Susan Jackson is the Compliance Manager at Mountain River Processors. With a rich history in risk management and quality assurance, she is highly experienced in the field and is passionate about food safety control; making sure that Mountain River branded venison is processed to the highest of standards.
Susan grew up on a sheep farm in Montalto, Mid-Canterbury. When she left school she became a Laboratory Technician, but found her way back to farming, as she worked on a mixed cropping farm at Dorie with her husband when their family was young.
Her arrival into the meat industry was in 1992 at the Fortex meat processing plant, working in the Laboratory. When Fotex collapsed, she came to work for CMP until 2008. In February 2009 she started working at Mountain River Processors.
Susan has been involved in writing HACCP programmes since her Fortex days and has been involved with writing several of the Risk Management Programmes - all based to ensure food safety control.
As a Compliance Manager with a quality assurance focus, Susan is responsible for various processes at the factory, which includes (but certainly not limited to):
Temperature - daily temperature monitoring freezers and chillers
Quality System documentation - which includes Risk Management Programme and pre-requisite programmes
Auditing to meet MPI and Customer requirements
Managing National Microbiological Data programme - including sampling as required
Checking and signing compliance records
Data entry from compliance records
Raising e-certs for transfer of inedible product – Renderables, Pet food
Daily interface with MPI with compliance matters as required
Weekly meetings with MPI
Susan also runs the health and safety programme. She’s responsible for the documentation, monthly meetings, organising training (First Aid, Forklift, Operator awareness checks), annual reviews and of course notifying Worksafe NZ in the event of a serious harm accident.
She is one very busy woman! But it is Susan’s years of experience, knowledge and passion for what she does that makes her a highly regarded addition to the meat industry, and helps Mountain River produce the highest quality venison products.