WHAT DOES A FOOD SAFETY SPECIALIST DO?

Published: Mar 27, 2025 - The Food Safety Specialist conducts annual risk assessments and updates food safety plans for farms, ensuring adherence to relevant standards and regulatory compliance. This role involves providing on-site support during audits, coordinating with certification bodies, and offering corrective actions to maintain food safety throughout the season. Additionally, this position fosters growth by consulting with key accounts, updating safety standards, and sustaining relationships with agricultural stakeholders.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Food Safety Specialist

1. Food Safety Specialist Duties

  • Standards Implementation: Driving the implementation of BC, GSFI, and customer standards and procedures on the shop floor.
  • Internal Audits: Participating in internal audits related to HACCP, food safety, sustainability, and quality management systems.
  • Staff Training: Training local staff on all topics connected to GMP and food safety.
  • Compliance Support: Supporting other functions to achieve compliance with the above-mentioned standards.
  • Crisis Management: Supporting the Quality Manager in crisis management.
  • Problem Solving: Initiating and participating in quality-related improvement and problem-solving teams using root cause problem-solving tools such as 5 Why and Ishikawa analysis related to non-conformances and complaints.
  • Trend Analysis: Carrying out trend analysis and statistical data review to develop improvement plans.
  • Corrective Actions: Following up on corrective actions and verifying the effectiveness of implemented measures.
  • Project Review: Understanding, reviewing, and providing feedback on the impact of projects on management systems (e.g., HACCP, FSSC 22000, PEM, Sustainability standards) and customer requirements.
  • Quality Plan Adaptation: Adapting and validating quality plans and systems to address changed or new ingredients, products, processes, or production environments.
  • Pest Control: Coordinating the plant’s pest control services.

2. Food Safety Specialist Details

  • Food Quality Improvement: Improve food quality and safety processes.
  • Food Safety Compliance: Ensure all food safety regulations are adhered to in cooperation with the relevant auditor.
  • Issue Resolution: Uncover and address any issues we may have, whether in fulfilment, commercial, or other departments.
  • Product Quality Assurance: Cooperate with the Commercial Team to ensure products meet all German quality standards whilst still being the best choice for customers.
  • Staff Training: Training colleagues on food safety standards.
  • Quality Framework Development: Build a food quality framework from the ground up.
  • Infrastructure Development: Develop infrastructure around food safety and quality assurance.
  • Food Safety Expert: Act as the go-to person for all food-safety and quality-related topics.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Manage and communicate with stakeholders from various areas of Picnic.
  • Training Development: Develop training approaches.
  • Documentation Creation: Create comprehensive documentation that covers all aspects of food safety.

3. Food Safety Specialist Responsibilities

  • Risk Assessments: Conduct risk assessments to meet multiple food safety standards.
  • Food Safety Plan Creation: Creation of food safety plans for farms (some with pre-processing steps) including policies and procedures.
  • Plan Updates: Update client food safety plans at least annually.
  • Internal Assessments: Conduct internal assessments on clients at least annually.
  • Audit Assistance: Provide on-site assistance during grower audits.
  • Audit Coordination: Coordinate audits with relevant certification bodies.
  • Corrective Action Guidance: Provide corrective action guidance.
  • Compliance Monitoring: Ensure growers are operating in compliance with food safety plans and maintaining records throughout the season.
  • Ongoing Training: Attend continuous training in food safety concepts and standard updates.
  • Regulatory Communication: Communicate relevant regulatory and food safety standard updates to growers and the local sales team.
  • Template Updates: Update templates to ensure compliance with the most recent versions of food safety standards.
  • Product Support: Provide basic product support for food safety and farm management software.
  • Consultation for Growth: Drive growth through food safety consultation with key accounts and target accounts.
  • Relationship Building: Build and maintain relationships with local commodity commissions, state departments of agriculture, and processors.

4. Food Safety Specialist Job Summary

  • Compliance Partnership: Partnering with the Compliance Team and selected audit team to ensure standards are clear and applied correctly.
  • Field Support: Field inquiries with the field and provide innovative solutions to common problems.
  • Food Safety Metrics: Hold responsibility for measuring and reporting on restaurant food safety metrics.
  • Food Safety Program Leadership: Lead the Restaurant Food Safety Recognition program to drive continuous improvement and improved field engagement.
  • Incident Management: Manage day-to-day food safety incidents and requests.
  • Emergency Coordination: Coordinate response for restaurant emergencies.
  • Cleaning Chemicals Program: Lead and manage the Cleaning Chemicals Program for the brand to maintain an efficient program, coupled with creative cleaning communications to inspire restaurant teams to take pride in the workplace.
  • Franchise Support: Support the Franchise Food Safety Council and co-lead this initiative with the Restaurant Food Safety Manager.
  • Complaint Reduction Support: Provide support towards consumer complaint reduction and improvements.
  • Quality Plant Support: Support Quality plant teams including HACCP, Consumer complaints, Sanitation, and RCA.
  • Sanitation & Allergen Support: Support validation and verification for sanitation and allergens across all production lines.
  • Quality Improvement: Input into the Quality loss trees and drive actions and follow-up for improvements.

5. Food Safety Specialist Accountabilities

  • Supplier Controls: Ensure that Supplier Preventive Controls are effectively implemented and documented.
  • Foreign Supplier Compliance: Ensure compliance with the Foreign Supplier Verification Program.
  • Documentation Management: Supplier documentation collection and organization in TraceGains.
  • Documentation Review: Supplier documentation review and approval.
  • Supplier and Item Approval: Supplier and item approval.
  • Supplier Auditing: Supplier auditing, including follow-ups.
  • External Audit Support: External audit support related to supplier quality and safety, including FDA, USDA, and local regulatory agencies.
  • Food Safety Systems: Executing and enforcing food safety and quality systems for cultivated meat production, processing, and packaging processes.
  • Non-Conformance Investigation: Non-conformance and complaint investigation and CAPA related to supplier quality and safety.
  • ERP and TraceGains Implementation: ERP & TraceGains implementation.
  • New Supplier Audits: Conduct new supplier approval audits, some overnight travel required to visit suppliers.
  • QA Lab Support: Provide backup for the QA Lab team with review, analysis, and release of incoming raw materials for use in production.
  • FSQA Point of Contact: Act as a point person on behalf of the FSQA department for supplier and item-related questions and issues at the plant.
  • Quality and Safety Culture: Uphold, along with Sr. Leadership, a strong culture and commitment to Quality and Food Safety throughout the UPSIDE Foods organization.
Relevant Information
What Does A Food Safety Manager Do?