Alexis Bertrand

About you

Currently, I work as a Food Safety Technologist for Reid’s Dairy Company Ltd., where I am responsible for implementing and maintaining the Food Safety and Quality Management, Internal Audit, and HACCP programmes with the Food Safety team.

I am also a part-time professor at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario, where I teach Microbiology, Applied Chemistry, and foundational science skills to first- and second-year students in the Biosciences programmes.

Why did you join the BRCGS Professional Programme?

I joined the BRCGS Professional Programme to further enhance my knowledge of the food safety and quality requirements inherent to the GFSI scheme.

I had already completed half of the required courses to achieve Professional status and consulted with the company, which ultimately decided that it would be a great asset to have me complete the programme.

What value do you personally feel the BRCGS Professional certification brings to you?

I feel that the certification holds significant value for me, both professionally and personally. It has given me the knowledge required to take our systems to the next level, while simultaneously giving me the confidence to implement them.

I believe that it will contribute to my personal and professional profile and give our suppliers and customers greater confidence in our brand.

How has/will the recognition programme impacted your work?

Going through the Programme has allowed me to improve existing food safety and quality management processes at my company. Completing the Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Assessment courses, specifically, brought forward a significant number of changes to our programmes.

It has also allowed me to implement new and innovative programmes that have enabled us to achieve a high level of success with the BRCGS Standard.

How did you get to your current role?

I started my journey in quality and food safety over five years ago, when I began working in the quality laboratory as a Microbiology Technician.

From there, I pursued a contractual role at a cheese manufacturer, where I worked as a Microbiologist. This provided opportunities to lead audits with Health Canada and manage all CAPAs and customer complaints.

When the opportunity arose to return to Reid’s Dairy to help create a Food Safety Team and achieve BRCGS certification, I jumped at the opportunity.

After achieving certification, I now help maintain the programme, as well as train all of our new and existing quality and food safety staff.

I also worked at Loyalist College as a Lab Assistant while completing my studies. It was there that I formed the relationships that later helped me secure a position as a Professor.

What is your educational background?

I hold an Advanced Diploma in Biotechnology from Loyalist College, and I have recently completed my Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Science, with a specialisation in Biology and Chemistry, from Laurentian University.

I have also completed professional courses in areas such as HACCP and Food Safety Handling, as well as a variety of courses through the Agriculture and Food Education Learning System at the University of Guelph.

What are your career ambitions/aims?

My ultimate goal in my food safety career is to become an auditor for a certification body or for the government, such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

I believe my knowledge, experience, and passion for the industry will help me achieve this in the future, and becoming a BRCGS Professional only brings me one step closer to that dream.