Quality Assurance Assistant

Summary: Quality Assurance & Food Safety Professional with more than six

years of progressive experience in food industry & related research which

include development and implementation of quality and food safety

management systems leading to acquisition of systems certification.

Technical expert in proximate testing and analysis of various food products

and their packaging integrity. Highly competent in HACCP implementation,

BRC, SQF, GMPs, Food Packaging and other food safety issues. Good

understanding of US-FDA & USDA food regulations.

Work Experience:

Blommer Chocolate Company, Chicago, IL Jul 2012-

Dec 2012

Quality Systems Specialist/ BRC Support

> Establish HACCP, SOP and quality management documents as per BRC

standards

> Conduct Internal Audits to ensure implementation of quality and

food safety management

> Verification of Quality systems program as per BRC standards &

regulatory requirement

> Conduct Risk Assessments to ensure safe and quality food

> Maintaining the record of CAPA forms & root cause analysis of

customer complaints

> Schedule and prepare employee training module on food safety

regulations pertaining to GFSI

John B. Sanfilippo & Son (Fisher Nuts), Elgin, IL

Jun 2011- Jul 2012

Lead Quality Assurance Technologist

> Performed pre & post operational checks on products & production

lines for compliance

> Assisted sanitation program, environmental sampling and made SOP(s)

for SQF certification

> Member of sensory taste panel for roasted nuts, dry fruits etc

> Supervise & train the QA team in absence of supervisor

> Member of plant safety team & performed weekly 5S and GMP audits of

production lines, and suggested proactive actions

Quality Assurance Executive, Pioneer Industries Ltd., Pathankot, India

Jan 2008 - May 2009

> Physical and chemical analysis of critical semi-finished and

packaged products

> Supervise & train the team of Quality Technicians and Sampling

Technician

> Critical monitoring of all on line process parameter. Preparation

and documentation of all shift activities in chronological

order in Daily Quality Report

> Maintaining HACCP, Lean Manufacturing and process capability

studies used for continuous process improvement and responsible for

the documentation work related to them

> Worked on lab & online Trials of Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten with R & D

department

Contract Food Technologist, Darshan Gram Udyog, Faridkot, India

May 2007 - Dec2007

> Assisted the Personnel for setting up of Quality Assurance

laboratory

> Assisted in set up of new sachet packaging machine for Tomato

Ketchup

> Developed various quality testing procedures and related documents

for testing and packaging of Tomato Ketchup

Research Experience:

Research Assistant, IFSH/US-FDA, Chicago, USA

Mar 2010- Apr 2012

Thesis Project (Food Packaging Platform): Effect of a Non-destructive

High Voltage Leak Detection (HVLD) Technique on Physical Properties

and detection of pinhole leaks of flexible and semi-rigid Packages for

Foods

> Evaluation of OTR, WVTR & various structural properties for change

due to high voltage treatment

> Detection of Minimum sizes of pinhole and micro-channel leaks, as a

function of experimental variables, using HVLD

> Perform Statistical analysis to establish significance of

experimental variables using JMP

Research Assistant, NCFST/USDA, Chicago, USA

Oct 2009- Mar 2010

Special Project (Food Microbiology Platform): Validation of methods

for decontamination of Food Processing Equipment and Facilities

Deliberately contaminated with Bacillus Thuringiensis spores

> Established the Standard Operating Procedures for decontaminating

food surfaces at laboratory scale & later validating for food

Processing equipment at Pilot Plant

> CIP was conducted on HTST equipment to validate sanitizing regimes

on Pilot Plant trials

Education:

MS in Food Safety & Technology,

Institute for Food Safety and Health

Aug 2009-May 2012

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA

GPA: 3.9/4.0

Bachelor of Technology in Food Technology,

Jul 2004-May 2008

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, India

GPA: 3.7/4.0

Specialties:

BRC issue 6, Implementing SQF system (SQFI certified), HACCP

(International HACCP Alliance certified), Food Package Integrity (US-

FDA)

Professional Affiliations:

IFT (2009-10, 2010-11); IAFP (2011-12); AFST (I) (2005-2007)

Honors and Activities:

> Voluntarily worked with IFSH on Development of the integrated

Internet Information Resource (IIR) for Package Integrity.

> Voluntarily worked with Continuous Improvement department at John

B. Sanfilippo & Son on Breakage analysis Project.

> Teaching Assistant for Food Process Engineering in Spring 2011.

> Approved Publication titled "Evaluation of a Non-destructive High

Voltage Technique for the Detection of Pinhole Leaks in Flexible

and Semi-rigid Packages for Foods".

> Student Innovator Award during Business Innovation Coursework in

Fall 2010.

> Appointed as Department representative for consecutive two years

during Under-graduation.

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