Candace Van Damme
Goderich,ON
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Quality Control Technician
PINE RIVER FOOD
Ripley, Canada
12.2023 - 08.2024
- Taste Panel for cheese grading.
- Quality Spec Testing on various cheeses before release.
- Production audits
- Environmental swabs
- Document revisions, spreadsheets, etc.
- Monitoring of GMPs
- Data entry
- PH testing, fat content testing on milk
- Monitored production processes for quality control purposes, ensuring that all work is completed according to established standards.
- Performed visual and dimensional inspections of components, assemblies, and products to ensure compliance with customer specifications.
- Maintained accurate records on product inspection results and reported findings to management team.
- Developed corrective action plans when needed to resolve quality issues.
Laboratory Technician
SGS
London, Canada
08.2021 - 06.2023
- Preparation of multiple media, Differential, Selective, mEndo, etc
- Receiving samples to be tested, segregation as per regulation and/or testing required/requested
- Lab Setup
- Air sampling/environmental testing/verification for aseptic testing environment
- Membrane filtration and plating of samples onto various selective media
- Data entry into LIMS system, creation of worksheets
- Filing chains of custody
- Reading plates for bacterial counts, Ecoli, fecal coliform, Heterotrophic, etc.
- Developed processes and techniques to improve the efficiency of laboratory operations.
- Managed inventory levels by ordering supplies and ensuring stock is available when needed.
- Monitored safety compliance within the laboratory environment to ensure adherence to regulations.
- Ensured that all laboratory areas were kept clean and orderly at all times.
- Identified potential problems during testing process and took corrective action as necessary.
- Performed routine maintenance tasks such as cleaning glassware, changing filters.
- Verification of instruments including pipettes, Deionized water pump, autoclave, incubators, scales, etc.
- Sample preparation ieDilutions
- Adverse reporting to clients and MOE, various Health units
- Dup data calculation and data entry
Quality Control Technician
Black Fly Beverage Co.
London, Canada
11.2020 - 07.2021
- Production audits, onsite verifications for customer specs/gov't regulation/GMP/quality compliance
- PreOp inspection and along with pre-op verification of product
- Calibration/verification of Instruments, scales, alcolizer (Specified
- Alcohol purity verification via distillation
- Label verification
- Calibration of lab instrumentation
- CO₂, oxygen, and TPO meter to determine percentages
- Hold procedures, and segregation of
- Data entry of results using Excel
- Customer complaint investigation
- Water sampling, pH verification
Quality Assurance Technician/QA Supervisor
Super Pufft Foods
St. Marys, Canada
12.2019 - 07.2020
- HACCP Certified
- Paperwork verification, COA analysis
- Environmental/Allergen swabbing and plating
- Chemical titration and verification
- Product evaluations
- GMP verification
- Audits , Mock recalls
- Ensured that all products meet customer requirements prior to shipping.
- Created reports summarizing quality assurance activities for upper management review.
- PH and moisture testing of product
- ATP meter for verification of Sanitation
- Conducted root cause analysis on defective parts and provided corrective action recommendations to management.
- Calibration and verifications of instruments
- Filled in for QA Supervisor on extended leave
- Gave training for deviations and corrective action, new employees, new procedures, etc
- Investigation and reports for customer complaints, with corrective actions
- Allergen control
- Performed detailed inspections of products to ensure compliance with quality standards.
Quality Assurance Technician
Sofina Foods
London, Canada
07.2018 - 04.2019
- CCP verification: cooking, cooling
- Managed customer complaints, coordinating investigations, and ensuring effective resolutions.
- Reviewed and approved quality-related documents, ensuring compliance with internal and external standards.
- Swab sampling, chemical verification
- Sanitizing Solution Prep
- Conducted thorough inspections of incoming materials and finished products to ensure quality standards were met.
- Allergen control
- Demonstrated conformance with the meat regulations to members of CFIA
- Performed detailed inspections of products to ensure compliance with quality standards.
- Monitored production processes to identify any potential quality issues.
- Maintained records of all quality control activities, such as tests and inspections performed.
- Tracked non-conforming material using appropriate documentation systems.
- Compared samples to standards and specifications by performing detailed measurements and tests.
- Recruited, trained and scheduled employees to fulfill quality standards and expectations of management.
Quality Assurance Technologist
Inovata Foods Corp
Tillsonburg, Canada
05.2016 - 06.2018
- Allergen control
- Raw Material sampling, verification and inspection
- ATP meter
- Lab Sample Preparation, creating custody papers
- Environmental swabbing, plating, counting
- Ensuring practices of HACCP, GMPs, SOPs, CCPs, CQPs, compliance with Customer specs
- Verification of labeling, coding, records of production, traceability
- Non-conformances and corrective actions
- Calibration/verification of instruments
- A member of the JHSC, helping to assess risks, investigation of incidents, and reports
- Taste panel
- Demonstrating conformance with the meat regulations to members of CFIA
- Conducted root cause analysis of non-conforming products, identified corrective actions, and monitored results.
- Ensured that all products are safe for use by conducting safety tests according to regulatory guidelines.
Lab Assistant - Temporary position
Natra Chocolate America
London, Canada
01.2015 - 12.2015
- Prepared and catalogued spread samples for taste panels
Tutor
Counseling & Accessibility Services, Fanshawe College
London, Canada
01.2011 - 12.2015
- Tutored fellow students in the subjects of Psychology, Physics, Chemistry and Math
General Labourer (Seasonal)
Heinz Foods
, Canada
01.2014 - 12.2014
- Packaged food products for shipment
- Performed shipping and receiving duties within the warehouse
- Completed rework duties on defective, damaged and non-conforming items
Lab technician - Coop Position
Bonduelle Ontario Inc
Ingersoll, Canada
01.2012 - 12.2013
- Quality control collaboration with Processing Department and staff
- Verification of critical control points (Blancher and Metal detectors)
- Verification of chemicals ie
- Chlorine, tsunami solution, etc
- Microbial applications (plating, counting, autoclave, and incubation procedures
- Conducted glass audits, CFSA audits and specific contract audits
- Tested products for Listeria and Salmonella
- Applied HACCP and GMP practices to ensure safety and consistency of products
- Performed data entry and book keeping duties using MXP, excel, etc
Lab technician Coop Position
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Harrow, Canada
01.2012 - 12.2012
- Performed Laboratory logistics (inventory, organizing)
- Analyzed soybeans using the Infratec Grain Analyzer (spectrophotometer) and performed quality assurance tests.
- Operated NanoDrop for DNA analysis
- Designed experiments and labels using the Agronomix database
- Conducted Wheat germination experiments
- Harvested crops with Wintersteiger plot combine
- Conducted daily laboratory maintenance, including cleaning and organizing.
- Operated various analytical instruments such as spectrophotometers and chromatographs to perform chemical analyses of samples.
Timeline
Quality Control Technician
PINE RIVER FOOD
12.2023 - 08.2024
Laboratory Technician
SGS
08.2021 - 06.2023
Quality Control Technician
Black Fly Beverage Co.
11.2020 - 07.2021
Quality Assurance Technician/QA Supervisor
Super Pufft Foods
12.2019 - 07.2020
Quality Assurance Technician
Sofina Foods
07.2018 - 04.2019
Quality Assurance Technologist
Inovata Foods Corp
05.2016 - 06.2018
Lab Assistant - Temporary position
Natra Chocolate America
01.2015 - 12.2015
General Labourer (Seasonal)
Heinz Foods
01.2014 - 12.2014
Lab technician - Coop Position
Bonduelle Ontario Inc
01.2012 - 12.2013
Lab technician Coop Position
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
01.2012 - 12.2012
Tutor
Counseling & Accessibility Services, Fanshawe College
01.2011 - 12.2015
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