Meet Our Quality Assurance & Food Safety Team: Dr. Marie Limoges & Sam Yu
Meet Dr. Marie Limoges:
1. What is your role at Dr. Harvey’s? What certifications do you have?
I am the Director of Nutrition and Food Safety at Dr. Harvey’s. I am a licensed Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and a certified Pet Food Nutrition Specialist. I also hold SQF Practitioner and PCQI training certifications, as well as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
2. What led you to working at Dr. Harvey’s?
I joined Dr. Harvey’s with prior experience in the human food industry. However, being a former horse owner and avid dog lover, I always wanted to gain experience working in the pet food industry. The pet food industry poses a unique set of challenges, so I felt my skill sets were very applicable. Collectively, heading research and development and food safety/quality assurance gives me the opportunity to make a pawsitive impact on pets who use our products.
3. What is your favorite part about working at Dr. Harvey’s?
My favorite part about working at Dr. Harvey’s is the team. Not only do we all get along really well, but we all believe that pets should be provided with healthy and nourishing foods, supplements, and treats. It really makes my role that much more fun and worthwhile!
4. What factors contribute to the ongoing development of new Dr. Harvey's products?
Factors that are taken into consideration when developing new products include: packaging, functionality and quality of ingredients, smell, palatability, and taste! Before we bring any product to market, we always ensure that it is evaluated and approved by our highly qualified sensory board.
5.What measures do you take to ensure that Dr. Harvey's products meet the highest standards of food safety and quality?
Our production team is trained to follow the required current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOPs), and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to comply with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
We have quality control checks throughout every step of our manufacturing process to ensure that Dr. Harvey’s products are meeting quality standards. We also conduct rigorous internal testing, and we are audited every 2 years per guidelines set forth by the NASC.
6.When you're not busy creating new Dr. Harvey's products, what do you enjoy doing?
When I am not busy focusing on creating safe, quality products for pets, I enjoy visiting the local beach and being outdoors, attending a pilates or yoga class, reading, and hiking.
Meet Sam Yu:
1.What is your role at Dr. Harvey’s? What certifications do you have?
I am the Quality Assurance/Quality Control supervisor at Dr. Harvey’s, and I hold PCQI training and OSHA certifications.
2.How do you ensure that food safety protocols are being followed at Dr. Harvey’s?
We conduct proper training of our sanitation and warehouse standard operating procedures (SOPs) and update and retrain our production staff as needed. We also conduct validation and verification checks, regular inspections, and engage in team discussions to reinforce our food safety culture at Dr. Harvey’s.
This includes discussing production and cleaning schedules to ensure that all equipment is properly cleaned and sanitized to enforce cleanliness as an integral part of our manufacturing process.
3.Can you tell us a little bit more about the Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that are in place?
We have an SSOP from every cleaning and sanitation procedure that we conduct in our warehouse. We also have SOPs that production follows from receiving incoming ingredients to distribution of finished products. Some examples include: verification of suppliers’ ingredients, sanitation of our machines and facility, validation and verification of quality control steps in the manufacturing process, and finished product testing.
4. What do you like to do for fun when you aren’t making sure safety measures are being followed?
I love driving long distances and exploring parks and historical sites. I also enjoy attending High Intensity Interval Training sessions and biking on occasion. I enjoy trying new foods and also foods with Ube (a type of purple yam), which reminds me of my childhood in the Philippines.
