Food Safety News
U.S. public-health watchdog
Background
Food Safety News was founded in 2009 by Bill Marler, managing partner of Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm that specializes in representing victims of foodborne illness. Marler personally funded the outlet for roughly 16 years because he believed independent food safety journalism was undercovered. The inaugural staff—including journalists Helena Bottemiller and Dan Flynn—built it into a recognized trade and watchdog publication covering outbreaks, recalls, regulatory actions, and food safety law. In December 2025, FSN converted to 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and launched FSN+, a reader-supported membership model, moving away from exclusive dependence on Marler's personal funding. In February 2026, Morgan Holm—formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer at Oregon Public Broadcasting—was appointed Executive Director and Editor in Chief. The outlet's orientation reflects its founder's background as a plaintiff attorney: it holds both regulators and the food industry accountable, centering public health risk in its framing. Under the Trump administration's second term, FSN has reported extensively on FDA and USDA staffing reductions driven by DOGE cuts, the elimination of federal food safety advisory committees, deep cuts to CDC surveillance programs, and restrictions on interagency communications, with coverage consistently foregrounding expert concerns about the resulting risks to the food supply.
Sources
- About Us | Food Safety News
- 14 Years of Food Safety News | Food Safety News
- Food Safety News becomes nonprofit; launches reader-supported membership
- Food Safety News appoints Morgan Holm as executive director and Editor in Chief
- President Trump eliminates two key food safety committees | Food Safety News
- Budget request cuts CDC's funding by half; food safety budget hard hit | Food Safety News
- Senate funding package includes major cuts to food safety programs | Food Safety News
- William Marler - Wikipedia
Profile compiled 2026-07-12; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.