Michelle Brydalski, Senior Director of Quality at T. Marzetti, brings over 25 years of expertise in food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance. With a B.S. in Chemistry and certifications like HACCP and PCQI, she’s led initiatives at global companies, ensuring product safety and quality. Outside work, Michelle enjoys traveling and hiking national parks with her family.
Through this article, Michelle Brydalski explores the integral role of quality assurance in food safety and sustainability within the manufacturing sector. She discusses her journey from biotech to food safety leadership, emphasizing the need for comprehensive audits, essential certifications, and technological advancements. Michelle highlights the importance of crossfunctional collaboration to balance food safety and sustainability while offering advice to aspiring leaders in the food industry.
A Journey from Biotech to Food Safety Leadership
In my senior year studying Chemistry at the University of Buffalo, I was offered a Technical Customer Service role at a small biotech company in New York. Curious about the manufacturing process below, I asked to observe it—and immediately felt at home, transitioning to cleanroom manufacturing for liquid media. My curiosity drove me to explore various manufacturing areas, solidifying that this was where I belonged. Shortly after, I entered the food industry as a third-shift quality technician at General Mills in Buffalo, NY, where I discovered that food was my niche.
Quality assurance is the backbone of our food safety strategy, ensuring every step—from supplier to shelf— meets the highest standards.
I spent nearly 19 years with General Mills, advancing from Quality Technician to Quality Engineer and then to Quality and Regulatory Operations Manager. Moving between plants and platforms across the organization prepared me for senior roles, helping me grow as a leader and reflect on who I wanted to be. This prepared me for my next role as Global Director of External Supply at Rich Products, where I learned the dynamics of corporate leadership and managing teams across over ten countries. Each location demanded different leadership styles, giving me valuable experience adapting to cultural differences.
I took on independent roles as Vice President of Food Safety, Quality, and Regulation at two smaller companies. At Charcuterie Artisans, I gained USDA experience and a new understanding of compliance in manufacturing Italian fermented and dry-cured meat products. This role required developing rigorous internal programs and collaborating closely with USDA regulators at all levels, which enhanced my influencing skills externally and internally as we worked to change our company culture.
These experiences have prepared me well for my current role as Sr. Director of Quality at T. Marzetti, and I look forward to the next steps in my leadership journey.
Quality Assurance: A Cornerstone of Food Safety Strategy
Quality assurance (QA) is crucial to our food safety strategy, ensuring that food products consistently meet safety and quality standards throughout their lifecycle. QA enforces regulatory compliance through systematic risk assessments, deploying robust standard operating procedures (SOPs) via training, routine monitoring and verification of processes, documentation and traceability, continuous improvement initiatives, and crisis management if needed.
Additional controls—such as careful supplier selection and management, in-process monitoring and testing, and stringent environmental controls—are also integral to maintaining quality and food safety throughout the supply chain.
A Comprehensive Approach to Food Safety Audits for Lasting Compliance
I firmly believe that a comprehensive approach to food safety audits is essential for long-term success and fostering a strong food safety culture. This process begins by clearly defining the program’s scope and objectives, assembling a skilled, crossfunctional audit team, and setting a well-structured schedule with designated facility inspection areas across all production stages. We establish a standardized system for documenting nonconformances, allowing uniform risk assessment of each finding to identify the highest risks. Ongoing non-conformance reviews with leadership ensure that all levels understand the risks and drive timely resolution of identified gaps.
Prioritizing Essential Food Safety Certifications for Industry Standards
Critical food safety certifications ensure that products consistently meet safety and quality standards. At the facility level, certifications like GFSI and product-specific certifications such as Organic, GFCO, Non-GMO, Kosher, or Halal are essential. Equally important, food safety leaders should hold certifications like third-party HACCP, Preventive Control Qualified Individual, Internal Systems Audit, and Food Safety Auditor. These facility and leadership certifications strengthen a culture of food safety across the organization.
Harnessing Technological Advances to Elevate Food Safety and Quality
Advances in technology have profoundly transformed food safety management, boosting efficiency, traceability, and overall product quality. Among the most impactful are continuous monitoring systems, traceability software, automated data management, robotics and automation in production, AI systems, mobile training apps, food safety management software, advanced microbial testing like PCR and WGS, remote auditing tools, and sanitation/environmental control technologies.
Balancing Sustainability and Food Safety Through Cross-Functional Collaboration
Balancing food safety with sustainability requires close collaboration and communication between the food safety, procurement, and supply chain teams. Achieving this balance involves thoroughly reviewing current and potential suppliers to align on food safety and sustainability goals. Food safety professionals approach this creatively and openly yet remain firm when compromises could impact safety standards. When teams work together in this way, organizations can responsibly meet regulatory requirements while appealing to environmentally conscious consumers.
Advice for Aspiring Leaders in the Food Industry
First and foremost, stay curious and continually seek new learning opportunities. Be a strong business partner to your peers, considering perspectives beyond quality and food safety. Actively engage cross-functional partners in decision-making to gain their insights and teach them, fostering a robust food safety and quality culture. Build a solid support network within and outside your company, and embrace learning and growth from your leadership mistakes.
