Sona Chacko

Food quality and food safety professional with 2+ years across poultry, dairy, and FMCG manufacturing in New Zealand and India. MSc Food Innovation graduate (Lincoln University NZ, 2025) with hands-on experience in HACCP-based food safety systems, GMP verification, CCP monitoring, physicochemical and microbiological testing, non-conformance investigation, and CAPA. Strong working knowledge of the FSANZ Food Standards Code, ISO 22000, and GMP.

Reliable, detail-focused, and audit-ready — committed to protecting product safety, quality, and compliance across high-volume food manufacturing.

Quality Assurance Technician at Tegel Foods (Present)

Protecting product safety, quality, and compliance across high-volume poultry processing through daily food safety verification, testing, and documentation.

• Monitor and verify Critical Control Points (CCPs) across cooking, chilling, and temperature-controlled processes to maintain HACCP compliance
• Conduct physicochemical and microbiological testing to confirm products meet safety and quality specifications before release
• Verify GMP, sanitation, and hygiene standards on the processing floor and record pre-operational and in-process checks
• Inspect raw materials and ingredients against technical specifications to confirm compliance prior to production
• Investigate quality deviations and non-conformances, applying root-cause analysis and CAPA to prevent recurrence
• Maintain quality documentation, records, and traceability to FSANZ standards, and support internal and external audits

Food Quality Technologist at Avees Confectionery Foods (2023-01 – 2023-06)

Supported quality assurance and food safety across confectionery production, from raw material inspection through finished-product release.

• Inspected raw materials and ingredients against specifications to confirm quality and compliance before use
• Conducted in-process and finished-product quality checks, including sensory and physicochemical assessment against target specifications
• Performed shelf-life and stability testing to verify product quality through packaging and storage
• Investigated product quality issues and supported corrective actions to maintain consistency
• Applied GMP and hygiene standards across production and maintained quality records

Quality Control Assessor at Rhema Dairy Products India Ltd (2021-12 – 2022-11)

Contributed to product quality and process improvement across dairy manufacturing operations.

• Performed in-process and finished-product inspections against customer and regulatory specifications
• Conducted physicochemical analysis (fat content, moisture, acidity) and microbial counts to assess product quality and compliance
• Investigated product deviations and implemented corrective actions to improve consistency and meet customer specifications
• Applied GMP principles across dairy production to ensure product safety and quality standards throughout manufacturing

Master of Science in Food Innovation – Lincoln University (2024 – 2025-03)

Bachelor in Food Technology – Christ College Irinjalakkuda