FSQA Tech (Glendale)
Position Summary The Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Technician is responsible for supporting the daily execution and verification of Craft Fresh Foods' food safety, quality, sanitation, and regulatory programs. This is a hands-on, plant-floor position responsible for monitoring production activities, verifying compliance with established procedures and product specifications, completing food safety and quality checks, reviewing production documentation, identifying non-conforming conditions, and assisting Operations and FSQA leadership in ensuring that products are manufactured safely, consistently, and in accordance with customer, regulatory, and company requirements. Safety Fresh Foods manufactures refrigerated food products through processes that may include ingredient receiving and staging, blending, thermal processing where applicable, cooling, filling, sealing, packaging, metal detection, refrigerated storage, and shipment for downstream High Pressure Processing (HPP) when required. The FSQA Technician serves as an independent food safety and quality presence on the production floor and has the responsibility to immediately identify, communicate, and escalate conditions that could affect product safety, legality, quality, or customer requirements. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Food Safety & Production Monitoring Monitor manufacturing activities for compliance with approved food safety plans, HACCP or preventive control programs, SOPs, SSOPs, GMPs, product specifications, and customer requirements. Perform scheduled food safety and quality checks throughout production. Verify that required process parameters are being followed and properly documented. Monitor critical or preventive-control-related activities as assigned and immediately escalate deviations. Verify ingredient identity, lot information, condition, and other required receiving or production information. Verify proper ingredient staging and usage according to approved formulas and production documentation. Observe employee practices and enforce Good Manufacturing Practices, including handwashing, hygiene, protective clothing, traffic patterns, utensil control, and prevention of cross-contamination. Identify conditions that could create microbiological, chemical, physical, allergen, or quality risks. Product & Process Quality Verification Perform and document routine product and process checks, which may include: pH Product temperature Cooler and storage temperatures Fill weight Package weight Product appearance Color, consistency, texture, and other sensory attributes Packaging integrity Seal integrity Container or pouch condition Coding and date verification Label verification Lot code verification Metal detector verification Foreign-material controls Product specification compliance Immediately communicate any out-of-specification result to Operations and FSQA leadership. Packaging & Seal Integrity Routinely inspect cups, pouches, bags, containers, films, lids, and other packaging for proper seals and overall package integrity. Conduct scheduled seal inspections and verification activities. Identify leaking, loose, incomplete, contaminated, damaged, wrinkled, or otherwise unacceptable seals. Document seal defects and communicate trends to Production. Assist in determining the extent of potentially affected product when packaging or sealing problems are identified. Verify corrective action before affected production is allowed to continue when required. Pre-Operational & Sanitation Verification Conduct or assist with pre-operational inspections before production begins. Inspect food-contact equipment, production areas, utensils, floors, drains, walls, overhead structures, and surrounding areas for acceptable sanitary condition. Verify completion of sanitation activities and document deficiencies. Perform ATP, allergen, environmental, or other sanitation verification swabbing as assigned. Communicate sanitation deficiencies to the appropriate department and verify corrective actions have been completed. Assist with environmental monitoring activities according to established sampling plans. Maintain accurate sampling records and properly prepare samples for laboratory testing when required. Allergen Control Verify compliance with Craft Fresh Foods' allergen control program. Confirm correct product sequencing, sanitation/changeover practices, ingredient control, labeling, and storage practices where allergens are present. Verify line clearance between products as required. Assist with allergen verification testing or swabbing. Immediately escalate any potential allergen cross-contact or labeling concern. Production Record Review Review production and FSQA records in real time whenever practical to identify errors before product leaves the manufacturing process. Verify that required records are complete, legible, accurate, and completed at the required frequency. Identify missing checks, incomplete records, incorrect entries, unexplained corrections, or process deviations. Work with Production personnel to correct documentation issues promptly and according to established documentation practices. Maintain FSQA records in an organized manner suitable for regulatory, customer, certification, and internal review. Records may include: Batch records Ingredient and lot records Production logs pH records Temperature records Metal detector checks Seal verification records Weight checks Sanitation records Pre-operational inspections Environmental monitoring records Allergen control records Label verification records Hold documentation Traceability records Calibration records Traceability & Lot Control Verify accurate identification of raw materials, work-in-process, packaging, rework, and finished product. Confirm lot codes and production information are properly recorded throughout manufacturing. Assist with traceability exercises, mock recalls, product investigations, and reconciliation activities. Help maintain one-step-forward and one-step-back traceability throughout Craft Fresh Foods' portion of the manufacturing process. Verify that finished product can be linked to the applicable production batch, ingredients, packaging materials, production date, and downstream processing records where applicable. HPP & Downstream Processing Verification Verify product is properly identified and documented before shipment for HPP. Confirm lot and batch traceability between Craft Fresh Foods production and downstream HPP processing. Ensure product requiring HPP is clearly identified and appropriately controlled prior to confirmed processing. Assist with review of applicable HPP processing documentation when required. Assist FSQA leadership with reconciliation of production lots against HPP processing records. Support hold/release procedures requiring confirmation of downstream processing. The FSQA Technician does not independently establish or modify HPP process parameters or validations unless specifically trained and authorized to do so. Product Hold & Non-Conforming Product Identify potentially non-conforming ingredients, packaging, work-in-process, or finished product. Place or assist in placing affected material on HOLD according to company procedures. Ensure held material is clearly identified and segregated. Maintain accurate hold documentation. Prevent unauthorized movement, use, shipment, or release of held product. Assist with investigations and collection of information needed for disposition decisions. Verify that corrective actions have been completed prior to release when applicable. Final product disposition authority remains with designated FSQA management unless specifically delegated. Corrective Actions & Investigations Immediately notify appropriate leadership when food safety, quality, sanitation, packaging, process, or documentation deviations occur. Assist with determining the scope and potential product impact of deviations. Gather production records, samples, lot information, process data, photographs, employee observations, and other relevant information during investigations. Assist with root-cause investigations and corrective/preventive actions. Verify completion and effectiveness of assigned corrective actions. Identify repeated or trending issues and bring them to FSQA leadership. Sample Collection & Product Retains Collect finished-product, ingredient, environmental, or other samples as required. Maintain proper sample identification and chain of custody. Prepare samples for internal evaluation or outside laboratory testing. Maintain organized product retain samples according to established procedures. Assist with review and evaluation of retains during customer complaints or product investigations. Equipment Verification & Calibration Perform or assist with routine
