Ep. 137. Gurrisi and Rios: Fresh Express' Food Safety, from Farm to Fork

<p><strong>John Gurrisi, R.E.H.S.</strong>, is Vice President of Food Safety and Quality (FSQ) at Fresh Express. He has broad food safety responsibility for growing, manufacturing, new product assessment, customer collaboration, supplier management, and regulatory compliance. He leads a multidisciplinary food safety and quality team covering the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and directs a multimillion-dollar implementation and investment budget.</p> <p>John holds numerous industry-critical food safety certifications and has contributed his technical expertise to wide-ranging industry initiatives. He serves as an active contributor to the Center for Produce Safety’s Technical Committee and the International Fresh Produce Association’s Food Safety Council, and is past Vice Chair and Executive Board Member of the Conference for Food Protection.</p> <p>Prior to joining Fresh Express, John led global fresh produce food safety and quality initiatives for Darden Restaurants, a premier full-service dining company with over 1,800 locations worldwide.</p> <p><strong>German Rios</strong> is the Senior Director of FSQ for Fresh Express. He is responsible for food safety and quality assurance in growing, manufacturing, new product development, and customer collaboration. From a food safety standpoint, he manages the Fresh Express raw partner product program and ingredient suppliers, encompassing the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. In addition, German guides Fresh Express raw product suppliers on an ongoing basis, and leads the Fresh Express raw product growing and harvesting strategy in Central Mexico.</p> <p>German graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Crop Science degree. Throughout his career, German has had the opportunity to work in many different segments of the Fresh Express salad business including manufacturing, research and development, and agricultural operations.</p> <p><strong>In this episode of <em>Food Safety Matters</em>, we speak with John and German</strong> [18:37] <strong>about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>The va