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Outlet profile

Food Safety News

U.S. food-safety trade and advocacy outlet (consumer-protection orientation)

Owned byFounded by food-safety trial lawyer Bill Marler and long owned by his law firm, Marler Clark. In 2026 it became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Marler remains publisher, and Morgan Holm was named executive director and editor in chief in February 2026.
FundingMarler personally funded it for about 16 years, starting in 2009. It now seeks tax-deductible reader donations, memberships and subscriptions, and its site also says it takes advertising and sponsorships. Check the current nonprofit structure and any donor or sponsor disclosures on the site.
On the administrationmixed

Background

Food Safety News launched in 2009, started by Seattle attorney Bill Marler, whose firm Marler Clark has represented foodborne-illness victims since the 1990s. Marler said he created it to fill a gap as newspapers and broadcasters cut dedicated food and health reporters. Early staff included Helena Bottemiller, Susan Schreck and Dan Flynn, and Flynn later served as editor in chief with Coral Beach as managing editor. It built a reputation for steady coverage of outbreaks, recalls and FDA, USDA and CDC policy, and in 2023 it was honored with a journalism award alongside Marler. Because its founder and owner is a lawyer who sues food companies, critics can see a potential conflict of interest, and the outlet's own disclosures identify the Marler Clark connection. Its news coverage is generally conventional trade reporting, while the 'Publisher's Platform' column carries Marler's advocacy for stronger food-safety oversight and has recently warned against weakening federal food-safety programs. In 2026 the outlet shifted to 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, launched a membership program and appointed a new executive director and editor in chief. Overall it leans toward a consumer-protection, pro-regulation perspective, while keeping most news reporting separate from opinion.

Sources

  1. Food Safety News – About Us
  2. Food Safety News – Wikipedia
  3. Food Safety News appoints Morgan Holm as executive director and Editor in Chief
  4. Why I'm changing Food Safety News (a personal note from Bill Marler)
  5. Publisher's Platform: We're turning off the smoke detectors on America's food supply
  6. 14 Years of Food Safety News

Profile compiled 2026-10-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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