Food Traceability From Binders to Blockchain

Jennifer McEntire, PhD, is Vice President of Food Safety and Technology at United Fresh Produce Association. A food microbiologist by background, she has always worked in the Washington, DC area, bringing the scientific perspective to food safety regulatory issues. While serving as the Director of Science & Technology Projects at the Institute of Food Technologists, McEntire led multiple traceability-related projects for the FDA and others, including conducting traceability pilots in support of the Food Safety Modernization Act and launching the Traceability Improvement Initiative. McEntire earned a PhD from Rutgers University as a USDA National Needs Fellow in Food Safety and received a Bachelor of Science with Distinction, magna cum laude, in food science from the University of Delaware. She serves as an advisory board member of the Global Food Traceability Center, on the technical committee of the Center for Produce Safety, and is on the executive committee of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance. 

Andrew Kennedy is a leading voice in the world of food traceability, sustainability and food safety.  He has developed supplier transparency and traceability solutions for leading restaurant operators, retailers and food companies using cloud and Blockchain technology. As the Interim Director of the Global Food Traceability Center at IFT, he is a leader of industry-wide initiatives to implement food traceability in seafood and produce.

Mr. Kennedy serves as a board member and chair of the Science and Technology committee of the Produce Marketing Association; has co-chaired several national and global food traceability technology standards initiatives; and led FoodLogiQ’s successful participation in the FDA Food Traceability Pilot.  He has worked with food producers on four continents and across the United States.

Prior to FoodLogiQ, Mr. Kennedy served in leadership roles in a medical device manufacturing companyand worked as a technology consultant with Accenture and Clarkston Consulting. He lives in Durham, North Carolina and holds an MBA from Duke University and a BA in Economics from Lafayette College.