Faculty Bios

Londa (Vanderwal) Nwadike, Extension Food Safety Specialist, works with food processors throughout Vermont to improve the safety of their products, particularly meats and other small- scale processed food products. She also assists maple producers to meet food safety requirements and provides general support to strengthen the safety of other foods produced and processed in Vermont.  She is working with the VT Department of Health and the Agency of Agriculture to organize a VT Food Safety Stakeholder Summit and resultant VT Food Safety Task Force.

Londa grew up on a diversified family farm in eastern South Dakota, and has experience working in food safety in food processing plants and in various aspects of ag research in the US throughout her BS and graduate degrees. She worked in food safety for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), based in Rome, Italy for 5 years, and also has extensive experience living and working in Africa.

• Courses
• Publications
• Professional Societies
• Education
• Awards

Academic Courses & Workshops

Provide workshops and trainings on Food Safety for Food Processors; Federal and State of Vermont Food Regulations; HACCP for Meat and Poultry Processors; Agritourism and Food Safety; Food Safety for Direct Food Marketers; Food Safety for Maple Producers; Food Safety for Childcare Providers.

Publications

Factsheets available from: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/food/?Page=food_safety.html

Vanderwal L, Rautiainen R, Kuye R, Peek-Asa C, Ramirez M, Cook T, Culp K, Donham K. Evaluation of a hand water pump to improve work productivity, health, and safety among women vegetable farmers in the Gambia. Journal of Sustainable Agiculture 2011; 35(4):1-14.

Vanderwal L, Rautiainen R, Kuye R, Peek-Asa C, Ramirez M, Cook T, Culp K, Donham K. Establishing a community participatory process to select interventions to improve health, safety, and work productivity of women vegetable farmers in the Gambia. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 2011; 24(1):36-47.

Vanderwal L, Rautiainen R, Kuye R, Peek-Asa C, Ramirez M, Cook T, Culp K, Donham K. Evaluation of long- and short-handled hand hoes developed in a participatory manner among women vegetable farmers in the Gambia. Applied Ergonomics 2011; 42:749-756

Vanderwal, LS. “Improving the health, safety and productivity of women vegetable farmers in the Gambia.” PhD Dissertation. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. University of Iowa. 2009. 

NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) report. “Hispanic laborer entangled in auger at pork processing plant.” Iowa Case Report, 2008: 04IA005. 

Donham K, Vanderwal L, Sanderson W, Rautiainen R, Grafft L, Fisher E, Mohling K, Kline A. “A Model for Cooperative Agricultural Occupational Health Research.” International Congress on Occupational Health Proceedings. Cape Town, South Africa. 2009

Donham K, Kuye R, Vanderwal L, Sanderson W, Rautiainen R, Culp K, Murphy M, Cook T, Marquez S. “Education between Western and Developing Countries: The Gambia, West Africa, and Iowa, USA”. International Congress on Occupational Health Proceedings. Cape Town, South Africa. 2009

Biosecurity/SPS capacity needs assessment in Liberia report, 2010.

Assessment of the National food safety, animal health, and plant health system in the Gambia, 2009.

Assessment of the National food safety, animal health, and plant health system in Malawi, 2009.

Professional Societies

• Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)
• International Association of Food Protection (IAFP)
• National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS)
• International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health

Education

• Ph.D, University of Iowa - Agricultural Health and Safety
• M.S., Kansas State University - Food Science/Meat Safety
• B.S., South Dakota State University - Animal Science and Food Science

Honors & Awards

• Inducted into Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health- 2010
• Outstanding Graduate Student- University of Iowa Occupational and Environmental Health Department- 2010