Auditor Profile

“My career path can only be described as a trip down the side of a snow covered mountain on a sled. Uncontrolled, forward momentum with no seatbelt!” And when she joined AIB as a food safety auditor nearly two years ago, Tess Burlingame’s adventure didn’t end.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in biology and an emphasis on chemistry, Tess hoped to find a job as a forest ranger. “I wanted to be a female Ranger Rick, but there just weren’t a lot of job postings for cartoon forest rangers. Besides, I didn’t look good in the mask or the hat!” Instead, she has spent the last 20 years building a career in a variety of industries. She started working in a food plant laboratory doing food testing and microbiology. Since then she’s been a quality supervisor, supplier quality auditor, quality engineer, quality manager, and sanitation manager at multiple companies in the food, dairy, electronics, juvenile products, medical devices, and food ingredients industries. “If it sounds like there was no plan – it is true. My husband was in the military and we relocated about every four years – which meant a new job for me.” What Tess didn’t realize at the time is that the variety of experiences was actually preparing her to step into her role as a food safety auditor at AIB. “In our job, you need to be able to understand equipment and processes very quickly and not be intimidated by new situations.” In addition to providing GMP, HACCP, and QSE audits, Tess is also training to be a HACCP instructor and is working toward FSSC 22000 auditor sign off.

Even after completing a master’s degree in organizational management 10 years into her career, Tess still credits most of her knowledge as being gained outside the classroom in on-the-job training. “Having a science background was helpful, but it did not really prepare me to work in the food industry. I was fortunate to work for some amazing companies that provided excellent on-the-job training. I learned from some exceptional individuals who may or may not have had college degrees, but were very knowledgeable about their jobs and how the process worked. I am thankful that they took the time and had the patience to train me.”

In all of the food plants Tess has visited over the years, she has noticed one common mistake – the lack of investment in a strong sanitation program. The sanitation crew is often a late shift with a young supervisor and transitional employees. During a schedule crunch, sanitation time is frequently cut. “The idea that anyone can clean is not true. The sanitation crew needs an understanding of chemistry, safety, pest control, and engineering. Find good, committed employees and allow time for sanitation. Good sanitation practices result in great food safety and quality.”

Every food plant that Tess visits is memorable to her in some way. She finds that people in the food industry overall care about what they do and want to make improvements. Even when she points out areas for improvement during an audit, she finds that most people are willing to do what’s needed to make things right. “It’s rewarding to work with new people every day to improve processes. As an auditor I’ve met so many people who want to improve and work very hard to make a safe product. There are people in the food industry who do the right thing even when no one is looking, and even when it costs more, because they understand the importance of safe food. These folks make the whole system work.”

The author is Publication Coordinator, AIB International.