FMI – The Food Industry Association has added Shelby Furman as its new director, food and product safety programs.
In her role, Furman will be responsible for developing and implementing food and product safety programs, as well as directing food protection activities and providing technical expertise for the FMI membership.
Specifically, she will work on issues related to chemical contaminants in food and packaging, with a focus on providing technical expertise for science-based policies to regulate these substances and support for FMI members regarding compliance.
She will also lead FMI’s food safety efforts on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Closer to Zero program, which aims to reduce the levels of heavy metals in foods for infants and young children.
“We are thrilled to welcome Shelby to FMI’s food and product safety team,” said Hilary Thesmar, FMI’s chief science officer and SVP of food and product safety programs.
“Her extensive scientific academic background in combination with her experience in the private sector will bring a comprehensive perspective to our work in addressing chemical contaminants in the food supply. We look forward to the contributions she will bring to FMI’s food safety program as we support our members’ efforts to ensure the safety of the foods they produce and sell every day.”
Prior to joining FMI, Furman served as principal chemist for Advanced Polymer, where she provided technical expertise on products, supported research and development of new products for auto care, marine care and construction and synthesized raw materials for scaling up into production.
Before the private sector, she served in various academic roles, including post-doctoral research fellow at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and graduate research assistant at the University of Tennessee.
Furman has a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Longwood University.
About FMI
As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire 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 a variety of companies providing critical services – to amplify the collective work of the industry.
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