Safety, Accountability and Trust – Operations Team Delivers for our Neighbors and Community
There’s no such thing as “just another audit” when it comes to food safety.
Every two years, Food Lifeline undergoes rigorous safety and compliance inspections conducted by AIB international, a food safety organization, to ensure food products and processes meet safety standards and regulations.
The standards are strict and expectations high. Beyond just moving food efficiently, the goal is to prove we’re operating safely, responsibly, and with integrity.
This year the audit meant something more: it reflected Food Lifeline’s values. In the months leading up to the audit, the entire warehouse operations team collaborated on the audit plan and executed every aspect with a keen eye for detail.
Rita Lopez (Food and Quality Safety Officer), Jim Procopio (Director of Operations), Jamie McConnell (Facilities Manager) and Carl Phillips (Warehouse Lead) lead the team through the preparations.
“We didn’t have to twist any arms. People just stepped up.” – Jim
Jim’s warehouse team stayed late, cleaning racks, scrubbing doors, and checking every inch of space. Transportation kept vehicles spotless. Facilities repaired major systems in-house. The leadership team jumped in to help in the spirit of teamwork.
By the time the auditor arrived, everything was in place.
As the inspector worked through each step of the audit, she flipped through the Food Lifeline operations binder, page after page, finding every process backed up with full documentation. The systems were strong. But more than that, they are lived every day.
“Rita’s documentation made the audit easy. She had everything ready, complete, and in the right place.” – Jamie
The auditor was thorough. She shone her flashlight into ceiling brackets. She tested recall knowledge. She lifted a finger to check for dust on a freshly moved pallet of root vegetables and noted that, yes, it was just a little dust from onions. Understandable. Acceptable.
Food safety is more than a behind-the-scenes issue. Stellar results matter to the communities that rely on Food Lifeline for their food supply. Agencies, neighbors, and partners have confidence in food supplied by Food Lifeline because of this level of professionalism and pride in the work.
“Our audit results show we’re accountable. They prove that we distribute safe, high-quality food -every time.” – Jim
She didn’t hand out compliments freely. But when she did, they meant something.
“The things she called out were real and worth fixing, not nitpicks” That’s how you grow.” -Rita
The only thing left was to wait for the score.
925 out of 1000.
In the AIB rating system, scores above 900 are considered excellent. 925 means our facility ranked among the top 25% of food banks nationwide, and we met or exceeded all five core inspection areas: operational practices, maintenance, cleaning, pest control, and written food safety programs.
We didn’t get a perfect score. No food bank does anymore. But we got something better: honest feedback, clear wins, and the knowledge that we’re doing our work the right way.
We work to uplift everyone’s right to food. Safety, accountability, traceability build a foundation of trust and dependability for our partner agencies, saving them time and effort as they stock their shelves.
This audit reminds us that behind every pallet, every shipment, and every warehouse rack – there’s a community relying on us. And this team? We showed up.
