Michael Ciepiela is Vice President of Quality and Continuous Improvement at Southern Specialties. He brings over a decade of diverse experience in the food and beverage industry, along with experience in the pharmaceutical sector, specializing in quality assurance and food safety. Throughout his career, he has excelled in multi-site implementation and adherence to GFSI requirements and regulations. Michael has also been instrumental in promoting and educating Lean Six Sigma principles in fast-paced, cross-departmental settings. As a recognized thought leader, he frequently speaks at national conferences. He is also a senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Michael holds a bachelor's degree in Biology from Alfred University and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt from Villanova University.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Michael [33:14] about:
- What an effective, unbiased gap assessment looks like, common mistakes companies make, and how assessments can reveal opportunities for meaningful improvement
- How food safety and quality leaders can assess a new organization's current state and determine which quality and operational priorities require attention first
- How to distinguish isolated compliance issues from systemic problems involving processes, resources, leadership, organizational structure, or food safety culture
- What continuous audit readiness looks like in practice, and how companies can replace last-minute audit preparation with sustainable, everyday systems
- Practical strategies for building accountability for food safety and quality across departments and translating food safety culture goals into concrete action
- How Lean Six Sigma and continuous improvement methodologies can strengthen food safety and quality without allowing efficiency or productivity goals to take precedence
- How organizations can select and use meaningful KPIs to evaluate whether food safety and quality systems are actually improving over time
- Why some organizations achieve sustainable operational excellence, while others repeatedly react to the same food safety, quality, and operational problems.
News and Resources
News
A Note From the Editorial Director: Welcome to Our New Web-First Features Collection! [3:38]
FDA Closes Taylor Farms Lettuce Investigation, Announces Action Plan to Prevent Future Cyclospora Outbreaks [11:30]
USDA-FSIS to Roll Out Listeria Environmental Sampling Program Nationwide at RTE Facilities [19:05]
UK FSA Board Decides to Advance Sweeping Food System Regulatory Reforms [25:12]
EPA Announces Glyphosate Safety Review Efforts, Decision Expected by Early 2027; Experts Question Scientific Rigor [28:53]
Resources
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