Food Safety

Former USDA-FSIS Deputy Under Secretary Eskin to Become CEO of Stop Foodborne Illness

Jan. 21, 2025

Effective the end of February, Sandra Eskin will take the helm from Mitzi Baum, who is stepping down from the role after six years.

Andy Hanacek

stop_foodborne_illness__sandra_eskin__ceo_stop_foo — Eskin

Former USDA-FSIS Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety Sandra Eskin will become the new chief executive officer of Stop Foodborne Illness effective Feb. 24, 2025, according to a release from the national public health non-profit organization.

Eskin will join Stop after nearly four years in her role at FSIS, to which she was appointed in March 2021. She has been a visible advocate of food safety, consumer protection and public policy for years. Prior to joining USDA, Eskin spent 12 years as project director for Food Safety at The Pew Charitable Trusts, advocating for passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). She also worked as deputy director of the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University.

Eskin will take the reins of Stop Foodborne Illness from Mitzi Baum, CEO of Stop since 2019, who is stepping down from the role. Baum expanded Stop’s programs, raised its national profile and developed food safety improvement initiatives with industry and the government.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.