Food safety consultant · Medley, FL
Medley is where much of Miami-Dade's food gets made, packed and stored. We work inside those plants to prepare ready-to-eat manufacturers, co-packers and warehouses for SQF and BRCGS audits and for FDA and FDACS inspections.
How can a food safety consultant help a Medley food plant? We run an on-site gap analysis against SQF or BRCGS, build the HACCP or FSMA food safety plan, environmental monitoring, allergen and sanitation programs with your team, train supervisors and operators in English and Spanish, and run a mock audit before your certification body arrives.
Juan S. VargasSQF Food Safety Auditor · Exemplar Global
Medley's industrial corridor
Medley is a small, mostly industrial town in northwest Miami-Dade, with few residents and a large amount of warehouse, manufacturing and rail-served space. Food companies there tend to be production operations rather than storefronts: meat and prepared food processors, bakeries, beverage and sauce makers, contract manufacturers and the cold and dry warehouses that serve them.
These are the plants that retail and food service buyers audit most closely. A co-packer in Medley may be producing for several brand owners, each with its own specifications, while also holding a GFSI certificate and preparing for FDA or FDACS inspections.
| Operation | Main requirements | Where audits usually find gaps |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-eat manufacturer | SQF or BRCGS, FSMA Preventive Controls, USDA-FSIS for meat and poultry | Listeria environmental monitoring, zoning, cooling records |
| Co-packer | SQF or BRCGS plus brand owner requirements | Changeovers, allergen control, label verification, specifications |
| Bakery or snack plant | SQF, BRCGS or FSSC 22000, FSMA | Allergens, foreign material, metal detection |
| Food warehouse | FDACS permit, SQF or BRCGS Storage & Distribution | Pest control, temperature records, traceability |
SQF in Medley
SQF is one of the schemes U.S. retailers most commonly ask of manufacturers and co-packers like those in Medley. The SQF Food Safety Code: Manufacturing requires a HACCP-based food safety plan, prerequisite programs, a site-employed SQF Practitioner, internal audits and management review, all proven with records before the certification audit.
SQFI published Edition 10 on March 1, 2026, and audits against it are expected from January 2, 2027, pending GFSI benchmarking. If your audit falls near that date, we plan the system for the right edition. Full details on the SQF consulting page.
In a co-packing plant, the changeover is where the audit is won or lost.
RTE & co-packers
Cooked, sliced and assembled products need protection after the kill step. We design hygienic zoning between raw and cooked areas, an environmental monitoring program for Listeria with a zone map and response procedures, validated cooling and sanitation that reaches harborage points. Read our full guide for RTE food manufacturers.
We set up one food safety system that satisfies the GFSI scheme and absorbs each brand owner's requirements: a specification register, allergen matrix by line, changeover and label checks at start-up, customer approval for formula changes, and a complaint process. For a HACCP plan per product family, see HACCP consulting.
CASE 01 · READY-TO-EAT MANUFACTURER
42,000 sq ft · Medley, FL
14 weeks
Illustrative engagement · real client data pending authorization
Working in Medley
Medley plants often run more than one shift, and sanitation happens at night. We schedule visits when the activity we need to see is actually happening: production for the process walk and operator interviews, sanitation for pre-operational inspection and swab site review. Training is delivered on-site in English and Spanish, close to the equipment.
Regulators you are likely to see: FDA for registered facilities, FDACS Division of Food Safety for Florida food permits, and USDA-FSIS for meat and poultry under inspection. We prepare your team for all three, as well as for the certification body. We also work with plants in nearby Hialeah Gardens, Miami Lakes, Hialeah and Doral.
FAQ
Most plants need 3 to 6 months from gap analysis to certification audit. Plants with an existing HACCP plan and prerequisite programs can move faster; plants starting from scratch need longer. Your certification body also expects records covering a period of operation before the audit.
Brand owners generally expect the manufacturing site to hold its own GFSI certificate, because the site controls the process. Their own programs don't replace yours. We help you build one system that meets the scheme and your customers' requirements.
Yes. Seeing sanitation and pre-operational inspection is part of a proper gap analysis for RTE and co-packing plants, so we schedule visits when those activities happen.
Florida food manufacturers and warehouses are permitted and inspected by FDACS. FDA-registered facilities are also subject to FDA inspection, and meat and poultry plants under federal inspection are overseen by USDA-FSIS.
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.