Dr. Mindy M. Brashears was confirmed on March 23, 2020 as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 5th Senate-confirmed Under Secretary for Food Safety, the highest-ranking food safety official in the United States. In this role, Dr. Brashears will continue to lead the Office of Food Safety at USDA, overseeing the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which has regulatory oversight for ensuring that meat, poultry and processed egg products are safe, wholesome and accurately labeled.  She also serves as chair of the U.S. CODEX Policy Committee and offers expert scientific guidance to the CODEX Program, an international food standards-setting body of 188 member countries that protects consumer health and sets international food standards.

Dr. Brashears is committed to working closely with FSIS’ leadership to lead with science, build relationships, and influence behavior change to protect and promote public health. Under Dr. Brashears’ leadership, the FSIS has finalized rulemaking for the modernization of swine inspection, is in the process of implementing pathogen reduction performance standards through the public rulemaking process, and is actively seeking new ways to influence positive behavior change to reduce food borne illnesses. 

On January 29, 2019, Dr. Brashears was sworn in as the USDA’s deputy under secretary for food safety by Secretary Sonny Perdue. Prior to joining USDA, she was a professor of food safety and public health and the director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech University. Dr. Brashears has spent her career improving food safety standards to make an impact on public health through research, outreach and education. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and has received numerous awards including the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Laboratorian Award, the American Meat Science Association (AMSA) Distinguished Research Award, the AMSA Distinguished Industry Service Award, AMSA Achievement Award and was listed in the National Provisioner’s Top 25 Future Icons in the Meat Industry. She has an extensive publication record in peer-reviewed journals and also holds many patents for her innovative approaches to improving food safety in the food supply.