Food Safety Net Services (FSNS) has announced that Barry Carpenter has joined the company as senior advisor for regulatory affairs and client relations. Carpenter brings a wealth of leadership experience from various companies and organizations in the meat industry. As Senior Advisor for Regulatory Affairs and Client Relations, Carpenter will be assisting FSNS customers and their management team in working with FSIS and FDA along with many trade organizations.

Prior to joining FSNS, Carpenter worked for the USDA where he was selected to USDA’s Senior Executive Service and was named deputy administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Livestock and Seed Program. In the area of international marketing, he represented the United States on the United Nations Committee on Agriculture from 1990 to 2006 and chaired the meetings of the Specialized Section on the Standardization of Meat from 1994 to 2006. He also served as administrator of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the ISO Subcommittee, which is responsible for meat standards for the international community. Further, USDA selected him to be the representative to the International Meat Secretariat to enhance consumer demand for meat products on an international scale.

In 2007, Barry was selected as the CEO of the National Meat Association (NMA).  He led the merger of NMA with the North American Meat Processors Association to form the North American Meat Association (NAMA) in 2012.  Again in 2014, he led the merger of the two major meat associations, the American Meat Institute, and NAMA to form the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute). During his tenure as CEO of NMA, NAMA, and the Meat Institute he was a strong voice with USDA, USTR, and Congress on issues affecting the meat industry.  He worked closely with government regulators on significant issues facing the meat industry, including new food safety regulations, marketing, competition regulations, immigration reform, and trade.

Carpenter graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor degree in Animal Science in 1969. He participated in numerous training courses during 37 years with the Federal Government including labor relations, financial management, and legislative process. Carpenter received numerous governmental awards, including Presidential Rank Awards from both President Clinton and President George W. Bush. His industry awards include the National Meat Association’s prestigious E. Floyd Forbes Award for his contributions to the livestock and meat industry, the pork industry’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Meat Institute’s Richard E. Lyng Award for Public Service. Carpenter was also inducted into the Meat Industry Hall of Fame.