Jose D. Herrera
Riverview,USA
Summary
A Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager with 10+ years of experience in the industry. A proven track record of developing impactful strategies to refine quality systems and general operations. Adept at building and leading diverse teams to deliver exceptional results. A dedicated leader who aims to get the best of everything through mentoring, constant learning and hard work.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager
Del Monte Fresh Produce
01.2019 - Current
- Accomplish financial objectives by forecasting requirements, preparing an annual budget, scheduling expenditures, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions
- Product development
- Trial evaluation of new products from raw to processed prior its distribution and following up with customers' requirements, complaints, or rejections once in the market
- Regular visits to customers (Walmart, Publix, SAMS Club, Costco, and Aldi) to ensure total store satisfaction
- Development and improvement of new and existing packages, to reduce quality problems to maximize the commercialization of the brand
- Conduct trials on packing materials at origin (tropics – CR, GT, EC), and perform final evaluations in the Del Monte facilities or at customer levels while the product is displayed
- Responsible for FDA certifications, guidelines, and regulatory compliance
- Vendors verifications; development of a recall plan and elaboration of a corrective action plan to mitigate possible Food Safety hazards
- Follow up with fresh cuts facilities to ensure that a good initial product is received, to optimize the final yields after processed (canned product and fruit trays)
- Monitoring and evaluation of products by packing type/style within the brand to maintain FIFO system of the inventory and to follow proper traceability of the product when quality or condition problems are detected
- Performing quarterly Food Safety Internal audits, to monitor compliance with the regulatory standards and records and, performing two mock recalls a year, following the PRIMUS V.3.2 requirements for PCQI-certified facilities
- Responsible for the Organic Certification of the produce received from the tropics
- Certification from AmeriCert
- Design and implementation of Standards Operation Procedures (SOPs), metrics, measurement models, and assessment methods to improve the quality assurance program and operational processes toward services for key customers
- Conduct monthly food safety meetings, GMP audit verification, Food defense/fraud program, and labeling verification
- Coordinate and oversee the regulatory agencies (PRIMUS/CBP/USDA/FDA/FSMA) activities at the Port level before and during the commodities inspections
- Monitoring and managing inventory through the evaluation of customers' needs and product rotation
- Evaluation of quality and physiological condition and quality of product to be delivered to be aligned with customer needs
- Monitoring the Quality Assurance program to guarantee the appropriate management of perishables while kept in the facilities.
- Specialist in Risk Mitigation systems.
- Innovation and implementation of new practices and tools to improve the operation and fruit evaluation process.
- Design and implementation of a digitalized and user-friendly Food Safety Program to minimize the audit time and make it more accessible to the auditor all the required documentation.
- Food Fraud Vulnerability was highly evaluated before launching the tool
- Oversee and conduct internal audits, mock recalls, and environmental swabbings as established by PRIMUS and GLOBAL G.A.P. in order to properly maintain the facility's Food Safety accreditation through the established protocols and standards.
- Conduct frequent trials to enhance the process and achieve major market competitiveness through cost reduction and quality improvement
- Liaise with all stakeholders including Corporate office personnel, union executives and team members, sales representatives, customers’ QC, and merchants.
USDA Grain Inspection and Quality Assurance
D.R Schaal Agency Inc.
01.2014 - 01.2019
- Commodities quality control
- Federally Licensed Grain Inspector Manager
- Soybean, Corn
- Protein, Oil, and Aflatoxin quantification
- Official and precision weight and stowage examination
- Phytosanitary Inspections
- Official FGIS weights
- Fumonisin evaluation
- GMO Testing
- Vomitoxin Testing
Operation Manager
Baja Veggies. SA de CV (LLC)
01.2011 - 01.2013
- Conducting staff performance reviews and motivating staff
- Budget development and management
- Organization, planning, prioritization, and meeting deadlines
- Serve as the company representative on regulatory issues and strive to improve operating procedures, systems, and principles in the areas of information flow, processes, and management reporting
- Control of general operations, marketing analysis, post-harvest process and product development
Researcher - Associated Professor
Agricultural University of Havana
01.2009 - 01.2011
- Researcher of Genetic and Plant Physiology
- Design of methodology for (in vitro) multiplication of a heavy metal’s hyperaccumulator plant species (Leucocrutum Havanensis Borhidi)
- Design of indicators and mathematical models for assessing the depreciation of the soil as a natural resource
- Environmental project manager
- Member of the Plant Biotechnology Group (GBV) of the Agrarian University of Havana
- Development and application of biotechnology techniques for plant conservation in contaminated areas
Education
Agricultural Engineering - Post Harvest
UC Davis
Davis, CA01-2020
Master of Science - Management
Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ08-2019
Bachelor of Science - Agricultural Engineering
Agricultural University of Havana
Havana07-2008
Skills
- MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
- Technical skills in Statics Process Control and Management
- Process Management
- Agricultural analysis
- Data analysis
- Recall management
- Sanitation management
- Water quality monitoring
- Waste management
- Quality control
- Research and data analysis
Certification
- FSMA-PCQI
- HACCP
- SQF
Eventscongresses
- Corbanana. 9th International Banana Congress, Miami, USA, 2023
- V International Congress of Cooperation and Development of Ibero American Rural Areas. Sustainability and Indicators, Almeria, Spain, 2011
- XVII International Scientific Congress of National Institute of Agricultural Science, Havana, Cuba, 2010
- Third International Congress of Agricultural Gradients fragile ecosystems, Havana, Cuba, 2010
- First International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, 2009
Publications
Use of biotechnology techniques to implement in vitro organic Cuban Red Dwarf guava cv. EEA 18- 40 (Psidium guajava L.) with brassinosteroid analog Biobras- 6 (BB-6) and growth regulators., National Registration Center Copyright (CENDA). Registration No: 2735-2008
Postgraduatedegree
- Agricultural Engineering / Post Harvest, UC Davis, USA
- Cold Chain applied to Fresh Produce, Santiago de Chile, Chile
- Marketing Applied to Public Administration, Madrid, Spain
- Microbiology, Havana, Cuba
- Biostatistics and experimental design, Havana, Cuba
- General Genetics and plant breeding, Spain/Cuba
- Plant Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba
- Mineral Nutrition in Plant, Havana, Cuba
Timeline
Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager
Del Monte Fresh Produce
01.2019 - Current
USDA Grain Inspection and Quality Assurance
D.R Schaal Agency Inc.
01.2014 - 01.2019
Operation Manager
Baja Veggies. SA de CV (LLC)
01.2011 - 01.2013
Researcher - Associated Professor
Agricultural University of Havana
01.2009 - 01.2011
- FSMA-PCQI
- HACCP
- SQF
Agricultural Engineering - Post Harvest
UC Davis
Master of Science - Management
Thomas Edison State University
Bachelor of Science - Agricultural Engineering
Agricultural University of Havana
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