September 19, 2022
In this podcast, Bill Marler is interviewed about his early career during the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak. Bill provides advice for companies that would like to shore up their food safety programs. He also discusses strategies for recall modernization, traceability technologies for supply chains and better ways to communicate recall information to the public. Lastly, Bill provides a list of critical food safety improvements that need to happen in our country.
- How taking on and winning the various lawsuits related to the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak helped shape the rest of Bill's career, and what he took away from these cases on a personal level
- How his career in defending victims of foodborne illness has become an "avocation" in addition to his "vocation," and his desire to do more work to advance food safety policy
- How Jack in the Box, under Dave Theno's leadership, turned around its operations following the outbreak and set new standards for the fast food industry
- The significant regulatory and industry changes that were enacted by USDA as a result of the 1993 E. coli outbreak
- Bill's advice for companies that want to shore up their food safety programs before it's too late, and the "warning signs" he sees in every foodborne illness case he defends
- How food safety culture, as communicated from the top management down, can successfully shape food safety practices and empower employees company-wide
- Potential strategies for recall modernization, including improved traceability technologies for supply chains and better ways to communicate recall information to consumers
- Bill's shortlist for critical food safety improvements that need to happen over the next five to ten years.