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Dr. Darin Detwiler

Dr. Darin Detwiler, Founder and CEO of Detwiler Consulting Group, LLC is as well-respected food safety advisor and author as well as an Associate Professor of food policy and corporate social responsibility at Northeastern University.  For 30 years, he has played a unique role in controlling foodborne illness: twice appointed to the USDA’s National Advisory Board on Meat and Poultry Inspection, represented consumers with NGOs, served on Conference for Food Protection councils, and supported the FDA’s implementation of FSMA.  He is the current Chair of NEHA’s Food Safety Program Committee.

In 2023, QA Magazine named Dr. Detwiler to “The Food Safety Set”: One of “21 People Who Have Shaped the Last 30 Years of Food Safety.”  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.

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    In the early 1990s, the USDA’s Secretary of Agriculture enlisted Detwiler’s support in the preparation and implementation of their Pathogen Reduction Program in response to the 1993 Jack in the Box E.coli outbreak.  In 2004, the Secretary of Agriculture appointed him to two terms on the USDA’s National Advisory Committee for Meat and Poultry Inspection. Detwiler later served as the Senior Policy Coordinator for STOP Foodborne Illness.  Detwiler went on to support the FDA’s progress towards implementation of FSMA by bringing forward the true burden of disease to various federal, state, and industry audiences.

    Dr. Detwiler is a sought-after speaker and has addressed key issues in food safety at corporate and regulatory training events, as well as national and international events in Spain, Dubai, and the UK.  He has been featured as a speaker before VTEC, STEC CAP, Food Safety Consortium, Food Safety Summit, AFDO regional events, FDA regional seminars, and multiple state public and environmental health conferences.

    A consumer food safety advocate since 1993, Dr. Detwiler has been featured in a variety of national news stories on food safety with media such as The New York Times, Food Safety News, CNBC, CNN, NPR, PBS’s Frontline, and ABC’s Good Morning America.  The 2023 documentary Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food features extensive interviews and insights from Dr. Detwiler.

    He is a contributing writer to numerous food industry publications and is quoted frequently by journalists across the country.  Detwiler is a member of the editorial advisory board for Quality Assurance Magazine, as well as on numerous committees and advisory panels related to food science, nutrition, fraud, and policy.  Detwiler is the host of GFSR’s “Eye on Food Safety with Dr. D.” webinar.  He is also a frequent guest on a variety of podcasts or webinars related to food policy and education.

    A Navy submarine veteran, Dr. Detwiler graduated from the Navy's Nuclear Power schools and served as a mechanical operator, an engine room supervisor, and a quality assurance inspector for a submarine's nuclear propulsion plant.  Dr. Detwiler holds a B.A. in History and Education and an M.A.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction.  He earned his Doctorate in Law and Policy at Northeastern University with his research on state food regulatory capacity and alignment with federal policy. 

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