FMI – The Food Industry Association has appointed Carey Allen to lead business development efforts for the expanding food safety certification program, SQF. Allen, a food safety professional, fills the role of building SQF program awareness and focusing on its expansion to further bolster consumer and retailer food safety expectations.
Allen’s appointment comes at a time when food operators worldwide are streamlining their processes and growing their businesses with SQF certification. Allen will work closely with the SQF community stakeholders and support the growing SQF services designed to meet industry, customer, and regulatory requirements for all sectors of the food supply chain.
Gigi Vita, FMI chief food safety assessment officer and SVP, commented on Allen’s 20 years of experience bringing value to supply chain partners and consumers, saying, “Our investment in the SQFI team comes at an exciting time when there are more than 11,000 SQF certified sites in more than 40 countries and six continents. Carey’s strong background in food quality, manufacturing and product development complements our brand reputation in the food industry. Adding her experience and expertise to the SQFI team is the right investment to support the tremendous SQF growth.”
“Carey joins the largest GFSI-recognized Certified Program Owner in North America, and will assist retailers, foodservice and manufacturing companies to solidify their compliance with international and domestic food safety regulations to the highest possible standards, at all levels of the supply chain,” Vita said.
Most recently, Allen served as VP of the food and agriculture division at SCS Global Services where she led the growth and expansion of the food safety, product claims, social compliance, and sustainable agriculture businesses by increasing market presence and advancing business capabilities through information technology and organizational design.
Previously, Allen led global product certification and supply chain food safety at NSF International, working with the global operating teams to increase efficiencies of scale and supporting technical leadership in regional markets.
Allen has a strong background in food manufacturing quality and product development, having worked with leading brands, including Gorton’s Seafood and Kraft-Oscar Mayer Foods.
Allen graduated from three universities; having received her B.S. in food science from the University of Idaho, a master’s degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her Master’s in management, strategy and leadership from Michigan State University.
In the early 2000s, FMI’s membership recognized that a successful food safety program would require a total management approach, beginning with the producer or manufacturer. FMI recognized that the addition of a site certification program would enhance other food safety programs such as in-store operations, employee training and consumer education. The SQF program became a tool for managing food safety and quality from farm to fork, which FMI purchased in 2003 from Western Australia Department of Agriculture.
For more information, visit sqfi.com.
