Food retailers have a new ally in D.C.

Food retailers adjusting to the new realities of a changing regulatory landscape have gained a new ally at the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

The trade group has named Jennifer Cleveland McEntire 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 Leon Bruner, GMA’s chief science officer. “Her considerable expertise and experience will no doubt strengthen our scientific and technical capabilities as well.”

McEntire, who will report to Bruner, begins her duties at GMA on March 3. McEntire was previously VP 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 and technolog 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.”

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).