Brian Ronholm

Brian Ronholm is the Director of Food Policy for Consumer Reports. He leads CR’s advocacy efforts to advance a safe and healthy food system. Brian brings deep legislative and regulatory experience in food policy to CR. He also writes and speaks extensively on food policy issues, with a particular emphasis on emerging technologies, food safety modernization, and pending regulatory policies facing the food industry.

During his tenure as Deputy Under Secretary, Food Safety, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brian provided leadership, management, and oversight of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), the public health agency with more than 9,000 employees responsible for ensuring the safety of meat, poultry, catfish, and processed egg products.

In addition to overseeing FSIS, he chaired the U.S. Codex Policy Steering Committee, an interagency partnership that engages stakeholders in the advancement of science-based international food safety standards to facilitate fair trade, and served as Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF), which provides impartial scientific advice to federal agencies for use in developing integrated food safety systems.

He also served as Agriculture Appropriations Associate in the office of U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, where he managed and coordinated activities involving key legislative initiatives for food and nutrition issues.

Prior to joining CR, Brian most recently served as Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, and he served in the same senior position at Arent Fox LLP.

He serves as a part-time lecturer at Northeastern University in the College of Professional Studies, and he also sits on the board for the SBLA, a non-profit charitable organization for professionals working in sports whose goal is to provide children with the resources necessary to engage in unique sports experiences.

IN HIS OWN WORDS
“By combining the voices of consumers with the power of CR’s research and testing, we will work for a food system that puts the health and safety of families first. We must work together to reduce foodborne illness rates, ensure that our food systems are safe and transparent, and that consumers are informed when making the best choices for themselves and their families.”