WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) today announced that Jennifer Cleveland McEntire has been hired as Vice President of Science Operations.
“Product safety is the number one priority for GMA and its member companies, and Jennifer’s appointment is part of our continued commitment to strengthen our world class food safety practice,” said Dr. Leon Bruner, GMA’s chief science officer. “Her considerable expertise and experience will no doubt strengthen our scientific and technical capabilities as well.”
Dr. McEntire, who will report to Bruner, begins her duties at GMA on March 3rd.
Dr. McEntire was previously Vice President and Chief Science Officer at The Acheson Group, where she helped food industry clients understand their supply chain risks and prioritize mitigations in the context of the changing regulatory landscape and global food safety system.
Prior to joining The Acheson Group, she served as the Senior Staff Scientist and Director of Science & Technology Projects at the Institute of Food Technologists, and worked closely with FDA, FSIS, and CDC to provide insight on the current state of science and industry food safety practices related primarily to food defense and product tracing.
“It is an honor and pleasure to join GMA, whose accomplishments and leadership in food safety are widely recognized,” McEntire said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues at GMA and its member companies to further strengthen the safety of our food supply chain, both here at home and abroad.”
Dr. McEntire pursued her doctoral degree as a USDA National Needs Fellow in Food Safety at Rutgers University, where she researched Listeria monocytogenes. She also held a two-year appointment as the Panel Manager for the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research grant program in the area of food science and nutrition, served as a visiting scientist for FDA CFSAN, and interned at the National Food Processors Association (now GMA).
She earned her Doctor of Philosophy from Rutgers University and received a Bachelor of Science with Distinction, magna cum laude, in food science from the University of Delaware. She was the 2010 recipient of the Rutgers University Food Science Alumni Association Communication Award and in 2012 was honored with the University of Delaware College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Distinguished Young Alumni award.
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Based in Washington, D.C., the Grocery Manufacturers Association is the voice of more than 300 leading food, beverage and consumer product companies that sustain and enhance the quality of life for hundreds of millions of people in the United States and around the globe.
Founded in 1908, GMA is an active, vocal advocate for its member companies and a trusted source of information about the industry and the products consumers rely on and enjoy every day. The association and its member companies are committed to meeting the needs of consumers through product innovation, responsible business practices and effective public policy solutions developed through a genuine partnership with policymakers and other stakeholders.
In keeping with its founding principles, GMA helps its members produce safe products through a strong and ongoing commitment to scientific research, testing and evaluation and to providing consumers with the products, tools and information they need to achieve a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The food, beverage and consumer packaged goods industry in the United States generates sales of $2.1 trillion annually, employs 14 million workers and contributes $1 trillion in added value to the economy every year.
Source: The Grocery Manufacturers Association
