The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has appointed Donna Garren as the new director of the Produce Safety Administration.
The office is located in the FDA’s Division of Microbiology and Food Safety. The office’s responsibilities include creating regulations, policies and guidelines for fresh fruits, vegetables and processed plant products. Our core mission is focused on preventing foodborne illness and microbial contamination throughout the growing, harvesting, packaging and storage processes.
The office is also responsible for setting minimum safety standards under the Food Safety and Modernization Act’s production safety rules, including agricultural water requirements and risk-based microbial controls. It also manages the Fruit and Vegetable Safety Department and the Processed Food and Beverage Safety Department.
Garren has a strong industry background, most recently serving as Senior Vice President at the American Frozen Food Institute, where he led the organization’s regulatory affairs and legislative affairs programs.
Conrad Choiniere, senior executive director of the FDA Human Foods Program, said Garren’s background in food safety, nutrition and regulatory affairs has been instrumental in building a strong and effective legislative and regulatory program for the food and beverage industry.
In addition to his work at the American Frozen Food Institute, Garren has held leadership roles at Boskovich Farms, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association, served as Vice President of Health and Safety Regulatory Affairs at the National Restaurant Association, and as Vice President of Food Safety Programs at the Consumer Goods Forum.
She also served as president and general manager at NSF International, where she demonstrated strong agricultural industry expertise across the farm-to-fork supply chain and strong relationships among consumer advocates, regulators and academia, according to Choiniere.
“Her hands-on experience navigating the intersection of federal agencies, industry stakeholders and international food safety frameworks, combined with her extensive network across all of these groups, will accelerate collaboration and advance food safety and public health priorities,” Choiniere said.
“She is a proven consensus builder who is well-positioned to drive results through partnerships while supporting FDA’s transparency and public engagement goals.”
Garren holds a PhD in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia.
