Inside the Room

Susan Bond

Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge. Host Susan Bond, a former FDA regulator with over twenty years in food safety and regulatory strategy, talks with operators about the real work of getting a product through regulation and into the world. Each episode trades pitch-deck talk for the practical detail founders actually need.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    From Advocacy to Adoption: Rethinking the Future of Meat | Paul Shapiro

    Our guest is Paul Shapiro, co-founder and CEO of BMC Ingredients (formerly The Better Meat Co.), author of Clean Meat, longtime animal-welfare advocate, and entrepreneur working to bring fermentation-derived protein into the commercial food system. Paul’s journey offers a rare perspective on what happens when advocacy becomes action — and when ideals must coexist with science, regulation, manufacturing realities, economics, and consumer expectations. In this conversation, we explore what “better meat” really means — and better for whom. We also examine what it takes to move emerging food technologies from scientific and regulatory progress to real-world commercial adoption.From advocacy to entrepreneurship, values to implementation, and regulatory progress to commercial reality, this episode looks at what comes next for meat — and for food innovation more broadly. Paul Shapiro, Co-founder and CEO, BMC IngredientsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-shapiro-6a9aa282/Website: https://www.bettermeat.co/ If this conversation got you thinking about where food innovation is heading, follow Inside the Room so you don't miss what's coming next. I hope you enjoyed this episode!If you found this conversation useful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who'd benefit.- Susan and the Inside The Room podcast team Susan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-bondWebsite: https://www.bondadvisorygroupllc.com/ Listen on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0z4x4D6NAQIrcaSRG3ZmpNApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/inside-the-room/id6817019440Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/de2b748b-fbcd-4dac-900c-41538c669d04  #insidetheroom #fdaregulatory #foodregulation #regulatoryaffairs #foodsafety #foodtech #alternativeprotein #functionalfoods #dietarysupplements #agtech #foodinnovation #regulatorystrategy #marketaccess #foodindustry #compliancestrategy Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge, for founders and operators building the next generation of these industries. Each episode is a look at the regulatory gate standing between a promising product and the market, and what it actually takes to get through it.Host Susan Bond spent over twenty years inside the regulatory world, including roles across the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and the Sprout Safety Alliance at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kerry, and Abbott, and holds a Master's in Biotechnology. She now runs Bond Advisory Group, helping organisations turn regulatory complexity into a strategic advantage, and brings that same operator's view of what it takes to bring a product to market on schedule to every episode.Inside The Room is built for founders, CEOs, chief scientific officers, and regulatory and quality leaders at funded, scaling companies across novel ingredients, functional foods, alternative protein, fermentation, dietary supplements, pet and animal nutrition, and agtech. Listeners get a genuine, peer-level look at how the operators ahead of them cleared their own regulatory gates, and what they'd do differently next time.

  2. Nov 3

    What Small Businesses Learn the Hard Way and How AI Could Change the Odds | Doron Petersan

    Take a peek inside the room where building a successful food business takes far more than a great product. Founders and start-ups must navigate operations, manufacturing, inventory, distribution, marketing, finance, quality, and regulation, often without the specialized teams and internal resources available to larger companies.  In this episode of Inside the Room, Susan Bond talks with Doron Petersan, founder of Sticky Fingers and a veteran food entrepreneur, about what she learned while building businesses across bakery, restaurant, retail, and CPG manufacturing. Together, they explore what happens when systems and requirements built for large organizations must be managed by founders themselves or extremely small teams. They also discuss Doron’s emerging vision for AI solutions designed specifically around the needs of founders and small food businesses. Ian Reagan, Managing Partner, SafeScanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ireagan/Website: https://www.safescaninspection.com/ If your business is facing a foreign material event, or wants to be ready before one happens, get in touch with Ian and the SafeScan team to talk through what reinspection could look like for you. I hope you enjoyed this episode!If you found this conversation useful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who'd benefit.- Susan and the Inside The Room podcast team Susan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-bondWebsite: https://www.bondadvisorygroupllc.com/ Listen on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0z4x4D6NAQIrcaSRG3ZmpNApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/inside-the-room/id6817019440Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/de2b748b-fbcd-4dac-900c-41538c669d04  #insidetheroom #fdaregulatory #foodregulation #regulatoryaffairs #foodsafety #foodtech #alternativeprotein #functionalfoods #dietarysupplements #agtech #foodinnovation #regulatorystrategy #marketaccess #foodindustry #compliancestrategy Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge, for founders and operators building the next generation of these industries. Each episode is a look at the regulatory gate standing between a promising product and the market, and what it actually takes to get through it.Host Susan Bond spent over twenty years inside the regulatory world, including roles across the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and the Sprout Safety Alliance at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kerry, and Abbott, and holds a Master's in Biotechnology. She now runs Bond Advisory Group, helping organisations turn regulatory complexity into a strategic advantage, and brings that same operator's view of what it takes to bring a product to market on schedule to every episode.Inside The Room is built for founders, CEOs, chief scientific officers, and regulatory and quality leaders at funded, scaling companies across novel ingredients, functional foods, alternative protein, fermentation, dietary supplements, pet and animal nutrition, and agtech. Listeners get a genuine, peer-level look at how the operators ahead of them cleared their own regulatory gates, and what they'd do differently next time.

  3. Oct 26

    From Product Hold to Resolution: What Happens After Foreign-Material Is Suspected | Ian Reagan

    A possible foreign-material event can stop production, place large quantities of product on hold, and force difficult decisions about safety, recovery, destruction, and customer notification. In this episode of Inside the Room, Susan Bond talks with Ian Reagan, Managing Partner of SafeScan, about what happens after contamination is suspected and in-line inspection is no longer enough. They follow the process from Detect to Retrieve to Resolve—examining how inspection protocols are validated, how traceability supports decisions, and what manufacturers should have in place before a high-stakes product event occurs. Ian Reagan, Managing Partner, SafeScanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ireagan/Website: https://www.safescaninspection.com/ If your business is facing a foreign material event, or wants to be ready before one happens, get in touch with Ian and the SafeScan team to talk through what reinspection could look like for you. I hope you enjoyed this episode!If you found this conversation useful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who'd benefit.- Susan and the Inside The Room podcast team Susan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-bondWebsite: https://www.bondadvisorygroupllc.com/ Listen on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0z4x4D6NAQIrcaSRG3ZmpNApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/inside-the-room/id6817019440Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/de2b748b-fbcd-4dac-900c-41538c669d04  #insidetheroom #fdaregulatory #foodregulation #regulatoryaffairs #foodsafety #foodtech #alternativeprotein #functionalfoods #dietarysupplements #agtech #foodinnovation #regulatorystrategy #marketaccess #foodindustry #compliancestrategy Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge, for founders and operators building the next generation of these industries. Each episode is a look at the regulatory gate standing between a promising product and the market, and what it actually takes to get through it.Host Susan Bond spent over twenty years inside the regulatory world, including roles across the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and the Sprout Safety Alliance at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kerry, and Abbott, and holds a Master's in Biotechnology. She now runs Bond Advisory Group, helping organisations turn regulatory complexity into a strategic advantage, and brings that same operator's view of what it takes to bring a product to market on schedule to every episode.Inside The Room is built for founders, CEOs, chief scientific officers, and regulatory and quality leaders at funded, scaling companies across novel ingredients, functional foods, alternative protein, fermentation, dietary supplements, pet and animal nutrition, and agtech. Listeners get a genuine, peer-level look at how the operators ahead of them cleared their own regulatory gates, and what they'd do differently next time.

  4. Oct 19

    Innovation Is Not Enough, Five Forces that Make Food Technology Win | Dr. Maria Velissariou

    Around the world, valuable nutrients are lost through food and agricultural waste even as pressure grows to produce more food with fewer resources. Emerging circular technologies, including insect bioconversion, offer the potential to transform underused organic materials into valuable inputs for food, animal feed, and agriculture. But moving these technologies from scientific possibility to commercial reality requires more than technical success. Which materials can safely be used? How should risks be evaluated? What traceability and food-safety controls are needed? And how do we build regulatory and societal confidence in systems that do not fit neatly within traditional frameworks? Join us as we explore how science, policy, industry collaboration, and public trust must come together to unlock the potential of circular food systems, brought to life through distinctive case studies in insect bioconversion. Take a peek inside the room where strategy, science, regulation, and technology come together to shape the future of food.  Guest contact Dr. Maria Velissariou, CEO and co-founder, Food Security SolutionsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-velissariou-phd/ This has been an episode of Inside the Room, the conversations behind successful food innovations. I hope you enjoyed this episode!If you found this conversation useful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who'd benefit.- Susan and the Inside The Room podcast team Susan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-bondWebsite: https://www.bondadvisorygroupllc.com/ Listen on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0z4x4D6NAQIrcaSRG3ZmpNApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/inside-the-room/id6817019440Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/de2b748b-fbcd-4dac-900c-41538c669d04  #insidetheroom #fdaregulatory #foodregulation #regulatoryaffairs #foodsafety #foodtech #alternativeprotein #functionalfoods #dietarysupplements #agtech #foodinnovation #regulatorystrategy #marketaccess #foodindustry #compliancestrategy Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge, for founders and operators building the next generation of these industries. Each episode is a look at the regulatory gate standing between a promising product and the market, and what it actually takes to get through it. Host Susan Bond spent over twenty years inside the regulatory world, including roles across the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and the Sprout Safety Alliance at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kerry, and Abbott, and holds a Master's in Biotechnology. She now runs Bond Advisory Group, helping organisations turn regulatory complexity into a strategic advantage, and brings that same operator's view of what it takes to bring a product to market on schedule to every episode. Inside The Room is built for founders, CEOs, chief scientific officers, and regulatory and quality leaders at funded, scaling companies across novel ingredients, functional foods, alternative protein, fermentation, dietary supplements, pet and animal nutrition, and agtech. Listeners get a genuine, peer-level look at how the operators ahead of them cleared their own regulatory gates, and what they'd do differently next time.

  5. Oct 12

    Beyond Regulatory Approval: What It Takes to Bring Cultivated Seafood to Market | Brandon Chen

    Take a peek inside the room where strategy, science, regulation, and technology come together to shape the future of food. Today's guest isBrandon Chen, CEO & Co-Founder of Finless Foods, a company pioneering cell- cultivated seafood to help redefine how the world produces sustainable seafood.Their innovative approach has the potential to expand consumer choice while reducing pressure on wild fisheries and oceans. As the regulatory landscape for novel food technologies continues to evolve, bringing these innovations to market requires more than scientific breakthroughs, they demand a clear understanding of the approval pathway and consumer adoption. That makes this a timely conversation about the intersection of science, regulation, consumer acceptance, and commercial success. How a tuna cell line is established and expanded without ever going back to the fishWhat the FDA dossier process for a novel food actually involvesWhy Finless Foods shifted to a business-to-business manufacturing model in 2025The role consumer trust and education play before a product like this can launchWhat Brandon sees as success for the wider cultivated seafood industry five years from now Connect with Brandon Chen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonchen/Learn more about Finless Foods: https://finlessfoods.com If this episode gave you a clearer picture of where sustainable seafood is headed, share it with someone who'd find it interesting, and follow Finless Foods on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook to keep up with their progress. I hope you enjoyed this episode!If you found this conversation useful, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who'd benefit.- Susan and the Inside The Room podcast team Susan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susan-bondWebsite: https://www.bondadvisorygroupllc.com/ Listen on:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0z4x4D6NAQIrcaSRG3ZmpNApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/inside-the-room/id6817019440Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/de2b748b-fbcd-4dac-900c-41538c669d04  #insidetheroom #fdaregulatory #foodregulation #regulatoryaffairs #foodsafety #foodtech #alternativeprotein #functionalfoods #dietarysupplements #agtech #foodinnovation #regulatorystrategy #marketaccess #foodindustry #compliancestrategy Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge, for founders and operators building the next generation of these industries. Each episode is a look at the regulatory gate standing between a promising product and the market, and what it actually takes to get through it.Host Susan Bond spent over twenty years inside the regulatory world, including roles across the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance and the Sprout Safety Alliance at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Kerry, and Abbott, and holds a Master's in Biotechnology. She now runs Bond Advisory Group, helping organisations turn regulatory complexity into a strategic advantage, and brings that same operator's view of what it takes to bring a product to market on schedule to every episode.Inside The Room is built for founders, CEOs, chief scientific officers, and regulatory and quality leaders at funded, scaling companies across novel ingredients, functional foods, alternative protein, fermentation, dietary supplements, pet and animal nutrition, and agtech. Listeners get a genuine, peer-level look at how the operators ahead of them cleared their own regulatory gates, and what they'd do differently next time.

  • 5 Episodes

About

Inside The Room is a podcast of conversations with the food, nutrition, and ag operators who turned regulation into a competitive edge. Host Susan Bond, a former FDA regulator with over twenty years in food safety and regulatory strategy, talks with operators about the real work of getting a product through regulation and into the world. Each episode trades pitch-deck talk for the practical detail founders actually need.

Information

  • Creator
    Susan Bond
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Susan Bond