Siraj Aboobacker

Lead regional food safety and QA operations in alignment with Pret AMEA standards and Kuwait local regulationsSupport new product launches with technical documentation, allergen control, risk assessments, and label complianceOversee supplier approvals and manage third-party lab testing surveillance programsProvide shop-level preparation for NSF audits and internal QA compliance through Operational HACCP training and internal audits Report to General Manager and Pret Hong Kong Technical Team

ALSHAYA Co is one of the world leading company & pioneering force in retail
franchise sector across MENA, Turkey, Russia, Europe and beyond operating
80+ worlds best known‑ retail brands ranging from Food, Fashion & Footwear, Health & Beauty, Pharmacy, Optics, Home Needs, Leisure & Entertainment Current Responsibilities / Roles:
1. Directly reporting to Senior Site Quality Manager for implementation of quality standards in Central Production Facility based on HACCP, FSSC and AIB standards, working closely with Operations.
2. Assist in creation of Policies, Standards and SOPs to facilitate site with Quality manual for effective implementation of HACCP systems & perform risk assessment and hazard analysis for new launches.
3. Monthly and Weekly internal audits based on codex & AIB standards to validate CCP, hygiene and GMP standards and timely reporting to site for Corrective / Preventive actions and implementation in operations.
4. Reporting of Non‑conformances and Opportunities to site in daily, weekly meetings for site improvements and actions and trending report submission to business on weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.
5. Managing Lab tests, reporting deviations, investigations, invoice verifications, work in coordination with site quality team. Assist in Customer/Store complaint investigations, reporting, managing QIRDs and escalation for resolving issues.
6. Managing external/third party audits, site regulatory and brand visits. Ensure compliance by surveillance audits. Assist in IPM to pest control team, Site internal validation studies, SOP/WIs reviews, Ingredient labelling & applications.
7. Food safety briefs and CCP trainings, refresher TBTs to production Operatives & new staffs for education & awareness

ALMARAI is one of the largest vertically integrated Dairy & Bakery Company in Middle East with Quality reputation unmatched within the gulf market. Working in a firm that manufactures a wide variety of bakery goods like Bread, buns, hamburgers, croissants, puffs, cakes, Swiss rolls, muffins, cookies & wafers.
Roles & Responsibilities handled
Assist QA Manager in implementing, auditing and continual improvement of the Quality systems to maintain AIB and ISO certification. Supervising through active involvement in the QA/QC team to ensure all responsibilities are carried out as required and in a timely manner, updating & maintaining quality records for an established HACCP, ISO 9001& 22000(FSMS). SOPs, SSOPs and Work Instructions creation, its review & updating on timely basis to maintain proper follow up of procedures in controlled manner. Supervision & follow up for CCP/OPRP/PRP internal validation and verification in correlation with inter depts. Customer, Consumer complaint investigations, reporting & implementation of CAPA to prevent the recurrence. KPI presentation on weekly / monthly basis, assessing customer/consumer CPM trends to trend market complaints. Ensuring customer/consumer satisfaction through value added services by delivering proper complaint investigations. Ensuring Quality adherence to incoming raw materials by ware house inspection & finished goods through online QC. Root cause analysis using gap assessment tools like Cause & Effects diagram (Fish‑Bone), 4M & 5Y analysis. Identification of Hazards, process risks through AIB self‑ inspection audits on sites, Active involvement as HACCP &CIT Team member, conducting HARA review. Training of new QA staffs & production operatives in new specifications, work instructions & procedure and also for GMP / HACCP/ AIB awareness in correlation with training dept. Accelerated Shelf life study of short shelf life & trial products, full MFSL validation & report submission. R&D: Assist in New Product & packaging Trials and commercialization, its validation analysis & Updating of product specifications. Routine product Sensory analysis as a sensory panelist, weekly sensory & daily product quality review meetings involvement to assess & action on making up product quality consistency.

Quality analysis from Raw Materials to Finished Goods. Online quality control in production area. Helps in online new product trials & its sensory analysis. Involved in HACCP implementation in the production line. Trained the Employees for Personnel Hygiene and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Working knowledge with bakery lab equipment like Glutamatic system, Falling number apparatus, Soxhlet fat extraction, NIR spectrometer, Volscan profiler, aqua lab Ph /Conductivity / aW meter, texture analyser, Brookfield viscometer, Minolta colorimeter etc. Analysis of foods with new advanced bakery equipment, Experience in Conventional methods of quality tests, new product development trials, testing and validation

Quality Control and Execution in Processing of various products like Pickles, Dry fruits, Sweets, Beaten rice, Nuts, Chips and its Raw materials. Helps in new product development processes & methods, developed quality lab small scale basis. Raw material inspection & purchase by meeting cost with standard quality norms.