The FMI Foundation, in partnership with The Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), a division of FMI – The Food Industry Association, has awarded 15 food safety scholars with a 2023 Food Safety Auditing Scholarship.
Recipients receive a $3,000 scholarship and an educational travel grant to SQF Unites, an event for the global food safety and quality community.
“Food safety auditors are the backbone of our industry, working tirelessly to ensure the foods sold at the grocery store safely enrich and nourish lives,” said David Fikes, executive director of the FMI Foundation.
“Our scholarship recipients, who represent the cream of the crop in this specialized area, get to network with seasoned veterans, with both groups reaping benefits from their exchanges. It is thrilling to watch the scholars learn and to see the innovative ideas they bring to the industry.”
The recipients of the 2023 FMI Foundation Food Safety Auditing Scholarship are:
- Esther Akoto, Iowa State University
- Grace Akumu, Texas Tech University;
- Ebenezer Aning-Dei, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University;
- Rabia Farheen Shamim Basha, University of Massachusetts-Amherst;
- Shivaprasad Doddabematti-Prakash, Kansas State University;
- Rebecca Galvez, Texas A&M University;
- Emma Holliday, University of Florida;
- Paxton Hutchings, Oklahoma State University;
- Brayan Montoya-Torres, Texas Tech University;
- Blanca Ruiz-Llacsahuanga, University of Georgia;
- Mari Schroeder, University of Florida.
- Hanna Silensky, Oklahoma State University;
- Amandeep Singh, Purdue University;
- Minh Thach, Niagara College; and
- Vanessa Whitmore, University of Nebraska-Lincoln;
“The FMI Foundation and SQFI’s unwavering commitment to invest in the future of food safety and celebrate excellence is evident in this program,” said Gigi Vita, chief food safety assessment officer and SVP of SQFI.
“We are honored to celebrate this class of scholarship recipients and help ignite their professional journeys.”
About FMI – The Food Industry Association
As the food industry association, FMI works on behalf of the industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain.
FMI brings together a range of members across the value chain – from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services – to amplify the collective work of the industry.
Read more association news from The Shelby Report.
