Baking&Snack - December 2016 - 25

this. I didn't grow up thinking, 'I want to be the next
sanitation manager.' People end up in sanitation because they become passionate about it," he recalled.
Mr. Thorson prides himself on creating a solid network for continuing education on food safety best
practices as well as professional development. "The
more diversity I can expose myself to is very helpful,"
he explained. "BEMA has been great for that; they've
brought me into that fold, and it's been a great opportunity for them and me, especially with all the food
safety and FSMA discussions I've been a part of."
For Mr. Thorson, food safety is an area where
General Mills can lead the industry.
"You can't look at our company in terms of food
safety and the small scope of our own plants we operate," he pointed out. "Yes, we roll out our policies and
standards and training for our own people. But that's
a very small piece of the puzzle in the overall scheme
of things. We have to figure out how to work together
with outside organizations. We all use a lot of the same
suppliers, so that's why we dedicate a lot of our time
and resources externally."
Involvement in BEMA through its Baking Industry
Forum also benefits from Mr. Thorson's leadership. "Karl is a true subject matter expert in the area
of FSMA and sanitary design," said Kerwin Brown,
BEMA president and CEO. "He is also engaging to listen to, which makes him ideal for our BEMA audience.
He is truly deserving of this award."
As a leader in the realm of sanitation, Mr. Thorson
prides himself on the ability to deliver the right answers, even if he has to seek them out himself; he is
quick to point out the difference between having all the
answers and having the ability and resources to find
them. "No one can be an expert on everything, so you
have to figure out who your contacts are and network
with them," he explained. "I have access to great people, within General Mills and through associations, our
chemical suppliers and our OEMs."

Theory into practice
It's one thing to ask the right questions. It's another to
know how to find the answers. But having all the answers isn't of much use without putting them into practice, especially in terms of producing safe food, and this
is the next level of Mr. Thorson's passion for his craft.
The way he sees it, food safety is only one step in
the broad landscape of safe food production. You
have to be safe, yes, but you also have to be effective
and efficient. Sanitation is no longer a "value added"
component in equipment design. "We need to make
changeovers as quickly as possible and manage our
risks appropriately," Mr. Thorson said. "We need to get

Taking the journey toward perfection
Food safety and sanitation are so important to General Mills
that they are an integral part of its 2016 "Global Responsibility
Report." In 2015, the company spent $13 million on food safety,
more than 10% of the essential capital investment it spends on
average each year for food safety-related projects. The company has more than 600 trained, quality professionals and 55-plus
certified, quality engineers monitoring food safety worldwide.
And 100% of its facilities were audited using globally recognized food safety criteria (excluding its Yoki division) while 90%
of its facilities are audited and/or certified by third parties.
Still, there is room for improvement, according to Karl
Thorson, food safety and sanitation manager. "Food safety
is always a journey," he likes to say.
According to the company, Global Food Safety Initiative
(GSFI) programs have certified 72% of its company-owned
businesses. Additionally, GFSI partners audit 75% of comanufactured sites while 49% of its ingredient supplier facilities received the certification, according to the report. "The
certification of General Mills facilities is an additional assurance that our existing, robust food safety systems continue
to evolve and improve," the company noted.
Mr. Thorson added that such certification is another critical measure of validating - that word is so precious to
someone like him in food safety - what General Mills has
strived for and attained over decades. That's not always
an easy task, especially from a global perspective. "We've
been known for world-class food safety for years, but we
need to prove it from a sanitation standpoint," he noted.
In some cases, controls are more advanced in some
countries than others. Brazil, for instance, only recently
added regulations concerning allergens that have long been
in place in the US, Europe and other regions. General Mills'
Sanitation Center for Excellence has been actively involved
in implementing best practices in Brazil and elsewhere
around the globe. Again, that's not always an easy task in
so many countries with such a vast wealth of cultures. "My
biggest challenge globally is communication, so I'm trying
to educate our Brazilian team on sanitation, and I found a
company that does simultaneous, real-time translation in
subtitles [to expedite the process]," Mr. Thorson noted.
"We're helping Brazil along with eliminating allergens in
their journey and understanding of food safety risks," he
added. Of course, creating a universal standard around food
safety is an issue with many global food companies, as well
as a concern among their customers and every consumer.
"Every multinational [company] has this challenge on how
we're going to better communicate," Mr. Thorson noted.
Fortunately, communication is Mr. Thorson's forte, and he
stressed it's the heart and soul of spreading the news about
improving food safety across the entire industry. As he likes
to say, "Food safety has no borders."
- Dan Malovany
www.bakingandsnack.com / December 2016 Baking & Snack 25

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