Ron Tanner

Biography

Ron Tanner is the former Vice President, Education, Content & Advocacy for the Specialty Food Association. Ron served the SFA and its 3,900+ members from 1987 – 2020.  Tanner left the SFA in December 2020 to pursue opportunities in international trade and industry education.

Ron served as the SFA’s liaison with many associations, universities and government agencies. He has been a member of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee (ATAC) since 2007, and also served on the Steering Committee of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA). He is also a member of the Regulatory & Academic Committee of the American Cheese Society and is on the Board of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Tanner has spoken on the U.S. specialty food market and food trends over the past 30 years, including at FoodEx Japan, Anuga, CIBUS, the Fancy Food Shows, the National Grocers Association Show, Natural Products Expo, the National Restaurant Association Show, and so on.

The Specialty Food Association presents 40-plus educational programs each year. Ron has appeared on The Today Show, CNN and Food Network, and has been quoted in Newsweek, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. He has an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University in New York City, and a B.A. in English and Communications Studies from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio.

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