12 TAG Food Safety Consultants Named FSPCA PCHF Version 2 Lead Instructors

The Acheson Group (TAG) announced that 12 of its food safety consultants have now achieved the status of lead instructors to independently lead the new FSPCA Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCHF) Version 2.0 participant course and issue Certificates of Training to participants. TAG will begin offering the course in early 2025.

FSPCA Lead Instructor applicants are evaluated in three primary areas: instructor credentials, education and industry experience. To achieve the designation as lead instructor for the PCHF v.2 course, the person must have university or equivalent education in related fields; at least five years of food safety work in/with the human food processing industry; and extensive experience as an instructor for food safety courses or programs.

“TAG is proud of the fact that all eight of our food safety consultants who applied to lead version 2 of the PCHF participant course were selected as lead instructors,” said TAG President and CEO Dr. David Acheson. “With so many instructors, TAG will be able to extensively serve the industry by offering various options for the course in 2025 when FSPCA allows its release.”

TAG’s 12 lead instructors include:

• Executive VP, Regulatory Affairs and Managing Director, TAG Canada Cameron Prince. With over 35 years of experience in food regulatory programs and the food industry in both the U.S. and Canada, he has extensive international experience, having been active in CODEX and other multilateral food related organizations. He also is a certified lead auditor for BRC and FSSC 2200, a certified HACCP trainer (NSF) and a FSMA Preventive Controls lead instructor.
• Executive Vice President of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Benjamin Miller, Ph.D., has more than 25 years of experience in food safety, public health, epidemiology and infectious disease outbreak investigations. He also has extensive food regulatory experience and, as previous division director at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, led the State of Minnesota’s Human and Animal Food regulatory work and is a member of the IAFP Program Committee.
• Chief Scientific Officer Rolando Gonzalez, who has over 15 years of practical food safety and quality management experience, has held technical and thought leadership roles at major national and global companies, and is also a lead instructor for the FSPCA Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessment (IAVA) and the Animal Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCAF) courses.
• Senior Director, Food Safety Mary Hoffman who, with over 20 years in the food industry, has held technical and managerial positions at a variety of food production companies, directing corporate and facility-level quality, R&D and laboratory teams. She is also a lead instructor for the FSPCA IAVA course.
• Director, Food Safety Christopher Snabes has over 20 years of experience in the food industry, specializing in food microbiology and food safety. He is also a lead instructor for the FSPCA IAVA and PCAF courses and was recognized in 2023 and 2024 as a Top 10 IA VA lead instructor and in 2024  as Top 10 FSVP lead instructor, both based on number of participants who completed the FSVP training and received certificates.
• Director, Food Safety Lacey Keesee  has over 18 years of experience in food manufacturing, food safety and quality-related fields working in meat and dairy processing, RTE products, snacks and confections, shelf-stable dressings, sauces and condiments, low-acid canned foods, infant formula and medical nutritional foods. She also holds certificates and licenses in Canned Food Principles of Thermal Process, is an SQF Practitioner and Systems Auditor and is a HACCP Lead Instructor.
• Director, Food Safety Sam Davidson has over 30 years of experience in food safety and quality, working with soft drinks/juice production, meat processing, dairy processing, quick service restaurants, animal welfare and entomophagy. As a subject matter expert for TAG Canada, he also is certified to conduct IAVAs, implement SQF Systems; holds certifications in FSVP, Seafood HACCP, and trains on and implements HACCP Programs, Food Safety Plans and Animal Welfare Programs.
• Senior Manager, Food Safety Lily Yang, Ph.D., has more than 10 years of experience in adult-learning pedagogy for diverse populations. A native speaker of English and Mandarin Chinese, she is qualified to train in both languages as a PCHF v.2 course instructor, a Produce Safety Alliance Trainer, a Meat HACCP and Seafood HACCP instructor and a Servsafe Instructor and Proctor.
• Senior Manager, Food Safety Kate McInnes has 10 years of experience in quality assurance, analytical labs and food safety, working in dairy, poultry, agriculture and entomophagy. As a TAG Canada team member, she can provide onsite training in the country as well as online training on both sides of the border.
• TAG Senior Advisor, Food Safety Ruth Petran, Ph.D., has more than 35 years in the food industry, having held technical food safety and public health leadership roles and currently running her own consulting business. She is a past president and Fellow of IAFP, a Certified Food Scientist and a member of the Institute of Food Technologists.
• Senior Advisor, Food Safety Rich Simmons has 40-plus years of experience in the food industry, specializing in GFSI food safety management system standards, having completed over 400 SQF audits and 100 BRC audits in his career. In addition to FSPCA training, he is an Approved Training Provider (ATP) for the BRC Food Standard and Qualified Lead Auditor for SQF, BRC, FSSC and IFS Logistics.
• Senior Advisor, Food Safety Liliana Casal-Wardle, Ph.D., has 25 years in the food industry with both technical and global leadership roles managing supply chain food safety and product quality. Proficient in three languages, she is able to instruct the course in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

For information on upcoming courses, keep an eye on TAG’s Events webpage.