Food safety consultant · Doral, FL
Doral's warehouses move food from Latin America and beyond to buyers across the U.S. We help importers, cold storage operators and distributors meet FSVP, keep the cold chain under control and earn PrimusGFS or SQF certification.
What does a food safety consultant do for a Doral importer or warehouse? We build your FSVP supplier verification files, receiving and temperature control procedures, pest control and traceability records, then prepare the facility for PrimusGFS or SQF Storage and Distribution audits. Work happens on-site in Doral, with training in English and Spanish.
Juan S. VargasSQF Food Safety Auditor · Exemplar Global
Doral's food businesses
Doral sits just west of Miami International Airport, and much of its commercial land is given over to warehouses, freight forwarders and distribution centers. For food, that means perishable imports arriving by air, produce and seafood moving through cold storage, and ingredient and grocery distributors serving retailers and food service across the country.
Most Doral food companies don't cook or process much. Their risks are different from a manufacturer's: a foreign supplier that was never verified, a pallet that sat on a warm dock, a pest problem in a dry warehouse, or a recall they can't trace to the lot. Regulators and buyers ask about exactly those points.
| Operation | What is usually asked for |
|---|---|
| Food importer (no warehouse) | FSVP files per food and supplier |
| Produce importer & cooler | FSVP, PrimusGFS, FSMA 204 traceability |
| Cold or dry storage warehouse | FDA registration, FDACS permit, SQF or BRCGS Storage & Distribution |
| Distributor to retail | GFSI certificate, recall and traceability program |
FSVP
Under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program rule (21 CFR 1 Subpart L), the U.S. importer of record is responsible for verifying that foreign suppliers produce food that meets U.S. safety standards. In Doral, that often means dozens of suppliers across several countries, with documents in Spanish and Portuguese.
We build FSVP files in a format FDA can follow and work directly with your Latin American suppliers in Spanish. For the full regulation, see FSMA, PCQI and FSVP compliance.
Cold chain & PrimusGFS
Temperature abuse is often invisible until a customer rejects a load. We set receiving checks for product and trailer temperature, dock time limits, cooler and freezer monitoring with alarms and calibrated thermometers, and clear rules for what to do with product that arrived warm. Records are designed so a buyer or auditor can follow one lot from receipt to shipment.
Produce distributors that repack, cool or store fresh product for retail are often asked for PrimusGFS. We prepare the Food Safety Management System module and the facility module that fits your operation, as the scheme moves to v4.0. See PrimusGFS certification support.
FSMA 204 is on the calendar. Many fresh produce items and seafood are on FDA's Food Traceability List. From July 20, 2028, receivers and shippers of those foods must keep key data elements at critical tracking events, assign traceability lot codes where required, and provide records to FDA within 24 hours of a request. Doral distributors sit in the middle of that chain.
Certification
Retail and food service customers increasingly ask their distributors and third-party warehouses for a GFSI certificate. For storage and distribution sites, the usual choices are the SQF Food Safety Code for Storage and Distribution or BRCGS. We run a gap assessment against the scheme your customer names, then build the programs a warehouse needs: pest control, sanitation, allergen segregation, damaged goods handling, glass and brittle plastic, supplier and carrier approval, and mock recalls. See SQF consulting for the certification path.
CASE 01 · PRODUCE IMPORTER & PACKHOUSE
28,000 sq ft · Doral, FL
10 weeks
Illustrative engagement · real client data pending authorization
Working in Doral
Doral is a short drive from our Miami base, so we work on-site for every phase: the gap analysis on your dock and in your coolers, training sessions with receiving and warehouse crews, and the mock audit. Many warehouse teams work in Spanish, and we train in whichever language your people use. We also work with importers and distributors in nearby Medley, Miami Springs, Sweetwater and around the airport. If your operation includes processing, see our page for Medley.
FAQ
Usually yes. FSVP applies to the importer of the food, which is generally the U.S. owner or consignee at entry, even if the product goes straight from the port or airport to a third-party warehouse. Some foods and situations are exempt or modified, so we review your imports on the gap call.
Food warehouses in Florida are permitted and inspected by FDACS, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food Safety. If the facility is registered with FDA, FDA can inspect it too. Customers and certification bodies add their own audits.
It depends on your buyers. Produce buyers often ask for PrimusGFS; broader grocery and food service customers may prefer SQF or BRCGS. We check what your main customers accept before you choose.
Yes. We work with foreign suppliers in Spanish, remotely and on-site by project, so their documents and practices support your FSVP file and your buyers' certification requirements.
Free gap call
In 30 minutes we review your standard, your date and your most likely gaps, and tell you honestly whether you need us.
Juan S. VargasSQF Food Safety Auditor · PCQI
Request a gap call or a quote
Takes under a minute. Juan reviews every request personally.