Hannah Hansen has joined the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development team as a food safety extension specialist. Hansen began her role in early May of this year and has over a decade of food safety and quality assurance experience.
“We are excited to have Hannah join our team. There is such a demand for accurate, timely information specific to food safety,” said Christa Hartsook, program manager and Iowa Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education coordinator for ISU Extension and Outreach. “Hannah’s experience in industry makes her well-equipped to handle entrepreneurial questions at all levels.”
Food has always been a point of interest for Hansen as a native of and around the Ames area, she said. This interest led her to study food science at Iowa State University, begin her career in food safety and quality assurance and land at ISU Extension and Outreach.
“Making the leap from industry to extension was a natural choice for me. There are a lot of foods produced here in Iowa, so this opportunity is a culmination of the years of studying and working in food safety,” Hansen shared. “Now, I can give back and be that liaison between regulators and industry.”
Hansen already has great goals for her role at FFED, including her current and upcoming project, the Food Innovation & Business Hub. The project aims to meet the business and compliancy needs of Iowa’s small and mid-sized food businesses with in-person trainings, regulatory guidance and hands-on support.
“The Food & Innovation Business Hub is primarily being pushed by what our current businesses are coming to us and looking for,” she said. “It’s designed to be a resource for people to come to for expertise, not only from a business standpoint, but also to make sure they’re producing a safe product to consume, which is exciting for me.”
Beyond sharing expert resources, Hansen looks to make an impact by closely collaborating with food business owners, acknowledging the traditions and connections associated with sharing food.
“We want to make sure we’re honoring business owners’ concepts and ideas while ensuring they have a safe product to share with the public, which will help them succeed,” she said.
Though the landscape of food safety can be overwhelming, Hansen’s work helps take the burden off business owners.
“Food safety is based in science,” she said. “My job is to understand your product from a scientific perspective so you can cover all your bases.”
Outside of work, Hansen can be found gardening, cooking and spending time with her husband and two children.
Hansen can be reached at hefuller@iastate.edu
