Ep. 181. Johanna Velez: Dedicated to a Culture of Consistent Improvement

Johanna Velez is Vice President of Quality Assurance for Monin Americas, having joined the brand in 2002. With more than 27 years in the food industry, Johanna has a wealth of experience in leading, directing, and guiding the company's food safety and quality programs at all Monin North America locations. She successfully led Monin to achieve Safe Quality Foods (SQF) and Organic certifications for both the Clearwater, Florida and Sparks, Nevada facilities, resulting in an "Excellent" rating for the brand's food safety practices. Prior to Monin, Johanna spent five years at Wild Flavors (now Archer-Daniels-Midland Company) in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), including the Florida IFT Division, as well as the Bay Area Manufacturers Association (BAMA). Johanna graduated from Louisiana State University and later attended Michigan State University to obtain her certification in Food Law and Regulations.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Johanna [30:04] about:

• How her industry and academic experiences inform her work at Monin Americas, and important food safety and quality considerations of doing business as a global supplier
• Embracing technology and digitization to modernize quality control processes, such as using QR codes to track equipment maintenance history
• Implementing quarterly proficiency testing to ensure that employees' skills and knowledge stay up-to-date
• Utilizing a "blameless problem-solving" approach to address non-conformances, and bringing cross-functional teams together to identify root causes of issues and implement improvements
• How Monin Americas achieved an "Excellent" rating for its food safety practices, and the company's processes for upholding its SQF and Organic certifications
• Reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration at Monin Americas, where food safety is a core value shared by all employees
• Onboarding suppliers as "partners" and working closely with them to reinforce robust food safety standards and ensure implementation of best practices.

News and Resources

News

McDonald's E. coli Outbreak [3:29]

• CDC Names Taylor Farms Onions as Cause of McDonald's E. coli Outbreak; Patient Count Rises to 90
• Beef Ruled Out as Source of McDonald's E. coli Outbreak, Quarter Pounders Return to Restaurants
• Major Chains Pull Onions Due to E. coli Concerns After Taylor Farms Confirmed as McDonald's Supplier
• At Least One Death Caused by E. coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders

FDA Human Foods Program Reveals Work Plans for 2025 [7:13]

Listeria, Salmonella Represent 40 Percent of FDA Food and Beverage Recalls in Last 20 Years [17:01]

Following Salmonella Outbreaks Linked to Indiana Cantaloupe, FDA and Purdue University Launch Environmental Study [19:10]

Resources

Food Safety Insights: "How is the Revolution in Technology Changing Food Safety?—Part 3" [20:01]

Food Safety Five Newsreel

Food Safety Magazine's YouTube Channel

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