Fresh Express Adds Dr. Zhe (Harry) Hou and Jacob Aguirre to Food Safety & Quality Team
ORLANDO, FL - Spotlighting the company’s dedication to food safety and quality, Fresh Express has added two Managers to its Corporate Food Safety & Quality team. These new leaders include Dr. Zhe (Harry) Hou, who will be stepping in as Director of Food Safety, and Jacob Aguirre, Corporate Senior Manager of Sanitation. Together, the pair will work alongside the rest of the team to ensure the highest product standards and integrity.
Dr. Hou will be based out of the company’s Streamwood, Illinois, facility, serving in a companywide capacity, a press release stated. He brings to this new role over 15 years of experience in academia, working on research projects funded by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). He has also held various leadership roles in industry and food safety associations.
Prior to joining Fresh Express, Dr. Hou oversaw food safety and sanitation at manufacturing and distribution sites, conducted HACCP validations and auditing programs, managed high-risk ingredients and global supplier programs, directed shelf-life testing, and supported regulatory inspections for companies including Farmers’ Fridge, Wrigley Americas, and Kraft Foods Group.
He earned his Ph.D. in Food Science with an emphasis in Food Safety from the University of Minnesota.
Joining Dr. Hou on the Food Safety & Quality team is Jacob Aguirre, who will be stepping in as Corporate Senior Manager of Sanitation. He will be based out of Fresh Express’ Salinas, California, facility and will provide sanitation leadership and support to all of the company’s facilities throughout the country.
Aguirre has over 14 years of plant sanitation and food safety experience, including years fulfilling wide-ranging sanitation responsibilities supporting Commercial Food Sanitation and produce industry groups for Hygiene Design Team, Produce Sanitation Best Practices, and Hygienic Zoning Team. He is a certified Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and has expertise in the Sanitation Continuum and Hygienic Design of Equipment.
Previously, Aguirre held roles with Fresh Del Monte/Mann Packing, True Leaf Farms/Church Brothers Farms, Earthbound Farms, Kellogg Company, and Conagra Brands (formerly known as ConAgra Foods).
Congratulations to both leaders as they step into their new positions!
