Hagen to Join Deloitte's Consumer Products Practice

NEW YORKDr. Elisabeth Hagen, currently serving as the U.S. Department of Agricultures Under Secretary in charge of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) will join Deloitte's consumer products practice as a food-safety senior adviser with Deloitte & Touche LLP when she leaves government service mid-December. Hagen will advise Deloitte's clients on increased regulatory requirements, food and product safety challenges, supply chain, Traceback, prevention-based policies, strategy and communications.

"Elisabeth will bring to Deloitte an impressive blend of regulatory level oversight and hands-on experience, stemming from her role as the highest ranking food safety official in the U.S.," said Pat Conroy, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP, and Deloitte's U.S. consumer products practice leader. "Her understanding of the policies and programs of the Food Safety and Inspection Service and FDA, and her recognized status as a thought leader in national food-safety policy, will further strengthen our practice's capabilities and enhance the industry insights we offer our clients."

Hagen has led USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) since 2010, and has been responsible for implementing food-safety policies and programs of FSIS. She also served as a principal member of the President's Food Safety Working Group.

As leader of FSIS, Hagen implemented many new initiatives and modern management tools, ushered in significant new policies that have enhanced consumer protection, including a proposed rule that will completely modernize U.S. poultry inspection. She also published a dynamic 5-year strategic plan; implemented a comprehensive reform of the agency's data infrastructure and utilization; and employed innovative approaches to expand consumer food-safety education.

Prior to her 2010 appointment by President Obama, Hagen was USDA's Chief Medical Officer serving as an adviser to USDA mission areas on a wide range of human health issues. She also was a senior executive at FSIS where she played a key role in developing and executing the agency's scientific and public health agendas. She also was actively involved in interagency efforts to better protect the public from foodborne illnesses, including the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) Steering Committee, which guides the work of the nation's premier food-borne illness monitoring system. She was also a member of the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), a national collaborative effort to detect, investigate, control, and prevent food-borne disease outbreaks.

"Food safety is an issue of extreme and increasing importance, not only for the end consumer but also for the manufacturers whose businesses rely on the public's trust," Hagen said. "I am excited to be joining the team at Deloitte as we help manufacturers and producers that focus on safety as a top priority, and guide them as they comply with increasingly complex regulation."

Deloitte's globally integrated approach to food and product safety helps companies deploy solutions that enhance supply chain integrity and visibility as well as internal quality assurance programs. Deloitte assists clients in addressing a wide number of complex food and product safety topics such as micro-biology and hazard analysis through access to a network of specialists for science-based advisory consultations. The food and product safety group at Deloitte also guides clients through the decision-making process across the entire value chain using advanced analytics to identify, analyze, and interpret issues impacting their businesses.