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BUSINESSMANAGEMENTREVIEW.COMOCTOBER 202519Jason Schwartz stands out as an experienced leader in foodservice operations. As a Director of Safety and Risk Management at Southwest Foodservice Excellence, he leads innovation, safety, and risk management, ensuring school nutrition programs meet the highest standards. In an exclusive interview with Business Management Review, Jason Schwartz shared his views on food safety and how his team ensures it is effectively practiced.SHAPING A CAREER IN FOOD SAFETY I feel like every step in my career has led me to my current role. I've always worked in a kitchen in some capacity, starting as a sous chef for a high-end off-premise catering company, then moving into roles as an executive chef, a quality assurance chef, and eventually into operational leadership as a food service director. From there, I transitioned into food safety and compliance as a brand protection and food safety auditor.These experiences have given me a unique perspective on both culinary excellence and food safety, which taught me how to bridge the gap between creative kitchens and rigorous compliance standards. Each milestone, whether leading teams, auditing facilities, or designing safety systems, prepared me to build a culture of safety and quality at scale. Joining Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) has allowed me to bring that full journey together, aligning my background in scratch cooking and food safety with a mission that prioritizes both student well-being and operational excellence.BALANCING FOOD SAFETY AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Balancing operational efficiency with uncompromising food safety can be challenging, especially in high-volume environments. For us, the key is making food safety a core value rather than just a requirement. We continually instill in our teams that safety isn't negotiable--it's the foundation of everything we do.Serving a susceptible population of children every day brings a heightened responsibility. We focus on educating our teams on the "why" behind every standard, from temperature checks to allergen controls, so they understand the impact their actions have on student health. When employees know the purpose behind the procedures, compliance improves naturally, and safety becomes part of the culture rather than just another task.This approach allows us to achieve efficiency without sacrificing quality or safety--because everyone is aligned on the same priority of protecting the students we serve.BLENDING CREATIVITY WITH FOOD SAFETYCreativity in the kitchen should never compromise food safety. In fact, we've built innovation into our DNA, and we're always looking for ways to improve our offerings and elevate how school meals are presented to students. The key is ensuring that safety is integrated into the creative process from the very beginning.Our safety team works closely with our culinary and marketing teams so that every new recipe or menu concept is evaluated for compliance as it's being developed. This collaboration allows us to explore new flavors and presentations while maintaining strict adherence to HACCP protocols and allergen controls. We also leverage digital tools for recipe management and allergen tracking to maintain consistency and safety across multiple sites.By aligning creativity with safety, we can give students menus that feel fresh and exciting--while parents, schools, and regulators can be confident that every meal meets the highest safety standards.Jason Schwartz, Director of Safety and Risk Management, Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE)REDEFINING FOOD SAFETY IN SCHOOL NUTRITIONCXO INSIGHTSJason Schwartz < Page 9 | Page 11 >