Mark is a food safety and quality assurance professional with almost three decades of experience in the development and implementation of food safety, quality, regulatory & compliance systems for top-tier Food Manufacturing firms. He has experience in consulting with food & beverage manufacturers, growers, pack houses, hydroponic greenhouses and quick service restaurants. Mark sets appropriate expectations by determining your business relationship with a plan of communication that clearly identifies your business needs and overall scope. He will also provide day-of-audit support to assure your certification audits run smoothly and, if requested, conduct onsite audits of your suppliers' food safety programs.

 

Mark specializes and is knowledgeable in SQF System Development; Produce Safety Rule Implementation; Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCQI); FDA Seafood HACCP; USDA Meat & Poultry HACCP;  USDA Agricultural Marketing Services; GFSI Schemes-SQF, PrimusGFS, GAP, GLOBALGAP, ISO/FSSC 22000; GMP and Gap Auditing and Inspection; Raw Material and Finished Product Specification development and Packaging Specification and Label Development.

  

Mark graduated from Granite State College in Portsmouth New Hampshire with a BS in Applied technology & Food Quality Management. He attended Michigan State University’s Pro Master of Food Safety Program and received a Masters Certificate in Food Safety.

 

Mark has received several certificates from training and education within the food and beverage industry. These include:  CPFS-Certified Professional – Food Safety-National Environmental Health Association; SQF Consultant – Registered 16 Food Sector categories; SQF Registered Auditor; SQF Registered Consultant; Certified Professional – Food safety NEHA; FDA-PCQI - Preventive Controls Qualified Person Certificate; Produce Safety Alliance Grower Train the Trainer Certificate; Foreign Supplier Verification Program Certificate; ISO 22000 /FSSC 22000 Lead Auditor Certified; Produce Safety Alliance – Train the Trainer certification; GLOBAL G.A.P. Trainer Certificate; GMP Certified; Foreign Supplier Verification Program Certified; SQF Practitioner Certificate; SQF Internal Auditor Certified; ADFO HACCP and Sanitation Control Procedures Certified Trainer; Harmonized G.A.P. Auditor Certified; Certificate in HACCP and Advanced Food Safety; ASQ Certified Quality Improvement Associate; NEHA Certified Food Safety Trainer; OSHA 30 Certification

 

Mark has helped companies that he has worked with achieve several awards. He assisted Backyard Farms in obtaining the first Global G.A.P. Harmonized Produce Safety Standard Certification and the first hydroponic greenhouse in the U.S. to earn Global G.A.P. PSS Certification. His greenhouse in Maine was awarded the 13th annual Food Quality & Safety Award at the annual Food Safety Summit. He has also served on the board of Florida Environmental Health Association as a Director.

 

Mark has completed various research and has written a published article over the years. His research was on the Efficacy of UV-C Treatment in Reduction of Botrytis cinerea in Solution. This was done in conjunction with Backyard Farms of Madison, Maine. He also verified the effectiveness of Methyl Bromide Fumigation in Reducing Salmonella Contamination on Blueberry and Grape Surfaces through the University of Florida. He published an article about the Effectiveness of various sanitizers against the natural bacterial flora, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica on the outer skin surface of tuna fish, which was also done for Backyard Farms (http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/flsgp/flsgpw12002.pdf).

 

Mark is married and keeps busy with his three children. They live in Crystal River, Florida.