2026 Science Symposium: The Changing Landscape of Food Colors–Science, Safety, and Innovation
Join CRIS at our 2026 annual meeting and Science Symposium. This year’s Science Symposium will focus on the future of natural food colors and colorants. Experts will share insights into emerging innovations, including precision fermentation, alongside conversations on regulations, safety, and the evolving food color landscape.
When: September 2 at 12 pm EST – 4:30 pm EST
Where: MSU Union and Zoom
Registration is free and now available.
Thomas Galligan, PhD
Talk focus: Consumer Advocate Perspectives on the Ongoing Shift Towards Natural Food Colors.
Thomas Galligan, PhD, is the Principal Scientist for Food Additives and Supplements at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), an independent, science-based consumer advocacy organization. Dr. Galligan leads CSPI’s science-based advocacy campaigns to promote safety, accountability, and transparency in food chemical and dietary supplement policy with the goal of protecting consumers from unsafe food chemicals and harmful, ineffective dietary supplements.
Before joining CSPI, Dr. Galligan was a Toxicologist at the Environmental Working Group where he led efforts to promote the use of safer chemicals in personal care products, foods, and other consumer goods. He previously worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at Virginia Tech. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Sciences with emphasis on toxicology, endocrinology, and environmental health from the Medical University of South Carolina, and he has a BS in Dairy Science from Virginia Tech.
Dennis Keefe, PhD
Talk focus: An overview on the regulatory history of food dyes.
Since 2023, Dr. Keefe serves as a Senior Managing Scientist for Exponent LLC. He has 30+ years of experience working in the FDA on food additive regulatory issues and 15+ years of experience working on the development of international standards for food additives in the Codex Alimentarius. From 2011-2022 he was the Director of the FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS). OFAS was responsible for the premarket review of food additives, color additives, and food contact substances. It also managed FDA’s voluntary programs for Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) substances and Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties (Biotechnology Notifications – BNFs), the use of Recycled Plastics in Food Packaging and foods derived from cultured animal cells.
Dr. Keefe was integral to the significant accomplishments of the Office during this period. These accomplishments include, folic acid fortification of corn masa flour, removal of partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) from foods, sodium reduction guidance, negotiation of the voluntary removal of certain PFAS from use in food packaging, revoking previous approvals of the use of phthalates based on abandonment, approval of the use of soy leghemoglobin, and delisting of lead acetate’s use in hair coloring. From the mid-1990’s until 2011, Dr. Keefe led the Codex Alimentarius effort to develop the Codex General Standard for Food Additives.
Carrie McMahon, PhD
Talk focus: From Nature to Safety: Evaluating Nature’s Crayons for Use in Food
Dr. Carrie McMahon served for 22 years at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), working within what is now the Human Foods Program. A recognized Subject Matter Expert in the safety and regulation of food ingredients, she specialized in GRAS substances, food additives, and bioengineered food. She has contributed to international harmonization as a former member of the U.S. delegation to the Codex Committee on Food Additives.
In 2021, Dr. McMahon was selected as the administrative leader of FDA’s Plant Biotechnology Program, where she oversaw the agency’s evaluation of human foods from genetically engineered plants. In this role, she guided a multidisciplinary team responsible for providing scientific and regulatory expertise to industry, domestic and international regulatory partners, and other interested groups. Her leadership led to improvements in program efficiency and consistency.
After retiring from federal service in April 2025, Dr. McMahon founded Feed My Mind Regulatory Consulting LLC to continue the work she values most: helping others understand scientific complexity and regulatory nuance.
Dr. McMahon earned her BA in Biology from Drew University and her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania.
Zhiyou Wen, PhD
Talk focus: Applying precision fermentation to the large-scale production of natural food dyes.
Dr. Wen is a professor at Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University. His research has been focused on bioprocessing engineering, green and sustainable food, fuel and biomaterials processing technologies. He has secured over $15 million dollars in research funding since joining ISU faculty in 2010. These research results have led to a number of technology innovations and patents.
Dr. Wen is also the co-founder of Gross-Wen Technologies Inc. (www.algae.com), an Iowa-based international company that uses algae to mitigate water pollution while delivering high-value products, including biofuels, bioplastics, food, feed, and fertilizer.