safety and microbiology programs, meet with Rottenberg on Jan. 7 about “data sharing and operational updates.”

Rottenberg and others from FSIS were dialed into a teleconference on export issues with representatives of several industry organizations ranging from the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to the National Pork Producers Council.

Rottenberg next discussed state inspection and cooperative interstate shipment programs with state agriculture secretaries from Oklahoma and Tennessee.

With just one month to go, Rottenberg participated with others from FSIS in a “recall roundtable” that on Feb. 5 in Washington D.C. Industry representatives that also participated were from Cargill, Hogan Lovells, Hormel, the National Chicken Council, the National Turkey Federation, North American Meat Institute, Olsson Frank Weeda, OSI Group, Smithfield Foods, and Tyson Foods.

Rottenberg also got an “operational update” from a delegation from Smithfield Foods Inc. on Feb. 5.

With the exception of December, Rottenberg and Brashears continued their practice of each month holding separate meetings with industry and consumer representatives. The Office of Food Safety (OFS) is headed by the Under Secretary for Food Safety.  Command of FSIS falls to the Administrator. Food Safety News publishes the anticipated attendance list for these meetings, once or twice a year.  Here are those signed up for February 2019:

Consumer Representatives (OFS)

In-person Attendance:

Sarah Sorscher Center for Science in the Public Interest

Tony Corbo Food and Water Watch

Robyn Robbins United Food and Commercial Workers

Thomas Gremillion Consumer Federation of America

Teleconference Attendance

Pat Buck Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

Kara Morgan Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

Tanya Roberts Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

Mitzi Baum Stop Foodborne Illness

Consumer Representatives (FSIS)

In-person Attendance:

Sarah Sorscher Center for Science in the Public Interest

Tony Corbo Food and Water Watch

Robyn Robbins United Food and Commercial Workers

Thomas Gremillion Consumer Federation of America

Teleconference Attendance

Pat Buck Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

Kara Morgan Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

Tanya Roberts Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention

Mitzi Baum Stop Foodborne Illness

Industry Representatives (OFS)

In-person Attendance:

Allison Rivera National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Andrew Bailey National Pork Producers Council

Brian Eyink Hogan Lovells US LLP

Chase Adams American Sheep Industry Association

Chris Young American Association of Meat Processors

Hilary Thesmar Food Marketing Institute

Jessica Watson National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

John Dillard Olsson Frank Weeda Law

Kathryn Rose McCullough North American Meat Institute

Mark Dopp North American Meat Institute

Teleconference Attendance:

Denise Heard U.S. Poultry

Kathy Simmons National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Oscar Garrison United Egg Producers

Industry Representatives (FSIS)

In-person Attendance:

Ali Mohseni American Foods Group, LLC

Allison Rivera National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Andrew Bailey National Pork Producers Council

Andrew Cotton U.S. Seafood Distributors Association

Ashley Peterson National Chicken Council

Barbara Masters Tyson Foods

Barry Carpenter Food Safety Net Services

Brett Schwemer Olsson Frank Weeda Law

Brian Eyink Hogan Lovells US LLP

Casey Gallimore North American Meat Institute

Charles Penry Tyson Foods

Chase Adams American Sheep Industry Association

Chris Young American Association of Meat Processors

Jessica Watson National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

John Dillard Olsson Frank Weeda Law

Juan Pio Hernandez U.S. Seafood Distributors Association

Kathryn Rose McCullough North American Meat Institute

Lawrence Bryant MICA

Lisa Weddig National Fisheries Institute

Mark Dopp North American Meat Institute

Pamela Abney Mountaire Farms

Tiffany Lee North American Meat Institute

Teleconference Attendance:

Andrea Perkins Superior Farms

Andrea Yablunosky SAY Consulting LLC

Ashley Eisenbeiser Food Marketing Institute

Barbara Negron North American Natural Casing Association

Brian Sylvester Foley & Lardner LLP

Bryan Miller Wayne Farms LLC

Charlotte Waller VPGC, LLC

Cheyenne McEndaffer U.S. Meat Export Federation

Chris Forgues Hogan Lovells US LLP

Dan Etzler Cargill

Dane Bernard Bold Bear Food Safety

Denise Heard U.S. Poultry

Hilary Thesmar Food Marketing Institute

Hiroko Bray Smithfield

Jennifer McEntire United Fresh Produce Assn

Jolyda Swaim Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz PC

Juanfra DeVillena Wayne Farms LLC

Kara Schoonover Foley & Lardner

Kathy Simmons National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Katie Hanigan Smithfield Foods

Keith Day Twin Rivers Foods

Kelly Nuckolls National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Kim Rice Rose Acre Farm

Kristin Lindahl Cargill

Leonard Lang IEA

Lia Biondo the United States Cattlemen’s Association and American Dairy Coalition

Mandy Carr National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Michael Schumpp North American Meat Institute

Morgan Henriott U.S. Meat Export Federation

Norm Robertson North American Meat Institute

Oscar Garrison United Egg Producers

Rafael Rivera U.S. Poultry and Egg Association

Riëtte van Laack Hyman, Phelps & McNamara PC

Roya Galindo North American Meat Institute

Suzanne Finstad Tyson Foods, Inc.

Tina Rendon Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation

Tyler Stephens Hygiena