Ep. 115. Kathy Gombas: Ensuring Food Safety with FSPCA Training

Kathy Gombas is a recognized food safety expert with over 30 years of experience in the food industry—specializing in preventive controls, supply chain management, food safety auditing, and regulatory affairs.

Kathy is the founder of FSMA Solutions, a consulting group that provides food safety solutions to the food industry. She works with large food companies in conducting corporate food safety system gap assessments to identify vulnerabilities and assists small- to medium-sized businesses in developing food safety plans and supporting programs.

Kathy retired from FDA after ten years of service. She was a Senior Advisor at FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). While at CFSAN, Kathy was in a leadership role supporting FDA's Food Safety Modernization Act implementation efforts, including the Preventive Controls Regulator Training and launch of FDA's FSMA Technical Assistance Network for industry. Kathy also led the implementation of FDA's Reportable Food Registry.

Before joining FDA, Kathy held senior food safety positions at Dean Foods overseeing food safety programs for the company's northeast dairy operations and then the corporate Supplier Management Program. Prior to that, she spent eight years at Kraft Foods conducting food safety audits worldwide and developing corporate food safety policies.

Kathy is currently Chair of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) Executive Advisory Board and Co-chair for the FSPCA International Subcommittee working on industry training, outreach, and technical assistance programs for food companies worldwide. She is also Co-chair of the FSPCA Trainer-of-Trainers Work Group responsible for training and monitoring of FSPCA Lead Instructors. Kathy is an FSPCA Trainer-of-Trainers and Lead Instructor for Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and Preventive Controls for Human Food. She is also a member of the Food Safety Magazine Editorial Advisory Board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Kathy [21:35] about:

• Background on the founding of the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA) and the benefits of FSPCA training
• Becoming an FSPCA Lead Instructor and Trainer-of-Trainers
• Courses developed and offered by FSPCA
• How to determine if a course is a registered FSPCA course
• Advantages of FSPCA virtual training
• Impact of the pandemic on FSVP and the current status of audits
• Looking ahead to future FSPCA services and products

News and Resources
FAO Report: Thinking About the Future of Food Safety [4:20]
World Food Safety Day: June 7, 2022 – Theme and Resources [11:10]
FSIS Exchanges WGS Information with FDA, Enhances Data Sharing with CDC [12:37]
Food Microbiology Forum: FoodMicrobiologyForum@rdls.nestle.com
EFSA Releases Scientific Opinion on High-Pressure Processing [16:36]

FSPCA Resource Links
FSPCA Website
Intentional Adulteration Training Courses
FSPCA Registered Courses
Preferred Vendor List for Qualified Translators and Reviewers
Sign up for FSPCA Updates and Newsletters

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