Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Names Kevin Watson as New Compliance Officer
PHOENIZ, AZ - Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (Arizona LGMA) recently welcomed Kevin Watson as its new LGMA Compliance Officer. As he fits into this new role, Watson will implement the program’s comprehensive and science-based food safety standards.
Throughout his career, Watson has established himself as a food safety advocate. He has held leadership roles in both the public and private sector, having worked for the Arizona Department of Agriculture and Fresh Express, Chiquita International, and AG Food Safety Solutions. He has developed procedures to maintain food safety for growers, harvesters, and packers as well as transportation programs. Watson also implemented third party audit programs for buyer requirements for companies like McDonald’s, Target, and Subway.
Watson joins Arizona LGMA in time for the winter harvest season and brings more than 20 years of experience to the position.
As a Compliance Officer, he will review all onsite farm audits conducted as part of the Arizona LGMA programs. Audits are used to ensure that handlers of leafy greens are using the safest possible farming practices and that its members remain in compliance. Upon reviewing the audits, Watson will assign violations and oversee corrective actions made by farms in order to achieve 100 percent compliance.
“The role of the Compliance Officer is critical. We were fortunate to find someone with the depth and breadth of Kevin’s experience. He is a great asset to Arizona LGMA,” said C.R. Waters, Chairman of Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee.
Watson is also an active member of Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Technical Committee. As part of the committee, he reviews and submits actions to the marketing committee for execution in the industry.
Congratulations to Kevin on this new role!
