From Numbers to Nourishment: Data Analytics Shaping the Future of Food Safety
- Darin Detwiler
- Sep 5
- 2 min read
September is National Food Safety Education Month, a time to raise awareness about food safety practices and prevent foodborne illnesses. While much of the conversation centers on regulations, compliance, and science, there’s another crucial tool transforming the way we protect our food systems: data analytics.
In this interview, Dr. Darin Detwiler sits down with Gennette Zimmer, a data analytics professional to explore how data-driven decision-making can unlock better food safety practices and global accountability.
Why understanding the answers you want is the first step in asking the right questions when collecting data
The difference between being “data rich” and “information poor” and how to bridge the gap
How ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) scores reveal insights across 15,400+ global companies, including those in the food sector
Why data is more than numbers: it’s the key to safer, more sustainable food systems
Gennette Zimmer is data analytics professional with expertise in SQL, Python, R, Tableau, and Excel. She helps organizations dig into and interpret vast datasets for actionable insights. She is a contributing author to Building the Future of Food Safety Technology: Blockchain and Beyond, where she helps envision how digital tools can transform food safety.
Beyond inspections and recalls, food safety is about anticipation and prevention. Data analytics offers the food industry and society the tools to predict risks, measure sustainability, and build trust. The real challenge is not collecting more data but learning how to ask smarter questions and turn raw numbers into meaningful information. Data is not the destination. It’s the roadmap to safer food.
To explore this broader view, we invite you to watch a powerful video by Dr. Darin Detwiler, a leading voice in food policy and safety. Watch now: “FOOD Industry Insights: Data Analytics (An Intro)"
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