Ep. 47. Craig Wilson: Costco’s Food Safety Leadership

Craig Wilson is the vice president, general merchandising manager of quality assurance/food safety, non-foods quality assurance, environmental services/HAZMAT and merchandise services for Costco Wholesale Corporation. Prior to joining Costco, Craig worked as a special projects director for Frigoscandia Equipment Food Safety Systems for over 24 years. During his time there, Craig published numerous research papers in the areas of food safety and food processing. He holds many patents, the most notable for steam pasteurization of food. He was the recipient of the Gia/Matek, Global Excellence in Food Safety Award. Craig currently serves on the Global Food Safety Initiative Board, the Center for Produce Safety Board, the Center for Food Integrity Board, and the STOP Foodborne Illness Board.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak to Craig [17:47] about:

• How Costco handles employee food safety training
• Costco's four-legged approach to food safety
• How Costco approaches food safety and varying regulatory requirements throughout the U.S. and globally
• The importance of building relationships with local and state health inspectors
• Costco's test and hold program
• Using Costco's membership program to keep consumers safe when recalls occur
• How Costco manages a supply chain with over 3,000 sku's per store
• How food safety has changed over the past 50 years

Bob Ferguson's Food Safety Insights [11:32] Bob joins us to discuss findings from his most recent survey and article in the April/May 2019 issue What Industry and FDA are Thinking about FSMA Implementation—Part I

Want more from Bob Ferguson? Find more of his articles and podcast segments.

Craig Wilson's Articles in Food Safety Magazine Allergen Management: Challenges and Trends  Costco Wholesale: Culturing Food Safety Success Costco Wholesale: Food Safety from the Top Down 

News Mentioned in This Episode Source of Mystery Multistate E. coli Outbreak: Ground Beef [3:08]  Albertsons Joins IBM Food Trust Blockchain Network [7:22]

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Spot On: New Challenges and Methods in Allergen Testing  VIDEO: Food and Feed Safety Starts with "No" 

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