Being A Step Ahead With Food Safety Norms Adherence

As the Senior Manager of Corporate Quality & Food Safety, what are the most significant challenges that you face while dealing with regulatory and compliance processes?

In the food and beverage industry, keeping up with new regulations that are being implemented, not just by government agencies (FDA, USDA, etc.), but by our very important customers, can be challenging because it is an everadvancing field. However, this is just part of the reality of being successful in the food and beverage business and it’s something we take very seriously. We address this be ensuring our quality and food safety teams understand why it’s important and that challenges are a normal part of our profession.

We are always educating ourselves, collaborating with industry partners, and our customers and we do this to enhance our programs and be more efficient, while focusing on or ahead of the compliance changes and updates coming our way. We have to be able to adjust as needed, so having a great team of knowledgeable quality experts is critically important to our company.

With governments as well as the food regulating bodies pushing for stricter safety for food and beverages, what are some of the measures you implement to achieve a cost-effective balance between compliance and risk?

We assess what our risk is for the specific regulation or requirement to determine what control programs to put in place to ensure we are meeting those requirements. This is evaluated regularly on an external, as well as internal, position. We have a great team focused on our customers and we are always keeping up with trends, advanced training programs, and partnering closely with our vendors and customers to ensure we are operating within industry best practices. We are measured for success by meeting internal parameters, quality specifications, and audit requirements.

What are some of the innovative strategies that have assisted you and your organization to deliver beverages that always comply with the evolving F&B regulatory mandates?

Communications from regulatory bodies and trade associations is the first step to innovation. We need to stay on top of the most current trends and projections, and have to anticipate what may come next.

"It is very important to stay ahead of the new food regulations that the government agencies will be implementing, and understanding how it affects your company is critical "                          

We are extremely fortunate that the coffee industry is a collaborative organization. We are closely tied to the National Coffee Association (NCA), whose focus is to serve, advocate, and connect. The NCA has represented the U.S. coffee industry from crop to cup since 1911, making it one of the oldest trade associations in the nation. And for good reason! Membership is comprised of companies across the coffee industry representing more than 1,694,700 jobs in the US economy. Customers and competitors come together for a common cause – to collaborate and keep ahead of the latest legislation, regulatory, and compliance practices, as well as coffee and health research and volunteer opportunities.

So, through programs like these, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA is able to learn and collaborate with other companies. Plus we partner with our supply chain and equipment vendors who also share their latest and innovative features that will help meet stringent quality and food safety regulations or trends.

As a thought-leader, what are some of the technological advancements that you would like to see implemented by other beverage companies?

I think we do pretty good as a whole, but maybe more of a focus on break-out sessions at industry events would be helpful. There is always more information to share and an opportunity to connect and meet new people we’ve found through networking events and education sessions are the best way to do this.

As an ending note, what is your advice for other senior leaders and CXOs working in the food safety arena?

It is very important to stay ahead of the new food regulations that the government (FSMA) will be implementing and understanding how it affects your company is critical—and making sure the entire company is aware and can support the new initiatives make it a lot easier. You can’t wait until the deadline for implementation so everyone needs to be aware and on board upfront or it will end up costing your company more from a resource standpoint, which will not only put your business at risk but also your customer base.