Laura Dunn Nelson has spent 35 years in food safety, from identifying mystery microbes in a college lab to watching a QA manager turn away a VP at the plant door. We've worked with Laura as a consultant for a while now, and we're thrilled to make it official: she's joined the WorkForge team.
So we did what anyone would do with a food safety veteran in the building. We asked her everything: how she got her start, the trends worth watching, her best plant floor story, and the training mistake she sees plants make over and over.
Laura Dunn Nelson is WorkForge's VP of Product Management, Food Safety & Strategic Alliances. She's a food microbiologist with 35 years of industry experience, from the lab to the boardroom.
Over 19 years at Silliker Laboratories (now Mérieux NutriSciences), she ran three product testing labs in Texas, conducted second- and third-party GMP and HACCP audits across global supply chains, and built training programs on HACCP, allergen control and environmental monitoring. She then spent 15 years at Alchemy Systems (now Intertek Alchemy) as vice president of food safety and global alliances. There she served on the executive leadership team and directed the partnerships behind its compliance, training and workforce development work. In 2025 she founded Culture Strategies Group to advise manufacturers on food safety culture and workforce development.
Laura has served on Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) technical working groups and the BSI PAS 320 steering group. She currently chairs the board of the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI).
"My path into food safety started with a bit of a pivot. I was on a pre-med track when I took a microbiology course at UT Arlington. One of our lab challenges was identifying unknown microorganisms using differential testing, and I absolutely loved it. There was something about being handed an unknown and using science to figure out exactly what it was that really clicked for me.
It also opened my eyes to the role microbiology plays in food safety, and it showed me a different, incredibly rewarding way to put my microbiology degree to work. That experience changed the direction of my career, and I've never looked back!"
"I've been fortunate to experience food safety from a lot of different seats: microbiologist, auditor, trainer, consultant, business development, and now product and learning strategy. Each role taught me something different. The science matters, but so do the people, the operational realities, and the ability to turn knowledge into action.
Auditing showed me where the gaps occur. Training showed me the power of reaching people in the right way. And working alongside companies showed me that solutions have to work in the real world, not just on paper. All of those experiences shape how I think today: start with the science, understand the people and the operation, and build solutions that help them succeed."
"My years of auditing taught me that most employees want to do the right thing. I often saw capable people struggle with inconsistent practices simply because they hadn't been given the knowledge, tools, confidence or understanding they needed, especially when the pressure of getting the job done took over.
That's what sparked my passion for learning and development: helping people connect the 'why' with the 'how' so doing the right thing becomes part of how the work gets done every day."
"What I love most about working in the food and beverage industry is the heart behind the work. We share a deeply meaningful mission: protecting public health, helping companies produce safe food, and ensuring the people who make it return home safely each day.
I'm especially inspired by the opportunity to strengthen food safety cultures and work alongside the incredibly dedicated professionals who give so much to this industry. When you're surrounded by people who share your passion and you know your efforts are protecting families and supporting workers, it doesn't really feel like work. It feels like purpose."
"I'm encouraged by the continued focus on food safety culture, on competency, and on giving frontline employees a stronger voice in identifying and solving food safety risks.
At the same time, we're up against some very real challenges: high turnover, reduced training time, labor and staffing pressures, and the constant push to do more with less. Add increasingly complex processes and information overload, and it can be hard for employees to know what matters most in the moment.
Moving in the right direction means making food safety practical, relevant and built into the work, not something employees have to stop working to think about."
"The most expensive training mistake is assuming that because someone completed the training, they can consistently do the job correctly. We can have great completion rates and still have behaviors on the plant floor that create food safety, quality, workplace safety, and operational risks. In fact, global food safety training research has consistently shown that a significant percentage of companies still have employees who don't follow established protocols, even after they've been trained.
Training should be the beginning, not the finish line. The real value comes when we reinforce learning, observe employees doing the work, coach where needed, and validate that knowledge has become competency and consistent behavior. When we get that right, training becomes much more than a compliance requirement. It becomes a tool for reducing risk, strengthening culture, and optimizing operational performance."
"One of my favorite plant-floor stories came during a food safety audit at a site within a large, multi-plant organization. When I asked frontline employees about their role in food safety, I was impressed: they talked about their responsibility for following GMPs and speaking up when they saw an issue, rather than saying, 'That's QA's job.'
I later learned the site had more than 95% completion of its food safety training, including senior leadership, so naturally I asked the QA Manager how they did it. Her answer was simple: everyone had a deadline, and if your training wasn't complete, your badge wouldn't get you into the plant.
That policy was put to the test when the VP of Operations arrived one day and his badge didn't work. He hadn't completed his training. He wasn't happy! But the QA Manager stood her ground and explained that food safety expectations applied to everyone, and it was her responsibility to make sure they did. The VP went home, completed his training, and later recognized that QA Manager across the organization for having the courage and passion to uphold the company's food safety expectations, even when it meant holding a senior leader accountable.
I've never forgotten that story because it demonstrated what a strong food safety culture really looks like. It isn't a poster on the wall or a policy in a binder. It's when expectations apply to everyone, leaders are willing to be held accountable, and employees feel empowered to do the right thing, even when it isn't the easy thing."
"Co-presenting with Dr. Temple Grandin on animal welfare is one of the highlights of my career. I'd admired her work for years, so standing beside her, sharing ideas, and seeing her passion and unique way of looking at the world up close is something I'll always treasure.
What stayed with me most was how genuine and practical she was, and how deeply she cared about making things better. It was one of those rare moments when you think, 'How lucky am I to be here?' I'm still grateful for it."
"Working with WorkForge as a consultant gave me a chance to really get to know this amazing team, experience the incredible mission-driven culture, and see the bigger vision coming to life. The more involved I became, the more excited I was about the opportunity to help shape a new approach to learning, one that can make a meaningful difference for frontline employees and the organizations they support. Moving into a full-time role gives me the chance to help bring that vision to life alongside a team focused on creating learning solutions that truly respond to what our industry and its workforce need today."
"In my first year, I want to help raise the bar for what learning can accomplish across our industry. That means creating learning experiences and practical tools that build real competency, drive consistent behaviors, and give companies new ways to strengthen and mature their food safety and workplace safety cultures.
I'm equally passionate about expanding employees' professional development opportunities and supporting the industry through thought leadership, shared insights, and meaningful collaborations. And we won't do it alone. I want to bring together industry partners and some of the best SMEs in the field to challenge our thinking, fuel innovation, and create solutions that truly reflect what today's workforce and industry need."
_
If the badge story taught us anything, it's that a strong food safety culture starts with people who are willing to hold the line. We're thrilled to have Laura's experience in our corner as we shape the future of WorkForge.
Welcome to the team, Laura!