Karen McEachern
Cambridge,Canada
Summary
Driven food industry professional with over 19 years of progressive work experience in the food & beverage consulting and manufacturing industry. Extensive experience that covers all areas of the food & beverage industry including directing and managing food industry professionals, food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, research & development and validation of food products and processes.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Technical Director
Original Foods Ltd
02.2024 - Current
- Lead the Research & Development, Regulatory and Quality teams.
- Work extensively in shelf stable coffee beverages, acidified beverages, pie fillings, syrups, confectionary and non-cooked RTE products.
- Work closely with customers in addressing technical issues swiftly and effectively.
- Optimized team performance by fostering a collaborative and communicative work environment.
- Monitor production operations to ensure quality and compliance standards are achieved.
- Champion continuous improvement initiatives, identifying areas for process optimization across multiple departments.
- Led successful efforts to obtain necessary certifications (SQF, Organic, Gluten-free, RSPO) and licenses (export license, meat license, SFFC) demonstrating compliance with industry regulations and best practices.
- Manage FDA requirements for Acidified and LACF. Extensive knowledge of 21 CFR 108.25(c)(1) and 21 CFR 108.35(c)(1). Manage validation studies as it relates to retort processing, including FDA filings and production implementation.
- Assess expected technical challenges and developed proactive solutions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to efficiently complete large-scale projects on time and within budget constraints.
- Manage implementation of new technological improvements resulting in increased efficiency.
Senior Director of Food Safety & Quality
Wonderbrands
01.2023 - Current
- Lead a regional quality department totaling 13 bakeries consisting of over 70 junior quality professionals and 18 experienced quality leaders
- Implemented standardization across the network with revamped QMS policies that aligned at the bakery level and incorporated industry best practices, applied effective training programs, the implementation of various SOPs and standardizing testing protocols
- Developed strong cross functional relationships within the bakery network
- Developed a hyper care process to ensure RFT and plant related quality issues are being addressed on an urgent basis by the cross functional teams (quality, operations, maintenance, engineering, R&D)
- Cultivated a culture of innovation by promoting creative thinking and encouraging employees to take calculated risks in pursuit of solutions.
Director of Quality & Processing Improvement
YaYA Foods
01.2019 - 01.2023
- Lead a quality department of 80 technicians and quality experts
- Fully revamped the quality control department by implementing extensive training programs, creating, and implementing solid SOPs and standardizing testing protocols
- Developed trusting relationships with our customer's quality, food safety and technical teams
- Established a customer quality manager structure dedicating a quality resource for each key account
- Passed and improved FSSC and customer specific audit scores over the last two years by an average of 20%
- Improved batching processes to improve yields by 12% on average and reduced batch adjustments by 30%
- Led the validation of new aseptic processing and filling equipment in collaboration with thermal process authorities, customer quality experts and regulatory bodies
Research Associate
Brock University
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Lead a project in developing a protocol for the 'green' extraction of polyphenols from waste grape pomace into an industrial scale process
- Successfully developed a cost-effective commercial-scale process by comparing several methods predicted to work in industrial-scale production
- Successfully validated the extraction methods using an HPLC-based metabolomics approach to quantify polyphenols in the extract
- Successfully validated temperature and microbiological stability of the extract throughout the process to verify product stability
Technical Manager
NSF International
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Lead a team of 6 which consisted of senior food scientists, packaging specialists and project managers
- Managed the department within budget and implemented a focused marketing initiative which increased website traffic by 20%
- Created a structure in the technical department that focused on key areas that the team excelled in which was also consistent with industry demand and aligned with our marketing plan
- Lead the implementation of our research cannabis license, including working closely with contractors, consultants, and government regulatory bodies
- Successfully developed new and innovative patented processes for industry leading clients in the food industry
Project Coordinator/Food Technologist
GFTC / NSF International
01.2006 - 01.2018
- Developing thermal processes for new and innovative projects, including process validation and product evaluation
- Conducted extensive technical literature reviews for each process that was developed
- Had multiple product specific processes patented
- Developed beverages, with a focus on high protein, dairy and plant-based beverages, fortification, functional beverages, and high acid fruit based and fruit flavoured beverages
- Conducted both in lab and in plant validation studies
- Validation studies included coordinating inoculation requirements, setting up and executing testing plans, reviewing and studying data, and providing a comprehensive report to the client with the results
- Conducted in plant consultation to troubleshoot processing issues, to conduct product scale up, and to provide client reassurance
- Operation of beverage processing equipment to evaluate product degradation, produce samples for evaluation and produce product for validation testing
- Assisting with both the UofG Cheese Technology Course and the Ice Cream Technology Course for 9 consecutive years
Education
Research Associate -
Brock University
St Catherines, ON01.2022
Skills
- QMS implementation including HACCP, GFSI certifications, GMPs
- Heath Canada and FDA regulations
- AF/LACF regulations including validation and reporting requirements
- Program management (Organic, Gluten-free, RSPO, Non-GMO)
Highly Skilled in:
- Microsoft NAV, Genesis, Word, Excel, Powerpoint
- Product and Process Development (theoretical and benchtop development, scale up, sensory analysis, shelf life testing, nutritional analysis, microbiology)
- Commercialization and process improvements
- Market Trend Analysis
Affiliations
- ISBT (International Society of Beverage Technologists)
- IFT (Institute of Food Technologists)
- Food and Beverage Ontario
- CFIN (Canadian Food Innovation Network)
- Worldwide Women's Association
Timeline
Technical Director
Original Foods Ltd
02.2024 - Current
Senior Director of Food Safety & Quality
Wonderbrands
01.2023 - Current
Research Associate
Brock University
01.2020 - 01.2022
Director of Quality & Processing Improvement
YaYA Foods
01.2019 - 01.2023
Technical Manager
NSF International
01.2018 - 01.2019
Project Coordinator/Food Technologist
GFTC / NSF International
01.2006 - 01.2018
Research Associate -
Brock University
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