Food Safety Auditing - A Forensic Science?

Gordon Hayburn has worked in the food industry for over thirty years in a range of roles and sectors including: industry, enforcement and academia. In his current role as Vice President of Food Safety & Quality for Trophy Foods, he is responsible for all of the food safety and quality standards within their manufacturing sites in Canada and the USA. The Calgary site was the first site in North America to achieve the AA+ grade. Gordon is also an experienced auditor for most GFSI Standards and is one of the appointed Principal Trainers for the BRC Food Standard (Issue 8 and is responsible for training BRC’s Approved Trainers in this new version of the Global Standard for Food Safety. He is a part time tutor on the University of Lancashire MSc. program in Food Safety Management. Gordon has extensive experience in food safety auditing and was one of the first auditors for the BRC Standard when it was launched in 1996. He has maintained his interest in this field and developed modules for the, now, Cardiff Metropolitan University food safety program, in auditing and risk assessment. Gordon was the 2012 recipient of the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) Harold Barnum Industry Award which is “presented to an individual for outstanding service to the public, IAFP and the food industry” and he was the recipient of the “Approved Training Partner of the Year” award at the BRC Food Safety Americas Conference in Tampa in April 2016. He was the first ever winner of this award. Gordon is also the winner of the NSF Canada Awards 2018 – Food Safety Leadership Award, which is given to an individual who drives food safety excellence within a company or within the industry in general, and inspires others through their passion and actions. He is passionate about food safety and enjoys working with people at all levels and in all sectors of this industry.