Jennifer Cleveland McEntire

At Johns Hopkins, Jennifer Cleveland McEntire is a lecturer in the MS in Regulatory Science program.

A food microbiologist by background, Jennifer Cleveland McEntire has worked in the Washington, D.C., area for over 20 years, bringing a scientific perspective to food safety regulatory issues. Previous food safety leadership positions include roles at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, The Acheson Group, and the Institute of Food Technologists, where she led the FDA FSMA 204 traceability pilots. McEntire left her role as Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer at the International Fresh Produce Association (successor to United Fresh Produce Association) in 2023 to launch Food Safety Strategy, LLC.

McEntire has worked on scores of recalls, outbreaks, and other food safety crisis situations. She has also supported dozens of members through recalls and was the point of contact of the produce industry with the FDA and CDC during the multiple romaine, papaya, and onion outbreaks.

McEntire is a member of IFT and IAFP and serves on the technical committee of the Center for Produce Safety.

McEntire earned a PhD from Rutgers University as a USDA National Needs Fellow in Food Safety and received a BS from the University of Delaware.

Awards

• 2020 recipient of the NSF International Food Safety Leadership Award
• 2023 recipient of the IAFP Harold Barnum Industry Award