Navigating the New Abnormal in Food Safety

In the last year, the food industry has faced many challenges due to COVID-19. As a result, a new food safety culture has emerged, aiming to identify and implement control strategies, such as monitoring, verifying, taking corrective actions, training and documentation.

While the main objective is to be able to produce high-quality food and provide it to customers safely, the FDA requires businesses to have a written COVID-19 preventive control plan with the intention that food industry staff be familiar with it and can develop and implement it. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 crisis has generated many interrelated problems that affect the food supply chain, including worker safety, staffing shortages, supply shortages, market disruption, regulatory challenges and more. These have contributed to non-fulfilment of orders and to a global economic crisis.

In this webinar, expert speakers will explore how audits and certifications provide food companies with an important tool for improving and verifying food safety compliance and the ability to continue to feed the world safely.

Several recognized certification schemes all have the same overarching content, and each fills specific needs depending on the industry segment. These certifications are approved by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), meaning that they are designed to be efficient, reduce the need for multiple audits, improve processes and save time and resources.

Due to pandemic-related challenges, many audits are currently partial, blended or remote. Unannounced audits are recertification audits that are conducted once every three years.

Also, in response to the pandemic, the industry has been forced to implement a system of crisis management and return to work procedures that include implementing distancing measures, regularly changing personal protective equipment (PPE), keeping hands away from the face, regular hand washing, wiping down equipment and surfaces as needed, limiting visitors (including auditors) and changing delivery protocols. This worldwide crisis has taught food companies that they should constantly review their contingency plans to ensure their proper function when facing an emergency.

Register for this webinar to learn how to prepare for different types of food safety audits and how the maintenance of on-site records, having documentation ready, accessible and retrievable, as well as analyzing the system regularly, will allow food companies to be ready for an unannounced audit at any time.

Speakers

Reid Watkins, Technical Manager, Qima/WQS

With more than 15 years in the agricultural sector, Reid Watkins’ technical expertise lies in organic, sustainability, IP, social responsibility and food safety standards. He leads QIMA/WQS’s Technical Agricultural team focusing on the management of GFSI certification. He is also the lead in-house trainer and an active member of the GLOBALG.A.P. National Technical Working Group. His work motto: “Agriculture – An Essential Business Since 10,000 BC.”

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Ana Paula Broto, Operations Manager, Qima/WQS

With over 10+ years of experience in food safety and management, Ana Paula Broto has deep knowledge of food safety certification schemes (GFSI) and quality management systems within the food industry. She has been with WQS for more than eight years working and establishing the Quality Department and playing a vital role in the US, Brazil and Mexico operations.

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Daniel Freire, Business Development Manager, Qima/WQS

With over seven years of experience in food safety industry process improvement, Daniel Freire has an in-depth understanding of the food supply chain, the challenges we face and how we overcome those challenges. He joined QIMA/WQS seven years ago and has since completed his MBA with a concentration in data analytics.

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Liz Salinas, Director of Sales – Agriculture, Qima/WQS

With over 18 years of experience in the food safety industry, Liz Salinas has worked in audits, customer service and sales, gaining extensive knowledge of the industry and growing with it. After working with different food safety companies, she joined QIMA/WQS seven years ago as our Director of Sales for the Agricultural Division.  Over her career, she has come to work with multiple schemes in all facets of the food industry; however, growing is her passion.

Along with her family, they own and operate a small vegetable farm and raise chickens and goats.

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