Food Security
Jorge Hernandez
Vice President, Food Safety and Risk Management - National Restaurant Association Education Foundation
jhernandez@foodtrain.org

Ensuring the security of the nations's food supply from farm to table is a shared responsibilty of industry and government. Together we share a strong, outgoing interest in developing new technologies and programs that can provide the highest levels of food safety and security possible. The food industry, including farmers, growers, distributors and restaurants has a long history of successfully addressing food safety and food security issues. This presentation will introduce a systematic approach for developing food security practices in a restaurant and how any restaurant, regardless of size and complexity, can develop a food security plan for the operation.

Speaker Bio:
Jorge Hernandez is the vice president, food safety and risk management for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). In this role, he heads the efforts to define NRAEF’s food safety and risk management programs. In addition, he maintains responsibility for NRAEF’s science and regulatory relations team which ensure the technical and scientific accuracy of the NRAEF’s programs and the compliance with applicable laws. Prior to heading the food safety and risk management department, Hernandez served as senior director of the science and regulatory relations department of the NRAEF. As director, he provided technical expertise on topics like food safety, workplace safety, risk and liability, and the restaurant and foodservice industry’s many regulatory requirements. In addition, Hernandez contributed to the development of the NRAEF’s educational and training materials, as well as helped advance partnerships among industry and regulatory groups to promote food safety training and education for the industry. Lastly, he served as director of food safety services for the NRAEF’s International Food Safety Council, an initiative focused on heightening the awareness of the importance of food safety education. Before joining the NRAEF, Hernandez worked as a sanitarian in Winnebago County, Illinois, and later as a food program coordinator and regional manager for the Illinois Department of Public Health. A frequent speaker at Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety training programs nationwide, he also served as a regional supervisor for the State of Illinois Division of Food, Drugs and Dairies, where he oversaw programs in a 16-county region. As an FDA-certified food evaluation officer, he supervised the standardization and training of food inspectors statewide. Hernandez is a registered sanitarian and a certified instructor for Food Service Sanitation Manager Certification training. He is also a member of the National Environmental Health Association; the Association of Food & Drug Officials; the Institute of Food Technologists; and the International Association for Food Protection. In addition, he is a board member of the International HACCP Alliance; the National Egg Board’s food safety advisory panel; Underwriter Laboratories Food Industry User panel; and a member of the National Conference for Food Protection and its Food Safety Manager Training Accreditation and Food Inspector Training & Certification Committees. Fluent in Spanish, English and French, Hernandez has bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry from Rockford College in Illinois, a degree in French Culture from the Universite de la Sorbonne in Paris, France, and a certification as a Clinical Laboratory Technician from the Centro de Estudios Cientificos y Tecnologicos Especialidades Medico-Biologicas in Mexico City, Mexico.

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