Key Leadership Changes at FSIS
FSIS Deputy Administrator Dr. Denise Eblen and Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD) Assistant Administrator Rachel Edelstein retired at the end of February.
In new roles at the agency are April Regonlinksi, Assistant Administrator of OPPD, and William Griffin, the Assistant Administrator of the Office of Investigation, Enforcement and Audit (OIEA).
You can find these updates, and all personnel changes, on the FSIS website.
Catch the Most Recent Fresh Take Fridays Webinars
If you missed any of the most recent webinars in AFDO’s Fresh Take Fridays series, you can catch them by clicking on any of the following titles:
Connecting the Dots on HPAI: State and National Updates
March 6, 2026
Understanding the GRAS Loophole and Food Additive Regulation in the United States
December 12, 2025
Food Safety Culture: What We’ve Learned From EHS-Net Research
December 5, 2025
Help AFDO plan future Fresh Take Fridays sessions by taking a short survey to crystallize and submit your idea for a future webinar. You may have an insight from a foodborne illness outbreak or a topic you heard in a recent presentation that merits more attention. Help the FTF planning committee by sharing your thoughts in this survey.
One More Month to Save on 2026 AFDO AEC Registration Rates!
This year’s AFDO Annual Educational Conference will be June 5-9, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. Get ready for five days of educational sessions focused on three content tracks. Make new connections with peers and find out how they are managing common challenges.
New for this year: Pre-conference activities kick off Friday, June 5, with the opening evening session on Saturday, June 6.
Early bird registration is open until April 15, so register ASAP to get the discounted rate.
AFDO members get an additional discount for the annual conference.
Not a current member? You can save an additional $100 off the early bird price by joining AFDO or renewing your membership now. It’s like getting the year-round benefit of an AFDO membership FREE. Learn more and join now by visiting here.
Visit the conference website here.
This Friday
AFDO Cannabis, Hemp, and Natural Psychedelics Committee Webinar
The second of a two-part webinar with Dr. John MacKay, Founder and CEO of Synergistic Technologies Research, LLC, “Principles and Practice in Assessing Compliance of Cannabis Manufacturing” seeks to link regulatory expectations to real-world risks. Each section of the seminar is directly tied to common real-world risks encountered in cannabis manufacturing.
Watch the first two sessions of the webinar series here.
Date: March 13, 2026
Time: 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET
Register Here
MedCon 2026 Early Bird Rates End Tomorrow
The AFDO/RAPS Healthcare Products Collaborative is bringing MedCon back April 22-24, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Columbus in Columbus, Ohio. On Tuesday, April 21, there will be a full-day workshop titled “Case Studies in Medical Device Post Market Activities,” which is available for an additional fee.
Register by March 11 to save with early registration discounts. Book your hotel by March 31 for the best rates in the event room block.
You can register here.
AFDO.org Pro Tips
State Legislation Tracking
In this new regularly updated eNews section, AFDO staffers will share their pro tips on how to get the most from afdo.org. Assistant Program Director Steve Moris offers pro tips on how to get the most out of AFDO’s State Legislation Tracking.
“Who has time to track state legislation? If you’re a state or local food safety program manager, industry member, or just curious about legislative issues, it can be hard to keep track of everything going on in all 50 states when you’ve got 47 tabs open already. To see what’s cooking in other states, the State Legislation Tracking page helps users see problems coming, sound informed, borrow good ideas, and survive legislative season with their sanity mostly intact.”
Pro Tip: With more than 700 entries, use the search field in the upper right to narrow down by state, commodity, or subject. Search for kratom, cannabis, food additives, and more. You can also review bills from previous sessions in the archive at the bottom of the page.
ICYMI: Worth Another Look
New Regulatory Program Standards Strengthen Produce Safety
On February 24, 2026, the FDA, in collaboration with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO), and state produce inspection programs, announced the establishment of new regulatory program standards for produce. The Produce Regulatory Program Standards (PRPS) provide a uniform foundation across government produce regulators and are critical to advancing an integrated food safety system that leverages the collaboration and resources among federal, state, local, and tribal agencies to protect public health.
For more details, click here.
FDA Still Investigating Root Cause of Infant Botulism Outbreak Deemed Over by CDC
On February 26, 2026, CDC declared the infant botulism outbreak traced to ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula over. Since December 10, 2025, no new cases were added, and three previously reported cases were ultimately diagnosed with other illnesses and excluded from the case count. As of February 26, 2026, the investigation includes 28 cases of confirmed infant botulism and 20 cases of probable infant botulism.
The FDA, in addition to its post-incident response actions and activities, prevention, and compliance, has redesigned and modernized its infant formula web-based resources, which includes a new, publicly accessible list of all infant formulas that are available in the U.S. market.
Read the full update outbreak update here.
Smarter Solutions Podcast Goes Live
Smarter Food Safety, a podcast with former FDA Deputy Commissioner, Food Policy & Response, Frank Yiannas, MPH, went live earlier this week. Episode one features a conversation with Mike Taylor, former FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food & Veterinary Medicine, who discusses 15 years of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) with Yiannas.
Episode two will look at food colorings and food policy with guest Dave Schoneker, President of Black Diamond Regulatory Consulting and former President of the International Association of Color Manufacturers.
Crisis Management and Jurisdiction are Highlighted in Recent FSIS Update
On February 24, 2026, FSIS Deputy Administrator for Science and Policy Dr. Denise Eblen participated in the Global Crisis Management Summit Americas 2026 in New Orleans. Joined by Erik Mettler from FDA, she discussed how the federal government identifies and responds to food safety risks. Read more about the discussion in the most recent FSIS update here.The update also included a link to infographics from FSIS that are now available to help businesses determine whether meat, poultry, and egg products are under the agency’s jurisdiction. These infographics explain how product source, processing, and formulation determine jurisdiction.
Regional Affiliate News
2026 WAFDO AEC Call for Abstracts Now Open
The Colorado Environmental Health Association is partnering with the Western Association of Food and Drug Officials and the Rocky Mountain Food Safety Conference for what the groups are calling a Mega Annual Education Conference, September 21-24, 2026, at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel in Lakewood, Colorado.
The organizations have opened a call for abstracts, encouraging potential speakers and organizers to bring forward the stories, lessons, and innovations that have shaped their work. They are seeking talks on environmental health, including food, water, air, zoonosis, and more. Visit the Call for Abstracts page for more information.
AFDOSS AEC Set for Gatlinburg August 23-26
Association of Food and Drug Officials of the Southern States (AFDOSS) is hosting this year’s AEC back in Gatlinburg August 23-26. Stay tuned afdoss.org for more registration and hotel block info coming soon. For anyone interested in being a conference sponsor this year, the AFDOSS AEC team is searching for sponsorships. If you’re interested in sponsoring or donating items for raffles, gift bags, etc., contact AFDOSS Treasurer Craig Nielsen at afdoss.craig@gmail.com.
