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JBS hires former USDA administrator as head of food safety

JBS, the giant Brazil-based food company, today announced the hiring of Alfred “Al” Almanza as its global head of food safety and quality assurance.

Almanza retired this week as administrator of the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. He also served as deputy undersecretary for food safety from September 2014 to December 2016.

The appointment had been widely rumored, and Almanza told Politico this week he had recused himself from dealings with JBS in recent months. During that time, as JBS was mired in corruption charges, FSIS issued a ban on Brazilian beef due following concerns about food safety standards in the country.



JBS said that Almanza will be based in Greeley, Colo., and will report directly to Gilberto Tomazoni, the company’s global president of operations.

Founded in 1953, JBS processes, prepares, packages and delivers beef, pork, lamb and poultry products in South America, North America, Europe and Oceania for sale to more than 300,000 customers in more than 150 countries on six continents.



During his 40 years at FSIS, Almanza held several leadership positions, including labor management specialist and district manager of the agency’s Dallas district office before becoming administrator.

“It was an honor to serve the public as a member of the USDA team and help uphold its mission to protect public health for nearly four decades,” Almanza said.

“I now join a team that shares my commitment to food safety and feeding the world in a safe, sustainable way. I look forward to helping JBS maintain the highest food safety levels in the industry, and putting in place best-in-class benchmarks and safeguards to ensure that our products continue to exceed all industry standards.”

–The Hagstrom Report