Dr. Manan Sharma is a Senior Director of Produce and food Microbiology at The Acheson Group, where he started in 2026.
Prior to joining TAG, Manan was a Lead Scientist and Research Microbiologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, where he worked for 21 years. His microbiological research focused on pre- and post-harvest produce safety, including agricultural water quality, biological soil amendments (manure, compost), pathogen recovery, concentration and detection methods, and cost-effective practices to reduce levels of foodborne pathogens like E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp, Listeria monocytogenes, and Cyclospora cayetanensis on produce. His previous research and knowledge benefit TAG and its clients, particularly in today’s fruit and vegetable production environment.
Manan is the current (2026-27) President of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), the largest international organization of food safety.
He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and 10 book chapters. He has been awarded the IAFP Maurice Weber Laboratorian Award and Fellow award for his research and scientific achievements and impacts in food safety; he is a highly sought speaker on produce safety and agricultural topics.
He received a B.S. degree in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia.
