What’s Next? Three Food Safety Grads Transition from Academia to Industry

Maria Castaneda

Maria Castaneda discovered that in order to make the most of academic experiences and industry opportunities, she had to bridge the gap between both worlds.

With her focus originally set on veterinary school, Maria Castaneda received her introduction to food safety while taking nutrition classes at Texas A&M University. Learning where our food comes from, what goes into producing it and who ensures it is safe spurred a curiosity that sent Castaneda down the path to getting her bachelor’s degree in food science and technology.

“Once I got into the industry, I learned that there is so much more out there that the regular consumer doesn’t understand about their food sources and what the industry is truly doing to better the food supply for everybody else,” said Castaneda.

In 2018, Castaneda started working as a quality assurance food safety manager at Diamond Onions. The job allowed her to document processes and train employees in a bilingual setting as she worked with both the quality department and the overnight sanitation teams. At the same time, the company allowed her to pursue continuing education at Michigan State University so that she could earn her master’s degree in food safety in 2023.

“As quality and food safety professionals, there are some struggles that we all go through, and being able to turn to a group of people that have been on a similar path as you can help you learn new things and figure things out along the way.”

“My master’s program helped me understand the behavioral science of being out in the industry and how we can work to make jobs easier and better for the people who are running the line,” said Castaneda.

Developing her skills both in and out of industry allowed Castaneda to appreciate the work in a whole new way. QA talked with her about what experiences mattered most during her academic journey, where she thinks students should dedicate their focus and how food safety is much larger than what’s being served on the table.

Q. What classes were instrumental in helping you form your philosophy around food safety?

A. My favorite class at Michigan State was epidemiology, because it gave me the behind the scenes of what was going on from the health perspective. It helped me see that when an outbreak happens, the industry works alongside health professionals to try to figure out who’s getting sick from what and how outbreaks travel. That was very eye-opening for me.

Food law was one of the most difficult classes that I have had in my career. But it was incredibly important to see how our government creates regulations. I recommend food law for anyone going into the industry, because it will answer a lot of questions, and I think it leaves you wanting a little bit more. Depending on what role you’re trying to accomplish when you’re in the industry, it’ll give you a little bit of background. If you do want to go into the regulatory side and you are interested in how laws affect a product or a commodity, you’ll be able to dive deeper.

Q. What advice do you have for students nearing graduation?

A. I believe that everybody should have a manufacturing internship. Really go out to a food plant, be able to wear a hair net and see what it is to go out and get your hands dirty. Anybody can work in an office and behind a computer, but you need to understand the process of being on the floor, and a lot of it is about understanding human behavior. You have to relate to the people that are on the line doing these hard jobs. Some of them are having to be in cold temperatures or warm temperatures for eight hours in noisy environments. So, understanding how to translate that to your ownership or your upper management and find ways to make it a better environment or ways to incentivize these individuals to work for us is actually doing something for the greater good and maintaining safety for our food supply.

Q. How do you overcome some of the challenges of creating a positive company culture?

A. You start with ownership and management. You need to have their backing, and that comes with meetings and meetups with them and giving them the backup knowledge of what’s important. Something as simple as your line employees seeing their president or CEO of the company wearing a hair net and using correct, good manufacturing practices and protective equipment will inspire them to follow suit.

“Anybody can work in an office and behind a computer, but you need to understand the process of being on the floor, and a lot of it is about understanding human behavior.”

I also believe that creating an incentive program and a reward system is important. As humans, we like to be recognized. We like to know that we’re doing things correctly. And that really comes from your management team. If you guys are united together and believe that creating a good food safety culture is the way to go, you will see it happen with flying colors. And it trickles all the way down so your employees are also enforcing that food safety culture.

Q. How do you continue your educational learning?

A. I still talk to a lot of my professors and advisers from the program. Outside of that, groups like the Longhorn Section of IFT (Institute of Food Technologists) and the International Fresh Produce Association have offered ways to attend new courses. It’s a really good opportunity to stay up to date with a lot of the changes that are happening in the industry. It’s important to find a group that understands you. As quality and food safety professionals, there are some struggles that we all go through, and being able to turn to a group of people that have been on a similar path as you can help you learn new things and figure things out along the way.

McKenna Mahnke

A food microbiology class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison helped McKenna Mahnke zero in on a microbiology degree and a career focused on food safety and quality.

As a food safety and hygiene supervisor at Nestlé Health Science in Savannah, Ga., McKenna Mahnke and her team ensure the quality and safety of the food that’s made within the factory’s walls.

But Mahnke wasn’t always so sure about her career path. Should she pursue a medical degree or focus on food safety?

It wasn’t until she took a food microbiology class her junior year that she decided on a career in food safety. But even as she made her way towards her undergraduate degree, she was torn. Should she focus on R&D or quality assurance?

“Don’t put too much pressure on what position you take right out of school.”

Applying for a research position within UW- Madison’s Food Research Institute — including its Summer Scholar program — helped Mahnke get a real-world feel for the different areas she was considering.

While there, her research focused on using clean-label antimicrobials in turkey to prevent the growth of Clostridium perfringens during cooling time. She also helped develop thermal processing parameters for the inactivation of a histamine-producing bacteria found in raw milk, Alpine-style cheeses.

“I found out I like the technical, research side of food safety. I don’t want to come up with the newest, greatest product. That’s not who I am,” said Mahnke. “I like to figure out what the most efficient or best way to be compliant is. I like having those guardrails of regulations.”

After graduating in 2020 with a microbiology degree and a certificate in the science of fermented food and beverage, she started a quality graduate program at Kerry (the Savannah facility has since been acquired by Nestlé), where she saw the inner workings of a factory firsthand.

We talked to Mahnke about why it’s OK to be unsure about your career path and how she stays updated on the latest food safety news and information.

Q. What was your main takeaway from UW-Madison’s Summer Scholars program?

A. It was one of my main sources of camaraderie within the food safety program. A group of about 15 students were doing research in different labs throughout the university, and then we would take field trips to food manufacturing facilities. We went to a cheese manufacturer. We went to some breweries and wineries. Not only was it great to get to see those real-world experiences together, but then we got to hear about each other’s research.

Q. What was the greatest challenge you faced after graduation?

A. One of the challenges I faced was a lack of technical knowledge. I knew the concepts of food safety, but especially starting in aseptic manufacturing at Kerry, there’s a lot to learn in terms of the equipment and processes. The way I learned was by just being on the factory floor, asking questions and using my resources within the company to learn.

Q. How do you stay up to date on the latest food safety trends?

A. I use LinkedIn and digital quality or food safety forums and magazines. I really built out my LinkedIn network to be based on people who are sharing interesting articles or information.

Q. What advice do you have for food safety students?

A. Don’t put too much pressure on what position you take right out of school. I was overwhelmed at first and felt like I really needed to make the right move in terms of my career. But through talking to my coworkers, I learned that everybody gets to their end goal in different ways. It’s not just one straight path. There’s so many ways to get to the job you want once you get your foot in the door. And you might completely change your mind on which way you want to go once you’re actually in the food industry.

Genevieve Sullivan

While pursuing her Ph.D. in food science at Cornell University, Genevieve Sullivan learned she could use her research-driven skills to zero in on a career path that worked for her.

For Genevieve Sullivan, research plays a major role in her career — not only in her day-to-day duties as a senior specialist at Mars developing the Mars Snacking division’s microbiological strategy, but in her overall career path.

While working on her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in food science at Cornell University, she viewed any internship or research opportunity as a chance to determine what she wanted to do after receiving her degree.

“I did internships and research in both undergrad and grad school, and both types of experiences were hugely informative in helping me decide what I wanted to do after graduation,” said Sullivan. “Actually, they were probably more helpful in helping me decide what I didn’t want to do after graduation.”

When it came to pursuing or exploring potential employers, she took the time to do her homework on the companies she found interesting. For example, when a scientist from Mars visited her grad school program, she took note of how the company invests in research.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to join Mars was because of their willingness to investigate and utilize novel technologies,” she said. “They’re always striving to evolve in ways that drive efficiencies and reduce errors, and upgrading our digital approaches to food safety challenges is a great way to do that.”

Sullivan talked to QA about the power of networking and how her generation of food safety professionals can make their own mark.

“I look at each interview as a networking opportunity so that if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t feel like time wasted.”

Q. Can you tell us about your dissertation?

A. I worked with produce factories from across the U.S. to collect more than 2,000 sponge samples over the course of a year and performed whole genome sequencing on the isolates to help characterize the Listeria we found and to investigate transmission pathways. These findings helped inform the development of two computer models of fresh-cut produce facilities that simulate how Listeria enters, moves throughout and leaves a factory. The objective was to provide information that can aid in the prioritization of Listeria control strategies.

Q. What helped ease your transitional phase from school to industry?

A. I think the most important thing has been being willing to get to know the company you’re working for. SmartWash Solutions, my first employer out of college, is in produce, and although I had been in several relevant factories, I hadn’t spent much time in produce fields. So, I spent a lot of time driving to different produce fields in the Salinas Valley to see how planting and harvesting works for various crops. At Mars, my approach has been similar. It wasn’t a requirement, but within three months of joining, I got certified to be a supporting auditor. It gave me a reason to travel to some factories and review their programs. It can be challenging, but it’s a great way to fast-track your understanding of how things work.

Q. What advice do you have for students in the industry who are nearing graduation?

A. In addition to leveraging your network, I’d recommend picking a few companies to routinely check their job boards. Within food safety, job titles can be confusing and even misleading, so generic job alerts are often poor matches. I found better job description matches by searching keywords within company websites. I picked four to five companies that I had heard were actively hiring, had great food safety reputations or had interesting product portfolios. I also asked my professors what companies they’d recommend based on who they had good experiences with. Also, I look at each interview as a networking opportunity so that if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t feel like time wasted. I interviewed for two other jobs at Mars before I ended up in my current role.

Q. How do you envision your generation contributing to food safety?

A. I think my generation has an opportunity to leverage science and technology to protect food safety in a way that’s never been done before. But we’ll have to incorporate the hard-earned lessons gained only through experience as well.