Church Brothers hires Grace Ho as VP of food safety, quality

Church Brothers Farms, Salinas, Calif., has hired Grace Ho as vice president of food safety and quality.

Ho has more than 18 years of experience, most recently as senior vice president of food safety and quality at the Castellini Group of Cos., Cincinnati, according to a news release.

She also has been director of food safety and technical services for Misionero Vegetables LLC, Gonzales, Calif., and senior principal scientist for Chiquita Brands International/Fresh Express.

Ho is a lead instructor for Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals and Foreign Supplier Verification, which are parts of the Food Safety Modernization Act.

“This role is critically important and we wanted to hire the right person that could lead our strong (Food Safety and Quality) team that consists of more than 120 knowledgeable employees,” Brian Church, CEO of Church Brothers, said in the release. “Grace is at the forefront of food safety innovation; she has the expertise and leadership we need to guide us in the use of new technologies and processes.”

She has a Ph.D. in food science and technology and has published scientific papers in peer-reviewed publications, according to the release.

Her expertise in validating and commercializing new technologies resulted in the invention of Fresh Rinse, according to the release, which is a produce wash Fresh Express started using in 2011.

Related stories: