Fabian Smith

"Ensure your products align with Costco’s rigorous standards for quality, safety, and ethical sourcing! From GFSI certification and HACCP plans to ethical labor practices and sustainability, partnering with Costco means upholding excellence at every step. 🔍 Key Requirements Include: ✅ Product Safety and Quality ✅ Food Safety Certifications ✅ Ethical Sourcing Practices ✅ Regulatory Compliance ✅ Operational Reliability ✅ Continuous Improvement With interlinkIQ, your brand can surely and efficiently meet Costco’s supplier expectations. Visit www.interlinkIQ.com to learn more. #Costco #CostcoSuppliers #ProductQuality #FoodSafety #EthicalSourcing #Sustainability #GFSI #HACCP #QualityAssurance #SupplierStandards"

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Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. - Andrew Carnegie https://loom.ly/MVP0pUY #MotivationalMonday #FoodSafetyTraining #ProgressExcellence

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The Importance of Transparency and Proactive Action in Food Safety The recent McDonald’s foodborne illness outbreak linked to contaminated onions highlights a critical gap in our food safety and crisis management approach. While the report provides essential details about the issue, it fails to offer the actionable insights necessary for the industry to prevent similar occurrences. Here are a few points we should consider: 1. Transparency is Key: The report outlines the basics of what went wrong but doesn’t go deep enough into the why. Comprehensive root-cause analyses and open communication can help all stakeholders in the supply chain understand and address vulnerabilities. 2. Proactive Supplier Oversight: Relying on certifications and periodic audits is not enough. Regular, unannounced inspections, robust traceability systems, and supplier partnerships focused on continuous improvement can prevent such outbreaks. 3. Crisis Management Lessons: The speed and clarity of the response to outbreaks like this determine both public safety and brand reputation. Reports should include a review of response measures, identifying what worked and where the delays occurred. 4. Collaboration Across the Industry: Food safety is not a competitive advantage; it’s a shared responsibility. Industry-wide knowledge sharing can strengthen everyone's processes, especially on systemic issues like agricultural contamination. As leaders in food safety and quality, we must demand transparency in reporting, accountability, and innovation in our approach to these challenges. Learning from such incidents isn’t just about avoiding liability; it’s about ensuring trust and safety in the communities we serve. What do you think? How can we push for more robust reporting and proactive measures across the industry? #FoodSafety #Leadership #SupplyChain #McDonalds

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At NSF, we believe in deep diving into your food safety store audit results and working as your partner to help you to address and mitigate any risks. This is because our auditors have a coaching and improvement mindset which goes beyond collecting data. We’re here to help you improve at each and every audit. Find out how our audits can transform your food safety performance: https://bit.ly/4cm29i2 #NSF #FoodSafety #RegulatoryCompliance #OperationalExcellence

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At NSF, we believe in deep diving into your food safety store audit results and working as your partner to help you to address and mitigate any risks. This is because our auditors have a coaching and improvement mindset which goes beyond collecting data. We’re here to help you improve at each and every audit. Find out how our audits can transform your food safety performance: https://bit.ly/3YQhDap #NSF #FoodSafety #RegulatoryCompliance #OperationalExcellence

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Establishing and sustaining a robust #foodsafety culture is paramount, with positive implications for consumer health, regulatory adherence, and brand credibility. 🍴 Francine Shaw, CP-FS, FMP, CEO at Savvy Food Safety, Inc., details how to build a strong food safety culture across the food #supplychain at the #linkbelow! ⤵️

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Interesting article by Food Safety Magazine on Food Safety Practices in Response to Growth in Fresh Prepared Foods #FoodSafetyMagazine #foodsafety (free sub. required): https://t.co/OuqOhgiii9

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Essentially a perfect costume! 👻🎃 Food safety doesn’t have to be spooky. Having a solid Food Safety Culture and building trust with operations and leadership are all key ingredients in Food Safety.

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With the hovering concern of mitigating foodborne illness in ready to eat establishments, the best strategy is utilizing a proactive approach in your systems. What does that entail?! I'm glad you asked! Placing food safety systems into your program is a foundational must. Once they're implemented, we must ensure they're being monitored. Your program is a live continuous proactive aim to keep consumers safe, and your brand at the top! Another element that is crucial is your training program! You go to great lengths to ensure your team is well trained to provide an exceptional experience for your guests. How can ASI assist with the brand and consumer protection you're looking for? With the advancement of technology, we make it easier to attain information that counts for viewing the "bigger picture" of your establishments. By monitoring the areas that are the most important, we provide the data that informs partners of where their strong basises are, and where potential gaps may have opportunities. We utilize data from each assessment that tells you where you are, so that you can benchmark them to where your brand aims to be. Our program provides the opportunity for internal auditing as well as partnered assessments, so all the data is trended in one place. By tackling potential challenges before they arise, we utilize a proactive method, so you are not placed into a position of reactiveness.

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Last week, Forbes posted their 2024 list of America's Best Employers for Women, and it was no surprise for me that Cargill ranked at #17 and was the highest ranking for Food and Beverage companies. It was no surprise because I have felt fully supported through two maternity leaves over the last 3.5 years--and instead of negative impacts to my career, I have continued to see growth and promotions during that time. I see the impact of Cargill's support of women in the number of women in leadership roles both in corporate and production locations. From fair hiring and promotion practices to building mother's rooms in production facilities to providing bonding leave for birthing parents, non-birthing parents, and adoptive parents to leadership development programs for women--I see Cargill putting policies into action that are making significant progress toward equity at all levels of the company. I deeply appreciate that Cargill has given me a place to thrive--and grow my family at the same time. https://lnkd.in/gWKH8r9e #Cargill #foodandbeverage #foodindustry #womeninscience

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Food safety: The Root Cause Headlines frequently report foodborne illnesses and recalls, prompting many business leaders to wonder what they need to do to prevent it happening to their company. When problems occur, investigators conduct a root cause analysis – don’t let that investigation lead to the top. Building a strong food safety culture is commonly discussed but difficult to implement and measure. It’s challenging to know when you’ve succeeded, and easiest to see when you’ve failed. While a piece of equipment may have harbored a food safety hazard, the underlying reason often points to reactive, not proactive, food safety systems. Finding balance in food production is difficult as there is always more to do and not enough time to get it done. However, one of the cheapest investments ever made will be one that prevents costly recalls and outbreaks. Risk-based is a ubiquitous term used in the food safety industry, and we have spent decades building an infrastructure of audits, programs and testing to support this concept. Despite broad efforts, outbreaks and recalls continue to occur, raising questions about whether the infrastructure needs some additional refinement. Prevention-based food safety recognizes that current efforts will never be enough. While food safety audits and programs are building blocks for risk-based systems, prevention-focused food safety requires active selection for constant deviation to reduce risk. Do we favor deviations in audits and processes? Generally, not. Reflecting on failures in past events and thorough root cause analysis, we need to design systems that favor the right type of deviation. Passing an audit and not deviating from current food safety programs will not naturally lead to a system that iteratively identifies risk-reduction activities. Continuous improvement toward the right type of deviation is essential. Today’s goal? Be better than yesterday. Western Growers Science is hosting a Management Strategies for Food Safety workshop on November 12, 2024, in Salinas Calif. This workshop offers vital insights into the qualifications necessary for food safety roles, the scientific principles behind food safety and the delicate balance between regulatory adherence and production goals. Register at the link below. https://lnkd.in/gihgngYc #foodsafety #foodsafetyculture #microbiology #leadership #freshprodcue #culture Western Growers

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Consumers should look at product ingredients such as dyes/colors, sugar replacers, MSG, GMOs, and preservatives when considering food safety. (see article: https://ow.ly/Vk3r50TEafw) #FoodSafety #FarmsCloseBy #DefineLocal #hyperlocal #local #franchise #franchiseopportunity #EndAlz #invest #investment #investor #VC #hydrogen

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Tip 💡 Adding the FSSC 22000 v6 requirements to your annual employee refresher training is imperative for a holistic approach for food safety management.

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Processing Food Safety (What was I thinking?) is Darin's new blog-post series discussing thoughts behind his myriad contributions in food safety thought leadership. Today's post connects the media attention around the Boar's Head food safety failure.

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