Summary:
The Quality Control and Safety Officer ensures that every meal delivered under the program is safe, nutritious, and prepared under hygienic conditions. The role is both preventive and corrective requiring strong technical oversight, capacity building, data-driven decision-making, and coordination with suppliers, school leadership, government inspectors, and community committees.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Assurance & Food Safety Oversight
- Develop and maintain a comprehensive Food Quality and Safety Management System for the program.
- Implement quality assurance procedures including hazard identification, risk analysis, CCP monitoring, and documentation that align with HACCP principles.
- Conduct routine and unannounced inspections of kitchens, storerooms, equipment, water sources, and feeding sites.
- Verify that meal preparation follows correct cooking temperatures, portion standards, and hygiene protocols.
- Conduct sensory evaluation checks (appearance, taste, texture, smell) to confirm food quality.
- Oversee water quality checks, including testing for contamination where school water is used in food preparation.
- Ensure timely calibration of thermometers, weighing scales, and food testing kits.
Monitoring of Procurement & Supply Chain
- Inspect delivery trucks for cleanliness, appropriate temperature control, and physical condition before unloading food items.
- Review delivery documentation including certificates of analysis (COA), supplier compliance certificates, batch numbers, and expiry tracking.
- Ensure that suppliers follow contractual obligations related to quality standards.
- Monitor the handling of perishable goods including cold chain maintenance.
- Conduct random sampling of raw materials and ready-to-eat meals for microbiological or chemical analysis (in collaboration with authorized laboratories).
- Establish a food traceability log to track all items from suppliers to school kitchens.
Compliance & Regulatory Oversight
- Ensure operations comply with national Food Safety Acts, public health codes, school nutrition policies.
- Maintain updated knowledge of food safety regulations, emerging contaminants, nutrition standards, and government policy changes.
- Support external inspections and audits conducted by Ministries of Health, Education, Agriculture, or Food Regulatory Authorities.
- Facilitate the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all school feeding processes.
- Ensure that food preparation areas meet licensing requirements where applicable.
Sanitation & Environment Management
- Oversee hygienic conditions of food preparation equipment—pots, stove tops, utensils, cutting boards, and dishware.
- Inspect and ensure proper waste management systems including segregation, composting (if applicable), and safe disposal.
- Monitor the cleanliness of water storage tanks, handwashing stations, and dishwashing areas.
- Recommend repairs or upgrades for unsafe or non-compliant kitchen facilities.
- Ensure rodent and pest control measures are implemented and documented.
Training & Capacity Building
- Conduct structured training sessions for cooks, food handlers, teachers, and community committees on:
- proper food handling and storage
- sanitation and hygiene
- personal protective equipment (PPE) use
- allergen identification and management
- emergency responses to contamination incidents
- Develop illustrated SOPs, posters, and visual job aids for display in kitchens.
- Conduct pre- and post-training assessments to measure improvement in knowledge and practices.
- Organize quarterly refresher training and certification for all food handlers.
Risk Management & Incident Response
- Establish an incident reporting mechanism accessible to teachers, students, and cooks.
- Develop a Food Safety Risk Register and update it quarterly.
- Lead investigations of foodborne illnesses, contamination, foreign objects in food, expired stock, or unusual meal quality reports.
- Coordinate emergency response measures including:
- suspension of meal service
- recall of contaminated products
- medical referral for affected learners
- Prepare incident investigation reports and provide actionable recommendations.
- Conduct follow-up visits to verify implementation of corrective actions.
Data Collection, Documentation & Reporting
- Maintain digital and hardcopy logs of inspections, safety checklists, temperature records, and supplier assessment forms.
- Utilize monitoring tools and apps (if available) to collect real-time data from feeding sites.
- Prepare weekly, monthly, and quarterly reports with analysis of trends, risks, and recommendations.
- Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and contribute data for donor reporting.
- Collaborate with monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams for program assessments and audits.
