OSI Group taps Kenneth Petersen to oversee QA, food safety

As senior VP of Quality Assurance, Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Petersen will chair OSI’s Global Quality Council. He will also be a member of OSI’s North America Leadership Team, reporting directly to David McDonald, OSI’s president and chief operating officer.

“We are excited to welcome Ken to the OSI team,”​ said McDonald. “With his extensive experience at the forefront of the industry’s food safety policy and practices, he will effectively guide OSI’s ongoing commitment to deliver superior quality products to our customers and their consumers.”​

Petersen holds both Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees. He joins OSI Group after nearly 3 years as president of the Division of Regulatory Compliance at IEH Laboratories & Consulting Group.

Government experience

Prior to working with IEH Laboratories, Petersen spent several years at the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) as assistant administrator for the Office of Field Operations.

In that role, Petersen oversaw 8,000 public health professionals conducting inspections, HACCP verifications, recalls and enforcement at 6,200 domestic meat, poultry and processed egg product businesses.

“During his tenure as assistant administrator, Petersen had significant influence on the regulatory response to multiple foodborne disease outbreaks and precedent-setting recalls of raw and processed products,”​ OSI officials said. “He led nationwide initiatives to improve oversight and the enforcement of humane handling programs and was a leader in the development of HACCP-based inspection models.”​

OSI’s food safety challenges

Petersen’s regulatory experience will come in handy in his new role at Aurora, Illinois-based OSI Group. Foodservice customers — including McDonalds and KFC — comprise about 70% of OSI’s business. The other 30% of its products go to retail (supermarket) meat cases.

Just six months ago, the company was dealing with the repercussions of a food safety scare involving its Chinese subsidiary, Shanghai Husi Food Co. A television news show reported unsanitary conditions at Shanghai Husi’s poultry processing facility, and Chinese consumers began boycotting its key fast-food customers, McDonald’s and KFC.

McDonalds, KFC and Burger King then dropped Shanghai Husi as a supplier in China. An extensive investigation was launched, and key Shanghai Husi officials were arrested. Additional details are available at our sister site, FoodQualityNews​.