Interview: Livier Ugalde

Livier Ugalde Armenta, a talented woman, committed to her work and highly responsible, welcomes us to her office within the premises of Agricola Campaña, where she is the Manager of Food Safety and Social Responsibility.
A native of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, she studied a degree in Marketing, and her fate along with her work experience have led her to get involved in the subject of food safety and social responsibility, aspects that, as she tells us, she enjoys performing a lot.

1. How did you get involved in the subject of food safety?
I studied Marketing in Guasave, and since it is a city with few opportunities for growth, I decided to move to Culiacán. I started working at an agricultural company and joined to department of quality control in a totally administrative area. I was in charge of managing all matters relating to financial resources and the personnel quality inspection program, located in a variety of cities in the country.
Later, the company went into crisis and personnel was reduced; I started supporting the person responsible for food safety, who was also responsible for both domestic and international operations; I started getting involved in the subject, I used to support him with training, microbiological and pesticide sampling program, control of documents, agendas, etc.
After a while and also after high personnel rotation, I was invited to stay in the job and I decided to accept, even with an upcoming audit, so I basically learned within the field and the audit was approved; from there, I started to train formally: I was able to certify most of the branches we had and most of the associated growers the company had, and from there I went to certify the distribution warehouses in San Diego, California.

2. How did you join Campaña Agricultores?
The Engineer César Campaña invited me to join the team a little over 6 years ago, he contacted me despite the fact that I was away from the sector at the time, and convinced me to return to the agriculture environment, we talked and he asked me to support him with the season, that at the time was about to start, because the person in charge of food safety had quit. I decided to help him and we are still here.

3. What are the main functions you perform within the company?
As manager of food safety and social responsibility, I am in charge of all the company certifications in terms of food safety, bioterrorism, social responsibility and also safety and hygiene. My days are all different, no day is equal than the last and there in not a routine There are always different activities, whether in the packing facility, in the field or with the personnel.

4. What part of your work is the most satisfying to you?
On one hand, contributing to consumers’ health, by providing safe food to the market through the company; and on the other hand, seeing the smile of children and their families when we perform activities to improve their life quality; protecting workers with health, safety and hygiene promotion programs, and being able to contribute for continuous improvement of the programs I manage.

5. How important is food safety in horticultural products?
Really important. It is undeniable that food safety is part of the minimum processes that horticulture growers have to meet, as we cannot think about horticultural companies not applying at least good agriculture and manufacture practices, and tools such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) helps us to have better control of our processes, as we need to contribute by giving consumer the trust that these products will not cause diseases to them or their families.

6. What are the strategies used by the company to meet comprehensively with market requirements in the area of food safety?
First of all, to be current with the information related to the market, with changes in regulations, training and replicating this learning with personnel, making personnel sensitive to all the subjects that, by the nature of their duties, are concerning to them.
Another strategy is continuous improvement, evaluating ourselves internally and through third parties as well as maintaining certifications that customers require from us and also those certifications that are voluntary; these are an essential part of the company, because they show the commitment before a diversity of entities that promote them. Integrating our processes within a management system has given us a deeper insight of what we have been doing and of the role each of the company members play in these activities, with a common purpose.

7. What are the new challenges agriculture is facing in Sinaloa, in the area of food safety?
Compliance with the new regulations approved in the United States, being able to comply with market requirements. Today, it is already a law, as this is not to see if you can or want. If you want to stay in the market, you need to comply with regulations; you have to make your personnel also help you accomplish this, which is the hardest part. Personnel management is incredibly dynamic, and in a way, very complex too.
Basically, being current in certifications is to be current in technology and in all things required by the field.
Within your duties, what experience have you kept within yourself for the years you have worked at Campaña Agricultores?
More than an experience, the learning and growth we have achieved in parallel as a company. Contributing with the team in the achievement of goals is everybody’s work, we all grow, we all learn and we all enjoy the benefits. I have always said and repeated that certifications are the result of a work by all. I get to be at the forefront, coordinating them and face the challenge, but I couldn’t do it without the help of all the personnel and unconditional support of the company management.

8. How has the Eleven River Certification supported your company in the compliance with the different standards required by the market?
Without a doubt, this is a very comprehensive scheme. It has helped us to integrate some activities we were conducting separately; now, everything is linked, coded, we have personnel in charge of these matters, and it is documented as part o the internal management system, and I believe that by meeting the 5 axis of the Eleven Rivers scheme, you may comply with almost any scheme.

9. Anything else you would like to add?
To remember that when an horticulture grower is involved in an outbreak or crisis, all of us in the guild are affected; I would like to invite all horticulture growers and their personnel to reinforce the commitment we have to bring healthy food to people’s tables, and making things right, both in terms of food safety and in the subject of social responsibility; there is always room for improvement, we must take that into account permanently.