The United States Senate confirmed Mindy Brashears as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety.
Brashears was nominated for the post by President Donald Trump on May 4, 2018, but that nomination was stalled. In January 2019, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue named her as the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, a position that had less authority and did not require confirmation from the U.S. Senate.
“I am pleased the Senate has acted on Dr. Brashears’ nomination to continue leading food safety efforts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry. “She has proven to be a capable leader, and I’m confident she’ll continue to get the job done.”
Brashears’ confirmation also drew the praise of the National Turkey Federation (NTF).
“Food safety is the turkey industry’s top priority, and NTF applauds the Senate for taking action to confirm Mindy Brashears as Under Secretary of Food Safety,” said Joel Brandenberger, NTF president. “NTF looks forward to working with Under Secretary Brashears to advance the shared goals of delivering safe, wholesome turkey products to consumers and amplifying food safety education.”
Prior to her appointment to the deputy under secretary position, Brashears served as a professor of food safety and food microbiology, and the director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University.
She is a past chair of the National Alliance for Food Safety and Security and of the USDA multi-state research group.
She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and has received numerous awards including the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Laboratorian Award, the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) Distinguished Research Award, the AMSA Distinguished Industry Service Award, AMSA Achievement Award and was listed in the National Provisioner’s Top 25 Future Icons in the Meat Industry. She has an extensive publication record in peer-reviewed journals and also holds more than 25 patents for her innovative approaches to improving food safety in the food supply.
