Show Me Food Safety Announces Food Safety Leadership Award Winner, Scholarship Recipient

ST. LOUIS, Mo. ─ To celebrate future and current leaders of the food safety industry, nonprofit Show Me Food Safety announced the selected recipients for its fourth annual Food Safety Leadership Award and Food Safety Scholarship.

The Show Me Food Safety Scholarship Award was created by Show Me Food Safety, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to making the food supply chain safer by promoting food safety best practices and rewarding those devoted to food safety. The scholarship program is for students enrolled in a food science or food safety related degree program who either have improved or intend to improve the food supply chain.

This year’s recipient is Abigail Commodore, an undergraduate studying food science and microbiology at North Carolina State University. Commodore aims to become a food safety auditor one day, and she has hands-on experience conducting internal food safety audits, assessing sanitation protocols and supporting educational outreach on safe food handling practices. Driven by a commitment to public health and equity, Commodore said she wants to ensure safer, more transparent food systems across diverse communities.

Show Me Food Safety’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals and organizations making contributions to the advancement of food safety. This year’s winner is Paul Priyesh, Ph.D., an associate professor of food biosciences at the University of Kentucky with a Ph.D. in food microbiology and safety from Oklahoma State University. Priyesh brings over 15 years of expertise in advancing food safety education, applied research and outreach to producers, processors and policy stakeholders, the organization said.

Priyesh is an advocate for equal opportunity in food safety, leading impactful and culturally appropriate trainings for small growers and processors with limited resources, including the Amish and Mennonite communities to help them ensure regulatory compliance, the organization said. Priyesh also leads his university's Produce Safety Education team and has forged partnerships with government agencies and policy leaders.

“On behalf of Show Me Food Safety, I want to congratulate this year’s recipients of the Food Safety Scholarship and Leadership Awards," said Tyler Williams, founder of Show Me Food Safety. "Your dedication to excellence, innovation and integrity in food safety represents the very best of our industry’s future. These awards are not just recognition of past achievements, but a testament to your potential to lead and inspire others. We are proud to support your journey and can’t wait to see the positive impact you will make in ensuring a safer food system for all."