Tag

Food Safety

The Triple Bottom Line: Balancing Economic, Social, and Environmental Goals in Food Production
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

The Triple Bottom Line: Balancing Economic, Social, and Environmental Goals in Food Production

Liz Duffy is a seasoned compliance and food safety leader with more than 20 years of experience leading teams to develop and implement comprehensive compliance programs that prioritize food safety and ethical business practices.

Liz began her career at Walmart in 2006 and now serves as Vice President, Global Food Safety & Compliance for the Fortune 1 retailer. In this role, Liz leads the team that supports Walmart’s approach that enables an end-to-end food safety and compliance program and culture. Liz recently transitioned from her previous role as Vice President, Global Omnichannel and eCommerce Compliance at Walmart, where she was responsible for compliance strategy, controls, and continuous improvement processes for the company’s eCommerce, Walmart Business, and Online Pickup and Delivery business offerings.

Liz’s passion lies with food safety, having started her career at Walmart as a Food Safety Manager for Walmart U.S. Stores and Sam’s Clubs. Throughout her nearly two-decade tenure at Walmart, Liz served in a wide variety of compliance roles supporting food safety program development, recall execution, store operations, eCommerce, and omnichannel compliance program acceleration.

Prior to joining Walmart, Liz worked at Cargill Value Added Meats where she supported role in Quality Assurance at a poultry processing facility in Arkansas.

A graduate from the University of Arkansas, Liz holds a Bachelor of Science and an MBA with a focus on Leadership and Ethics. Liz and her family reside in Northwest Arkansas. On the weekends you can find her spending time with her family and her horse.

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Perpetual Adaptation: ​Being Prepared for the Unexpected
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Perpetual Adaptation: ​Being Prepared for the Unexpected

Mahir is a Master in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and currently is a Vice President at PepsiCo leading Global FSQA (Food Safety and Quality Assurance) Organization based in New York.

Mahir has four years of work experience in Unilever, India and then 28+ years of experience with PepsiCo. He has worked in Supply chain operations, EHS (Environment , Health and Safety) , R&D, Digitization and most of all in Food Safety and Quality Assurance across three continents – India, Dubai and USA. He is currently responsible for formulating and implementing strategic plans for all Food Safety and Quality initiatives across the entire product portfolio ( Snacks, beverages, Dairy, Bread and meat snacks in over 1300 company-owned and third-party manufacturing sites around the globe.

With deep-rooted knowledge across product categories and differing regulatory and cultural environments, he plays a pivotal role in establishing rigorous standards and systems. He has shared countless lessons learned during his career. His innovative approaches ensure that PepsiCo consistently delivers products that not only meet stringent safety guidelines but also resonate with consumer expectations and satisfaction. Under Mahir’s guidance, the company’s commitment to food safety, quality assurance, compliance, and consumer trust remains unparalleled.

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Shaping the Future: Strategic Insights for Ensuring Food Safety and Quality Excellence in the Years Ahead
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Shaping the Future: Strategic Insights for Ensuring Food Safety and Quality Excellence in the Years Ahead

Jorge Hernandez is the Vice President of Quality Assurance for the Wendy’s Company. As such, he is responsible for the design, implementation and leadership of the Food Safety, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance Programs that impact suppliers, distribution centers and 7,250 restaurants in 33 Countries.

Previously, Jorge was the Chief Food Safety Officer at Wholesome International; he also served as the Sr. VP of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at US Foods Foodservice Distributor; and the VP of Food Safety and Risk Management at the National Restaurant Association.

Jorge has Degrees in Biology from Rockford University, Microbiology from the Centro de Estudios Medico-Biologicos in Mexico City, Mexico, Languages and Literature from la Universite de la Sorbonne, Paris, France and Executive Leadership from the Said School of Business at Oxford University in Oxford, England.

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Fireside Chat: Advancing Food Safety: Leveraging Technology and Leadership in the Evolving Landscape
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Fireside Chat: Advancing Food Safety: Leveraging Technology and Leadership in the Evolving Landscape

In his role as the Vice President of Corporate Food Technology and Regulatory Compliance for The Kroger Company, Cincinnati, OH. Howard has the overall strategic responsibility and direction for food safety, quality assurance and product development for the entire Kroger company, this includes approximately 2500 retail stores, 42 Warehouses, and Kroger’s 32 own manufacturing facilities – Dairy, Bakery, Pet Food and Grocery plants. Prior to joining Kroger, he led product integrity and regulatory compliance functions as Vice President at Topco Associates – a private label procurement company in Elk Grove Village, IL.

Howard is the co-chair of the steering committee of global food safety initiative (GFSI), he has over 25 years of experience in the food industry with 18 of those in executive leadership roles, he started his career with the United Nations and he has had the opportunity to work at several food companies and in progressive food safety and quality functions including US Foods, Nestle, Kraft and Darigold, Howard is a food microbiologist by training and has advanced degrees in Integrated supply chain management from Michigan State University.

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Transparency and Collaboration as a Competitive Edge: Earning Consumer Trust Through Visible and Controlled Supply Chains
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Transparency and Collaboration as a Competitive Edge: Earning Consumer Trust Through Visible and Controlled Supply Chains

Sara Mortimore is the former Vice President and Global Subject Matter Expert for Food Safety at Walmart Inc. In this role, Sara was responsible for the global development and oversight of all Food Safety programs and initiatives for the company’s more than 10,500 stores, manufacturing facilities, distribution, and fulfilment centers. A proud accomplishment was leading the team to be awarded the IAFP Black Pearl Award in 2024.

Prior to joining Walmart in May 2019, Sara held the position of Vice President of Product Safety, Quality and Regulatory Affairs with enterprise-wide responsibility at Land O’Lakes, Inc. In this capacity, she covered both human and animal foods and supported non-profit international development work.

Sara began her career with Glaxo SmithKline as a Research Technologist in Research & Development. In 1989, she joined Grand Metropolitan Foods, which later became Pillsbury and was subsequently incorporated by General Mills Inc. Here she led food safety, quality, and regulatory teams throughout international markets, including support of brands such as Haagen Dazs, Wanchai Ferry, Old El Paso, and Green Giant.

She is the co-author of several successful books, chapters and papers on HACCP and food safety management. Sara has served on the board of trustees for the Royal Society of Public Health, for the BRC International Advisory Board, and is a past member of the Global Food Safety Initiative Steering Committee.

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FDA Regulatory Update: New Era of Smarter Food Safety – A Progress Report
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

FDA Regulatory Update: New Era of Smarter Food Safety – A Progress Report

Mark Moorman is the Senior Science Advisor to Human Foods Program leadership at the Food and Drug Administration. In this role Mark drives prevention efforts with stakeholders to assure the safety of our food supply. Mark previously was the Office Director for the Office of Food Safety and prior to joining the FDA, Mark was the Senior Director of Global Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for the Kellogg Company. Prior to joining the Kellogg Company in 1998, Mark spent 10 years with Silliker Laboratories as the Technical Director of Microbiology. Mark has his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from Michigan State University in Microbiology and Food Science.

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Panel: Empowering Women in FSQA Leadership
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Panel: Empowering Women in FSQA Leadership

Explore strategies for attracting, developing, and retaining the next generation of female professionals in food safety and quality, essential for current and future success
Examine the unique obstacles women face in the food safety and quality sector and identify opportunities for professional growth and leadership advancement
Develop impactful strategies to foster organizational growth while nurturing a diverse and inclusive workforce
Share examples of successful mentorship initiatives, including onboarding, cross-training, job shadowing, and continuing education, that support and advance women’s careers in food safety and quality

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The Art and Science of Leading Organizations in a Rapidly Evolving Global Food Safety and Quality Environment
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

The Art and Science of Leading Organizations in a Rapidly Evolving Global Food Safety and Quality Environment

A recognized expert in food safety and quality, Catherine vigorously pursues quality systems excellence across the supply chain. Catherine is an experienced leader in Food Safety, Quality Systems, Quality Programs, and Laboratory Management. She builds followership and high performing cross-functional teams, finds effective solutions to continuously keep food safety and quality food manufacturing and delivery top of mind for all stakeholders, and inspires teams to strive for top tier execution.

Currently, Catherine is Vice President of Quality, Safety, Health and Environment at Sabra, America’s most iconic and beloved hummus. At Sabra, Catherine enabled an end-to-end transformation in food production and delivery, intensifying and expanding a culture of people and food safety across the organization and developing a best-in-class food safety and quality program.

Prior to joining Sabra, Catherine worked at Dairy Farmers of America and Kerry in food safety, quality systems and quality control innovation. Catherine holds a Bachelor of Sciences degrees in biotechnology and food science and a Master of Science degree in food microbiology from Oklahoma State University.

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Panel: Harmonizing Quality and Safety Excellence Across the Food Ecosystem: Perspectives from Retail, Foodservice, Restaurants & Manufacturers
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Panel: Harmonizing Quality and Safety Excellence Across the Food Ecosystem: Perspectives from Retail, Foodservice, Restaurants & Manufacturers

Overview of the current industry of food quality, regulatory and safety ecosystem and the interplay and evolution of regulatory frameworks, and consumers wants and needs
The alignment of quality standards and the strategies employed to ensure consistent quality standards across various in house and purchase brands
Exploring how to work closely with external suppliers to align their practices with our company’s stringent quality requirements
Examining the role of technology, collaboration and education in the quality assurance and food safety systems of the future

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Quality is Not Just a Cost Center: Proving the Value of Quality and Safety Initiatives with Data
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Quality is Not Just a Cost Center: Proving the Value of Quality and Safety Initiatives with Data

Quality and Safety teams often struggle to secure budget priority despite their essential roles. Learn how to shift that narrative with actionable strategies and data-driven insights
This session will explore how building a strong, data-driven continuous improvement program can not only reduce risk and improve safety but can also help teams paint a clearer picture of the value they create for their brand
Gain insights on how to put continuous improvement data to work for your organization

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Experiences and Expectations of Leaders in Applying Digital Transformation to Food Safety
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Experiences and Expectations of Leaders in Applying Digital Transformation to Food Safety

Learn from experienced industry leaders as they discuss how digital transformation has improved food safety and quality management
Gain valuable insight into overall organizational and end user experiences with the implementation of new digital solutions
Explore what the future holds and the full potential of digital transformation, including artificial intelligence, for the food and beverage industry

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From Coding to Configuring Solutions: Elevating Transparency, Traceability, and Governance with Zero Code Technology
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

From Coding to Configuring Solutions: Elevating Transparency, Traceability, and Governance with Zero Code Technology

Shan has an Engineering Degree from University of Madras, India and an Executive MBA from Georgia Tech, USA. He has over 25 years of Engineering, IT, and SCM consulting experience with many Global leaders in Retail, Manufacturing, FMCG, Groceries, Pharmaceuticals and Distribution, and few Big 5 consulting companies and few Top Gartner Magic Quadrant leaders in ERP, Supply Chain Management and Master Data Management Software.

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Fostering a Culture of Food Safety Through Effective Training Methods — A Conversation with Amit Jagirdar of Bunge
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, PODCAST

Fostering a Culture of Food Safety Through Effective Training Methods — A Conversation with Amit Jagirdar of Bunge

In the run-up to the 2024 edition of the North American Food Safety & Quality series we spoke with Amit Jagirdar, Bunge’s Director, Quality & Food Safety, about how training embeds, fosters, and reinforces Food Safety Culture not just with FSQ professionals and the hands-on operations teams but throughout the company as a whole. Listeners of this podcast may remember the excellent interview we did with Amit last year at NAFS24 on Food Safety Culture. This conversation builds and expands upon that one to offer new ideas that keep Food Safety training fresh and engaging for everyone, makes sharing success and learning from failures a regular part of working life, and keeps people focused on what matters most. Whether you work in Food Safety and Quality directly, work in the food and beverage industry more broadly, or just have an interest in how the people keeping our food safe remain passionate about their important function, give this episode a listen!

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Food Safety and Quality Data that Tells a Persuasive Story — A Conversation with Paul Bradley of TraceGains
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, PODCAST

Food Safety and Quality Data that Tells a Persuasive Story — A Conversation with Paul Bradley of TraceGains

In the run-up to the 2024 edition of the North American Food Safety & Quality series we spoke with Paul Bradley of TraceGains about how FSQ professionals document, demonstrate, and communicate the value of their work through data, and how a new generation of data collection and analytics tools are allowing them to share and showcase their contributions to the company in new and exciting ways. In a world where giving food safety and quality data a storyteller’s voice to convey both quantitative and qualitative metrics is the best way to win hearts and minds. In this wide-ranging conversation we talk about what’s new, what’s working, and what is coming next. Give it a listen!

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Leveraging Technology: Implementing a Digital Transformation to Simplify Compliance Processes and Improve Quality
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Leveraging Technology: Implementing a Digital Transformation to Simplify Compliance Processes and Improve Quality

Valerie Sieurin heads up Unilever’s Quality team and is a part of Unilever’s Business Operations Leadership Team.

Valerie started her career in Research and Development (R&D) at Cadbury Schweppes Bottling Group. From to 2003 to 2012, Valerie covered various R&D roles in Danone Beverages and Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition when in 2012 she was appointed to Vice President of Quality and Food Safety at Danone.

Valerie joined Unilever from Reckitt, she started as Global Health Quality Director and was promoted to Senior Vice President Global Head of Quality. In this role, she initiated the digitization journey of quality at Reckitt.

She took on her current role in March 2022 and is now based in London, United Kingdom.

With over 30 years’ experience at some of the world’s leading FMCG companies, Valerie is an ambassador for creative solutions and innovation in product, processes, and Quality systems. She is driving a culture change across the organization, overseeing end-to-end Quality, and driving consumers advocacy in the pursuit of superior quality.

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Leveraging Digital Solutions to Enhance Food Safety at PepsiCo, Globally
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Leveraging Digital Solutions to Enhance Food Safety at PepsiCo, Globally

Mahir is currently Vice President of Food safety at PepsiCo Inc( $80B annual revenue). He leads global food safety organization, which is responsible for setting the standards and governing the processes for delivering right food safety standards for all categories (Foods & Beverages) with every pack and every bottle produced by more than 1100 manufacturing plants in PepsiCo portfolio globally.

He has been working at PepsiCo for more than 25 years with gradually increasing responsibilities. He started in India, worked in various Operations/supply chain roles including plant manager of the largest bottling plant in India. He then moved to New York and worked on building quality systems for Non- carbonated Beverages. After that he spent 3 years in Dubai heading Food safety & Quality function for Asia, Middle East, and Africa region. In 2015, he returned to PepsiCo headquarters in New York heading FSQA for Nutrition category globally ($13B annual revenue). Then he led the global program management for R&D implementing digital transformation projects like SAP and Virtual development.

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Harnessing Big Data for Enhanced Food Safety and Quality in the Digital Age
FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY, VIDEO, FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY

Harnessing Big Data for Enhanced Food Safety and Quality in the Digital Age

In his role as the Vice President of Corporate Food Technology and Regulatory Compliance for The Kroger Company, Cincinnati, OH. Howard has the overall strategic responsibility and direction for food safety, quality assurance and product development for the entire Kroger company, this includes approximately 2500 retail stores, 42 Warehouses, and Kroger’s 32 own manufacturing facilities – Dairy, Bakery, Pet Food and Grocery plants. Prior to joining Kroger, he led product integrity and regulatory compliance functions as Vice President at Topco Associates – a private label procurement company in Elk Grove Village, IL.

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