Frank Yiannas will step down from his role as Walmart’s vice president of food safety to become the deputy commissioner for food policy and response at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Yiannas announced his decision to join the FDA on October 18 via Twitter. “It’s a brand new day & I am humbled and honored to be joining the @FDA,” Yiannas tweeted.
In the role, Yiannas will assume a critical set of charges related to food safety, including leading the continued implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). In this role, he’ll work in close collaboration with the leadership of Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, and the food components of the Office of Regulatory Affairs, according to a blog from Bill Marler, an attorney who specializes in food safety cases, citing a letter from FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb.
Yiannas also will serve as a senior scientific adviser to the Commissioner on various food safety and supply chain matters, including FSMA implementation. Additionally, he’ll help lead and coordinate certain policy activities and associated external engagement activities related to food safety and animal health.
About Frank Yiannas
In his role at Walmart, Yiannas oversaw all food safety functions, as well as other public health functions. Prior to joining Walmart in 2008, Yiannas was the director of safety and health for the Walt Disney World Company, where he worked for 19 years.
Willing to share his expertise with those in the poultry industry, Yiannas was a speaker at the 2018 Chicken Marketing Summit, where he discussed the need for poultry companies to collaborate, educate consumers and leverage new technology in order to win the battle on food safety. He also was a speaker at 2015 International Poultry Forum China.
In 2008, Yiannas was given the Collaboration Award by the FDA. He is the 2007 recipient of the NSF International Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Food Safety and the 2015 Industry Professional Food Safety Hero Award by STOP Foodborne Illness. Yiannas is also a past president of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and a past vice chair of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). He is also an adjunct professor in the Food Safety Program at Michigan State University, and in 2017, he was awarded the MSU Outstanding Faculty Award.
Yiannas is the author of the books "Food Safety Culture: Creating a Behavior-based Food Safety Management System," and "Food Safety = Behavior, 30 Proven Techniques to Enhance Employee Compliance," by Springer Scientific. He is a registered microbiologist with the American Academy of Microbiology. Yiannas received his bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Central Florida and his master of public health (MPH) from the University of South Florida.
Ostroff retiring
Yiannas will succeed Stephen Ostroff, M.D., who will be retiring from the agency on January 5.
Ostroff had been in the role since May 2016. Ostroff joined FDA in 2013 as chief medical officer in the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and senior public health adviser to FDA's Office of Foods and Veterinary Medicine. He also served as the acting FDA commissioner on two occasions, from April 2015 to late February 2016 and again from January to May 2017.
Prior to that, he served as deputy director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
