National Restaurant Association Names Christopher Melchert As Senior Manager For Food Safety And Quality Assurance

( Washington, D.C.) The National Restaurant Association today announced the addition of Christopher Melchert as Senior Manager for Food Safety and Quality Assurance, a new position within the government affairs and policy team that illustrates the importance of these critical issues to the Association, as well as the Association's strength in policy and regulatory affairs. Melchert brings more than 27 years of food safety and protection experience to this role, where he will help develop, manage and implement the Association's agenda on food safety and quality assurance issues.

"Christopher's expertise will be a tremendous asset to the government affairs team and to the entire National Restaurant Association membership," said Scott DeFife, Executive Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for the National Restaurant Association. "His experience communicating with federal agencies and will add greatly to our efforts on regulatory matters."

"The restaurant industry is committed to food safety, and Christopher's skills will help guide the industry as we continue to build on our high standards," said Joan McGlockton, Vice President of Industry Affairs and Food Policy for the National Restaurant Association.

Prior to joining the National Restaurant Association, Melchert had served as a compliance officer for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. He served as Director of Regulatory and Technical Affairs for the Snack Food Association and was an Environmental Health Specialist for the Fairfax County Health Department and the Virginia Department of Health. He began his career in food safety at the Kern County Health Department.

Melchert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences with a minor in chemistry and a concentration in microbiology from California Polytechnic State University. He is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist and a Certified Food Safety Professional with the National Environmental Health Association.


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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 960,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America's restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.

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