AIB International's Judi Lazaro Speaks on Food Safety

At out User Event this May, Judi Lazaro, Director of Customer Relations at AIB International, spoke to JustFoodERP customers about GFSI audits, inspections and overall food safety initiatives. AIBI has a very global presence with locations in North America, Latin America, China, Japan, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and they work with all types of facilities from bakeries to beverages. In nearly an hour, Judi was able to break down her role at AIB and give us some insight to what the organization does and how food companies can benefit from a little inside knowledge. Here are a few of my takeaways from her presentation.

The difference between an Audit and an Inspection

• An audit is a systematic review of records and programs in a facility. It involves a deep investigation into the processes of the organization.
• An inspection, on the other hand, is more of a snapshot in time. It consists of a scheduled visit to a facility, and employees have time to prepare for this.

The importance of the Wal-Mart Effect

• In December 2007, Wal-Mart initiated a standardization of food safety inspection for all of its distributors. This completely changed the industry and became the benchmark for all food companies. By demanding the best prices for their customers, Wal-Mart began to streamline the distribution and supply chain processes.

The very different yet not so different Benchmark Schemes

• BRC Global Standards- designed for companies supplying retailer-branded food products
• FSSC 22000- complete Food Safety Certification System for the food manufacturing industry. This certification system is based on ISO 22000, PAS 220, and ISO 22003
• SQF 2000- The Safe Quality Food Program is a comprehensive food safety and quality management certification system for food manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors. This certification is based on HACCP, and only those facilities graded with a 96% or above are labeled “Excellent.”

If you are interested in finding out more about Judi’s presentation, email me and I can get you a copy of her slides. I certainly found her discussion to be very helpful.


Jenny is a recent university graduate joining the JustFoodERP team in her first corporate role. She loves social media and reads everything she can get her hands on. Jenny is an avid hockey fan from southern California and finally feels at home among the Leafs fans in Toronto. After gaining invaluable business and marketing experience here at JustFoodERP, Jenny plans to go back to school to pursue her fascination with communcation law.