Santa Maria, CA – Azzule Systems announced Kerry Bridges has joined their team as Director of the PrimusGFS Scheme.
In her role, Ms. Bridges will develop, coordinate and direct the PrimusGFS auditing scheme on a global scale. Her focus will include ongoing development of the scheme in coordination with the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) —working closely with current and future certification bodies, and driving the global expansion of PrimusGFS within the fresh produce and fresh foods industries. Her immediate focus will involve finalizing the benchmarking and approval process of PrimusGFS to the updated Sixth Edition of the GFSI Guidance Document.
Since February 2010, PrimusGFS has been fully recognized by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) in its support of the fresh produce industry. Since its inception, the PrimusGFS scheme, managed by Azzule Systems, has provided an integrated supply chain approach from pre- to post- farm-gate production. The scope of PrimusGFS is focused on the food safety of fresh and minimally-processed agricultural products. The PrimusGFS scheme establishes a series of requirements for managing the production, handling, processing, and storing operations, which should be met to ensure consumer safety.
For the past two years, Ms. Bridges has been working as an independent auditor and consultant within the fresh foods industry. Prior to this, she spent three years working with Fresh & Easy in quality assurance—managing multiple, diverse food categories and serving as a technical resource for their buying and marketing teams. Her earlier experience included two years in corporate quality assurance with Jack in the Box
“I am thrilled with the opportunity to put my experience to work in such an innovative environment,” Kerry said. “As an auditor and technical resource consultant, I have felt incredible frustration with the lack of available information and tools necessary to implement industry-wide, coordinated solutions for simple and complicated problems in the food production supply chain. The fresh produce industry is the global source for health and vitality for all people. As Azzule continues to drive international recognition and coordination of their GFSI-approved scheme, PrimusGFS, its customers, and the industry in general, will be revolutionized by a quality support system. It is very exciting and satisfying to be part of a team with such vision, enthusiasm, knowledge, and commitment.”
Ms. Bridges has been a member of the Institute of Food Technology since 2000, and a member of the International Association for Food Protection since 2006, where she has served as Secretary, Vice-President, and President of its Southern California affiliate from 2007 to 2009. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo, CA – with a B.S. in Food Science.
Nadia Pasco, CEO of Azzule Systems, shared, “We are excited and consider ourselves fortunate to have found someone with Kerry’s international experience – working with a subsidiary of TESCO – in addition to her extensive technical experience in fresh and prepared foods. She is the ideal person to guide the PrimusGFS scheme and support our existing and future clients globally.”
Additionally, Charles Stoffers, Chairman of Azzule System’s Board of Directors, shared, “Ms. Bridges is ideally suited for the position she has accepted with Azzule. Her educational background and work experience have prepared her to manage her new responsibilities—plus, her enthusiastic nature will serve as an example to all with whom she associates. As the industry trends toward greater interaction, coordination, and involvement between buyers and their supplier networks, her perspective on global relationships will help drive our understanding and ability to support all aspects and members of the supply chain. We are delighted to have her on the Azzule team.”
Ms. Bridges, along with Bruce Knobeloch (recently hired by Azzule as Senior Vice President of Business Development), will be working together out of a new office location in Salinas, California. The two of them will be focused on collaboratively driving the understanding, communication, and development of the PrimusGFS scheme and Azzule Systems globally within the fresh produce and fresh foods industries.
About Azzule
Azzule is a leading provider of global data management solutions throughout all levels of the supply chain. We deliver secure, efficient, cost-effective storage, distribution, and analysis of the data needed to support interaction between buyers and sellers within any supply chain. Azzule mirrors the physical movement of a product or service through the supply chain with the simultaneous movement of relevant data. We can support any data impacting your decisions—whether related to food safety, quality, sustainability, social accountability, insurance, authenticity (provenance), and more…
Team Azzule is a dynamic group of programming specialists, project coordinators, and industry experts working together to develop and provide first-rate, data-driven, supply chain solutions—supported by world-class customer service.
Source: Azzule
