Former FDA Deputy Commissioner Joins Wiliot as Advisor
The former deputy commissioner of food policy and response for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is lending his expertise to a new organization. Frank Yiannas, considered a key architect of Rule 204 of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that was finalized in November 2022, is joining Internet of Things (IoT) platform Wiliot as a strategic advisor.
[Read more: “FMI’s Food Safety Program Gains FDA Recognition”]
In this role, Yiannas will guide the San Diego, Calif.-based Wiliot on its strategy and help educate the market on how ambient IoT can help grocers and food producers comply with the FDA’s new traceability rules. An evolution of barcode technologies, ambient IoT is a battery-free wireless technology that can be integrated into Bluetooth, 5G Advanced, 6G and wi-fi wireless standards for real-time visibility that helps assure regulatory compliance and improve store efficiencies.
“The FDA's new food traceability rule has become a catalyst for retailers to modernize their supply chains,” said Tal Tamir, Wiliot CEO. “Frank’s leadership in food safety and response will be pivotal in helping us educate the market on how this moment and the adoption of ambient IoT by some of the world’s largest retailers can enable the food business to meet their societal and regulatory traceability requirements.”
Yiannas, who will work with executives, solution development leaders and sales and marketing teams across the industry to help grocers navigate FSMA Rule 204 ahead of the January 2026 compliance deadline, said he is looking forward to this new role at a pivotal point in time. “Modernizing food safety is critical to the health and wellbeing of people everywhere,” he asserted. “This goal cannot be achieved without creating greater transparency and traceability throughout the entire food continuum – across farms, food processing and distribution centers, and retail stores. Wiliot, through its pioneering use of ambient IoT, is in a unique position to enable this transparency to become a reality faster and more efficiently than others.”
Yiannas brings a wealth of expertise to his latest advisory position. In addition to serving under two different administrations as the deputy commissioner of the FDA, he worked for 30 years in leadership roles with Walmart and the Walt Disney Co.
