Association of Food and Drug Officials

Association of Food and Drug Officials

Many perspectives, one voice, since 1896.

Fresh Take Fridays — Is Food Safety One-Size-Fits-All? A Comparison of Small vs. Large Brands

Start October 2, 2026

Virtual / Live

About

Large brands and small businesses often face the same food safety challenges, but do they tackle them the same way? Using data from national surveys, this session compares food safety policies, practices, and culture across retail operations of different sizes. Discover what these findings mean for operators and regulators working to strengthen food safety from corporate headquarters to the corner store.

Who Should Attend

Location

Travel

Course Length

Seat Limit

Who You Will Learn From

Deanna copeland
Deanna Copeland
AFDO
Deanna Copeland joined the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) in early 2023, to lead projects for the Retail Food Safety Regulatory Association Collaborative and deliver training to strengthen retail food safety nationwide. With more than 24 years of experience in local regulatory, Copeland has had many roles from retail food safety inspector, plan review specialist, trainer, field supervisor, to program manager—bringing a wealth of experience and hands-on expertise to her role at AFDO.
Carrie Rigdon
Carrie Rigdon
AFDO
Carrie Rigdon is the Research Director at AFDO, where she leads data analysis and research initiatives to enhance food safety. Previously, she managed operations and emergency response at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Food and Feed Safety Division. With a Ph.D. in Environmental Health and an MPH in Epidemiology, Rigdon brings extensive expertise in outbreak investigation, regulatory program management, collaborative problem solving, environmental sampling, grant writing, and the application of artificial intelligence to food safety data.

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AFDO

The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) is a regulatory organization that connects food and medical-products safety stakeholders and impacts the regulatory environment by shaping sound, science-based rules, law, regulations, and sharing best practices that protect public health.