A few heroes of Poisoned – Darin Detwiler

When you are sitting comfortable at home feeding your kids or going out to dinner, remember that there are a lot of people that have your back. I will be profiling them over the coming days as Poisoned begins streaming on Netflix. Darin has always been one of my heroes – even before he became a Netflix star.

Dr. Detwiler is a well-respected food safety academic, advisor, advocate, and author.  For nearly 30 years, he has played a unique role in controlling foodborne illness.  After losing his son, Riley, to E.coli in 1993, the Secretary of Agriculture invited Detwiler’s collaboration on consumer education.  He was twice appointed to the USDA’s National Advisory Board on Meat and Poultry Inspection, represented consumers as the Senior Policy Coordinator for STOP Foodborne Illness, served on Conference for Food Protection councils, and supported the FDA’s implementation of FSMA. 

Today, Detwiler is a Professor of food policy and corporate social responsibility at Northeastern University, where his students have gone on to leadership positions in industry and in state and federal agencies.  Detwiler’s research and insights have appeared on television and in print, including his column and articles in Quality Assurance and Food Safety Magazine and his books Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and Building the Future of Food Safety Technology: Blockchain and Beyond.  In addition to his current role as the Chair of the National Environmental Health Association’s Food Safety Program, his leadership capacities include numerous advisory and editorial boards as well as having long consulted on food safety issues with industry in the U.S. and abroad. 

A U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Veteran, and a former high school teacher, Detwiler earned his doctorate in Law and Policy, focusing on states’ ability to implement federal food policies.  He is the recipient of the International Association for Food Protection’s 2022 Ewen C.D. Todd Control of Foodborne Illness Award as well as their 2018 Distinguished Service Award for dedicated and exceptional contributions to the reduction of risks of foodborne illness.

Key Media Links (Selected):

• Detwiler, D. (2020). Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions.  (1st Ed.). Elsevier Academic Press, Cambridge, MA. ISBN: 9780128182192 https://www.elsevier.com/books/food-safety/detwiler/978-0-12-818219-2
• Detwiler, D. (2020). Building the Future of Food Safety Technology: Blockchain and Beyond. (1st Ed.). Elsevier Academic Press, Cambridge, MA. ISBN: 9780128189566 https://www.elsevier.com/books/building-the-future-of-food-safety-technology/detwiler/978-0-12-818956-6
• Guest Speaker: “Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions – How the PNW shaped America’s current ‘Food Safety Culture’.”  (2021, November 4). Toxicology and Societies Speaker Series, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA Available online at: https://alumni.wwu.edu/event/food-safety-past-present-and-predictions
• Speaker: “The Future of Food at the Intersection of Corporate Social Responsibility, Technology, and Consumer Awareness.” Council on Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics (C-FARE) 2021 Jon Brandt Public Policy Forum, Washington, D.C.  Available online at: https://www.cfare.live/replay/day-2-darin-detwiler
• Podcast: “In the Loop with Dr. Darin Detwiler.”  (2022, June 10). [Podcast]. In the Loop Podcast with CMX.  ComplianceMetrix.  Available online at: https://youtu.be/i2bPUWits28
• Podcast: “Darin Detwiler: Tragedy Carves a Food Safety Hero.” (2022, February 28). Let’s Talk About Food.  [Podcast].  Heritage Radio Network.  Hosted by Louisa Kasdon.  Available online at: https://heritageradionetwork.org/episode/darin-detwiler-tragedy-carves-food-safety-hero
• Television: American Greed: “From Peanuts to Sick Millions” [TV Series Documentary]. Kurtis Productions, CNBC.  Episode AG 141. (Original Air Date July 3, 2017). Available online at: https://vimeo.com/259271860
• Documentary: “Chasing Outbreaks: How Safe is Our Food?” [News Documentary]. The New York Times, Retro Report. Available online at: http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003676533/chasing-outbreaks-how-safe-is-our-food.html
• Speaker: TEDx NortheasternU 2020.  “Inspiring Change: Harnessing the Hidden Hercules.” Available online at:
  https://www.ted.com/talks/darin_detwiler_inspiring_change_harnessing_the_inner_hercules

Republished with permission from Bill Marler and Marler Clark. Copyright (c) Marler Clark LLP, PS. All rights reserved.