Food Safety Specialist (Quality Assurance/Control Manager)
SAMA CATERING CO (Diet Center Manufacturing Unit, Frozen food Production Line & Restaurants Chain )
Total years of experience :16 years, 1 Months
Establish and maintain Food Safety Quality Assurance programs and activities that will ensure compliance with company policies, food safety standards, Authority of food and nutrition regulations, and industry best practices including Good Production Practice and HACCP.
• Manage quality and safety standards of food products, in addition to ensuring Hygiene Safety of all production unit and Central Kitchen as per the standards set by regulatory authorities and ISO 22000:2018 Standard, as well as Kuwait regulations, Codex & GCC standards, and other relevant international standards. This is done by implementing policies, strategies, and methodology testing.
• Introduce, monitor and update Hygiene quality and food safety programs in connection with other departments to meet company and regulatory objectives, quality control testing framework for outlets to control testing, microbiological testing framework, HACCP, food safety and defined procedures, GPP's, pest management and Sanitation practices.
• Continuously review and further refine procedures and set standards that ensure quality and safety for food and related locations.
• Ensure that all policies for raw materials and finished products are executed and set standards for departments to insure top notch supplier audits and compliance.
• Detailed periodical auditing of production areas in relation to cleaning schedules, hygiene procedures, product and packaging quality as well as setting quality policies and procedures on incoming products, all while monitoring food safety performances of various sections to prepare Score cards / quality trending reports.
• Ensure all audit documentation & records are logged & controlled.
• Set standards and safety related to handling and preparation of food Lead inspections related to food safety and hygiene.
• Coordinate with top management suggestion and phasing for the findings and solutions with related department to establish an action plan for all findings raised in internal / external food and safety quality audits.
• Support the HR department by identifying training needs, and generate material training including Basic Food Hygiene course, Health & Safety, Hygiene Regulation, HACCP Foundation, and ISO 22000:2018 for concerned employees within the organization
• Ensure monthly safety meetings are conducted and recommendations with management
• Investigate food and hygiene complaints & provide feedback to management and operations.
• Monthly pest control service report review & prepare corrective action plan accordingly.
• Conduct process flow diagrams and hazard analysis, develop and maintain Food Safety HACCP plan and CCPs & PRPs classification, validations and verification plans etc.
• Conduct internal food safety audits and monitor the progress of different projects and food manufacturing operations to ensure deadlines are met with the highest quality for raw materials and finished products.
• Ensure the compliance with government health regulations and effective implementation of food safety & quality management, while maintaining ISO 22000:2018, HACCP & Quality Assurance programs
• Research and develop new quality control processes and procedures to be followed by all employees.
• Perform a wide variety of inspections, checks, tests and sampling procedures for the manufacturing process according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
• Conduct investigations into customer complaints about health and food safety issues.
• Conduct training sessions on quality control methods to ensure all employees are following the most hygienic practices
• Identification of customer requirements, and development of products in accordance with customer specifications and international regulations like USFDA, EU, BRC, Halal & Kosher regulations etc.
• Conduct pre-launch storage studies and shelf life studies for new products, along with capability analysis for production units.
• Conduct Hazard analysis, risk assessments and SOP's for all new products, while maintaining QA procedures and cost policies in liaise with different departments within the organization.
• Identify which products to choose from supplier for new and existing product ideas and recipes.
• Design and supervise food manufacturing processes & inspect production machineries to ensure appropriate compliance with safety regulations.
• Responsible for maintaining the highest level of strict hygiene & food safety standard.
• Carry out quality assessment measures of all products and incoming raw materials to ensure compliance with quality requirements and safety regulations
• Responsible for maintaining HACCP documentation, implementation, and ensuring that all the activities are in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures & GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice)
• Inspection of all incoming goods, pre-mixes, in process materials, packaging, etc…
• Responsible for traceability, FIFO system, shelf life, True Reflection of Product and Material, to be maintained and recorded as per the standard operating procedures.
• Resolve quality-related issues in a timely manner, while recommending improvement measures to the production process to ensure quality control standards are met.
• Development of process flow diagrams, Hazard analysis, and classification of CCPs, PRPs and HACCP plans, Validations, Verification plans etc. as per the requirements.