Brian Ronholm
Director of Food Policy
Work At CR
Brian Ronholm is the Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports. He leads CR’s advocacy efforts to advance a safe and healthy food system. Through his background in public service, Brian brings extensive legislative and regulatory experience in food policy to CR. He also writes CR’s Food Policy Insider, a monthly newsletter that provides an inside look into CR’s advocacy work on food issues. Brian also co-chairs the FDA Foods Coalition, which is made up of consumer advocates, food industry representatives, public health groups and state and local regulators, and advocates for a modernized, effective foods program at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Experience and Education
During his tenure as Deputy Under Secretary, Food Safety, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brian provided leadership, management, and oversight of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public health agency with more than 9,000 employees responsible for ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, catfish, and processed egg products. In addition to overseeing FSIS, he chaired the U.S. Codex Policy Steering Committee, an interagency partnership that engages stakeholders in the advancement of science-based international food safety standards to facilitate fair trade, and served as Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), which provides impartial scientific advice to federal agencies for use in developing integrated food safety systems. He also served as Agriculture Appropriations Associate in the office of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, where he managed and coordinated activities involving key legislative initiatives for food and nutrition issues. Prior to joining CR, Brian most recently served as Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, and he served in the same senior position at Arent Fox LLP. He serves on the board of directors for the Partnership for Food Safety Education, where he is the co-chair of the Finance Committee. Brian is also a member of the Food Forum at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.
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