You don’t always think about the quality assurance and safety measures that bring you top-notch onions, but being blissfully unaware of that is by design. When a Food Safety Quality Assurance (FSQA) Manager does their job, you usually never hear much about their work. Food that meets all safety standards and bacteria that never spread will never be talked about in the news, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t significant work behind the scenes to keep those risks at bay.
We sat down with Miguel Avila, Gills Onions’ newest Food Safety Quality Assurance Manager, to walk through a day in his life and understand all that goes into producing Gills Onions’ quality, safe products.
Bringing a Background of Safety and Quality to Gills
Avila has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Cal State Long Beach. He has worked in food quality and safety for years, with extensive experience in aerosol food spray production and quality control departments.
“I have a lot of experience with food safety,” Avila said. “When I came across Gills Onions, my experience matched well, and I liked what I noticed about the culture. The culture has turned out to be as great as I expected, and I’ve been happy working here since I started in July of 2024.”
Avila said that this standout culture is one of his favorite parts of his job at Gills. He says the way that departments work well together without conflict is noticeable, and he enjoys how well everyone works together.
“Everyone seems to be friends here, not just coworkers,” Avila said. “I appreciate that. There’s a friendly environment outside of the professional environment, and it just makes the job easier when you work across departments so much in a position like mine.”
What Does a Day As the FSQA Manager Look Like?
Avila said his day typically starts with reports from separate teams to help him understand the status of routine safety tests and quality checks.
Typically, the sanitation team will report first on the overnight checks, followed by the quality and microbiology departments.
“We go over the reports and address any issues that might have come up since our last checks,” Avila said. “We tackle any issues that come up with quick corrective action.”
He said an example of a potential issue might be an out-of-range result from a test for yeast or mold. They would immediately correct the factors that resulted in that positive bacteria result, and get the onion crops back on track for the high standards held at Gills.
“After that, I assist anyone else who needs help – from onion production, to sales, to maintenance,” Avila said. “And of course, there are the customers, too. I follow up on any customer requests or feedback, and make sure the product consistently aligns with our safety and quality standards.”
Avila is also responsible for staying current on any regulations or changes to food safety laws that Gills Onions complies with. They tackle any new food safety requirements that might require changes to processes.
What Are Gills Onions Food Safety and Quality Goals?
Avila said Gills’ goal is to always maintain the very high level of food safety that the company has consistently valued and expected. The bar is high at Gills Onions, and the company continually looks for ways to improve.
“We will make sure to improve and better ourselves continuously on the food safety side,” Avila said. “The goal is to never have any food safety issues that impact the customer.”
Avila said they also aim to spread Gills Onions’ highly regarded reputation in the onion growing industry even further by developing a larger retail presence and becoming a more commonly known household name.
With employees like Avila managing food safety and quality processes, the quality of Gills Onions is only projected to grow!
Looking for how to get some of the safest and highest-rated onions on the market? Contact our sales department to learn more today!