Food policy, food safety
Biography
Dr. Morrine Omolo is a Food Safety Extension Specialist in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota. She obtained her Ph.D. in Food Science from the same department in 2020. Dr. Omolo’s doctoral research focused on characterizing small scale food producers in Minnesota, to better understand the private and public value of Extension food safety education. She focused on food safety regulations applicable to cottage food producers, food protection managers and fresh produce farmers (MN Cottage Food Law, MN Food Code and FSMA Produce Safety Rule respectively). Prior to that, she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University (Teaneck NJ), in 2012 and a Master’s of Science in Food Science from UMN in 2015. Dr. Omolo seeks to apply the concepts of systems thinking and cross-cultural perspectives to further the research around local food systems, and then apply that situation-based knowledge to global narratives around food safety and security. She believes that science wins when communities welcome, adopt and embrace knowledge that furthers their priorities, while retaining their dignity and sense of identity.