Contamination of food products with bacteria, such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Listeria, or other germs is known to be a cause of public outbreaks of illness with potentially severe consequences…
Dawn Hill is a food processing and food safety expert with 15+ years of experience relevant to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) of food products and the safety of finished food products and workers within manufacturing environments. As an expert at Robson Forensic, she applies her expertise to casework involving many aspects of food and human safety, including food safety incident investigations, risk analysis, cross contamination, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program failures, and consumer complaints.
With responsibilities for both food quality and manufacturing safety, Dawn has implemented and utilized continuous improvement tools and techniques such as Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). She has led teams focused on food and manufacturing safety process improvements, including the development of employee training programs. Dawn has worked for some of the most recognizable food processing companies in the world involving a variety of food types, including refrigerated dough, meat processing, and candy manufacturing. She has firsthand experience conducting investigations of potential contaminations, identifying quality defects, implementing corrective and preventive actions, and removing defective product from the stream of commerce.
Dawn earned both her Masters of Engineering (M.E.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville. She is recognized as a Food Safety Manager, a Safe Quality Food Practitioner (SQF), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Certified (HACCP), and a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), which complies with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements for Food and Drug (FDA) regulated facilities. She also completed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 30 hour course on Occupational Safety and Health.
Food Safety Manager, Safe Quality Food Practitioner (SQF), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points Certified (HACCP), and a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), which complies with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulated facilities. Food Safety expert with 15 years of experience in food safety and quality within the food manufacturing industry and has experience in refrigerated dough, meat processing, and candy manufacturing. Oversaw all aspects of food safety and quality systems in food manufacturing plants on all shifts of production. Experience managing Food Safety and Quality Assurance departments with numerous direct reports including supervisors, leads, and technicians, as well as collaborating with other departments within the plant operations. Conducted investigations of potential food safety incidents, identified quality defects, implemented corrective and preventive actions, and made decisions involving the disposition of nonconforming product. Conducts regular internal audits for food safety systems and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and has experience as the auditee under Global Food Safety Initiative schemes such as Safe Quality Food and British Retail Consortium, as well as United States Department of Agriculture, (USDA), Food Defense, and 2nd party customer audits. Has experience with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) based food safety systems and knowledge of FDA and USDA government regulations for food.
Experience implementing and utilizing continuous improvement tools and techniques such as root cause analysis problem solving methods like 5Y, fishbone, and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Led and participated on teams working towards focused improvements of food safety, manufacturing, and training processes.
Has experience with employee safety, including conducting monthly training and having completed the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA 30 hour course on Occupational Safety and Health.
Areas of expertise include:
Food Manufacturing Processes: Bulk and minor ingredient delivery systems, batch mixing, dough rheology, dough sheeting, enrobing, cutting, extrusion, dough proofing, liquid viscosity, ingredient functionality, food science, temperature control, packing, canning, capping, packaging, palletizing, warehouse. Live animal transport, processing, further processing, marination injection, breading, par frying, glazing, cooking, and freezing. Seeding and growth of rock crystal candy, coloring, and flavoring, souring and packaging, and repackaging premade candy from suppliers.
Procedures, Standards, Specifications: Microbiological, sanitation, product labelling, ingredient, raw material, finished product and packaging specifications. Standard Operating Procedures, Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures, Foreign supplier verification programs and prerequisite programs that support the food safety system. Government Process Verified Programs
Inspection Test Methods, Data Evaluation: Statistical Process Control (SPC), electronic data collection software such as Infinity, HIFI Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Defect sampling, destructive testing. Microbiological sampling and test results acceptable limits.
Food Manufacturing and Food Safety Equipment: Bulk bins, valves, gaskets, pumps, slide gates, magnets, sifters, screens, tailings, strainers, filters, level probes, mixers, stainless steel tubs, sheeters, cutters, conveyor belts, roll stands, metal detectors, X-ray machines, vision systems, fillers, missing lid/ low fill detection, checkweighers, and weight rejectors.
Associate
2019 to presentProvide technical investigations, analysis, reports, and testimony toward the resolution of commercial and personal injury litigation involving food safety.
Quality Assurance Manager
2019 to 2020Food Safety/EHS Manager
2019 to 2020Food Safety & Sanitation Manager
2018 to 2019Quality Assurance Manager
2017 to 2018Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager
2016 to 2017Quality Engineer I and II
2004 to 2016Past certification:
Certified Quality Engineer (inactive)
M.E., Chemical Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
B.S., Chemical Engineer, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
v. 03/15/22
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