Fractional Food Safety & QA Leadership

The Food Safety Expert You Need, Without a Full-Time Hire

You know your food has to be safe and audit-ready — but you didn't start this business to run a QA department, and you can't yet justify a $120K Director of Quality. That's exactly the gap I fill. I'm Meera: a food scientist and former QA director who steps in part-time to build your systems, get you through audits, and be the expert your team can call — at a cost that fits a company your size.

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12+
Years Experience
9
Certifications
SQF · BRC
Audit Expertise
PCQI
FSMA Qualified
HACCP Plan — Ready for Review
Customized for your facility & process
Hazard Analysis Complete
Critical Control Points Identified
Monitoring Procedures Set
FSMA Aligned & Ready
Aegis
Meera Deveriya, M.S. Food Science, MBA
PCQI · HACCP Certified · SQF · BRC
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Gap Analysis
SQF / BRC Readiness
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SOP Library
Built for your scale
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CAPA System
Root cause resolution
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FSMA Compliance
Preventive controls
Who We Help

Built for Growing Food Companies Like Yours

If quality keeps landing on your plate, or a buyer just asked for paperwork you don't have, you're exactly who I built Aegis for. You don't need a department. You need the right systems and someone who has done this before.

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Artisan & Craft Producers

You're scaling out of the kitchen into real retail — and suddenly buyers want documentation you've never had to produce. I get you compliant without burying you in overhead.

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Food Startups & CPG Brands

You're moving fast and don't want food safety slowing a launch. I build the infrastructure early, so the first buyer or co-packer who asks for paperwork gets a confident yes.

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Small & Mid-Size Manufacturers

You've got an audit, an SQF push, or FSMA on the horizon and no full-time QA leader to run it. I step in as that leader — part-time, without the full-time salary.

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Specialty & Natural Brands

Your gluten-free, organic, or allergen-friendly claims are your brand — and they have to hold up. I make sure the safety and validation behind them is airtight.

Services

What We Do

From one-time projects to ongoing embedded leadership — practical, usable deliverables built around what your business actually needs right now.

Flagship Offering

Fractional FSQA Manager

Here's the bind so many food companies are in: you need QA director-level oversight, but you can't keep one busy — or afford one — full-time. So it falls to you, or to someone on the line doing it "on the side." As your Fractional FSQA Manager, I become that leader part-time: building and running your food safety systems, keeping your team accountable, and making sure you're audit-ready every day — for a fraction of a full-time hire.

Dedicated Monthly Hours HACCP & Quality System Oversight Team Training & Accountability Ongoing Audit Readiness Regulatory Correspondence Monthly QA Reporting Issue Escalation Support Supplier Oversight
Why it matters
✓
You can't be everywhere. Ongoing oversight catches problems early — before they turn into recalls, FDA letters, or a lost retail contract.
✓
When a buyer like Whole Foods, Costco, or Sprouts asks who runs your food safety program, you have a real answer — a named, credentialed lead.
✓
Your team stops guessing. They have an expert to call before something goes wrong — not after.
Full-Time QA Director
Expensive full-time hire
Fractional with Aegis
Same expertise, right-sized cost
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Most Requested
01

HACCP Plan Development

Without a written, validated HACCP plan, your first serious retailer or co-packer will walk away. We build a complete, customized plan around your specific product and process — not a generic template your team can't explain. Every hazard, every control point, every monitoring record is built to hold up in an audit.

Hazard Analysis CCP Identification Critical Limits Monitoring Procedures Corrective Actions FSMA Alignment Record-Keeping Templates
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Audit Prep
02

Food Safety Audits & Gap Analysis

You should never walk into an SQF, BRC, or retailer audit blind. We conduct an honest, eyes-on gap assessment of your operation against the standard you're being measured against — identifying exactly what's missing, what's at risk, and what to fix first. You leave knowing your score before the auditor does.

Pre-Audit Assessment GMP Review SQF / BRC Readiness Retailer Audit Prep Corrective Action Plan Mock Audit Option
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Foundation
03

Quality Systems & SOPs

If your operation depends on you being in the building, it isn't a system — it's a habit. We build the quality infrastructure your team actually uses: SOPs written in plain language, allergen and sanitation programs, supplier verification, and traceability records that mean your facility runs consistently whether you're there or not.

SOP Development Allergen Control Sanitation Program Supplier Verification Traceability System Recall Readiness Training Documents
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Compliance
04

CAPA & Compliance Resolution

A failed audit or FDA observation isn't the end — but how you respond determines whether it becomes one. We help you develop structured Corrective and Preventive Action plans that satisfy auditors, address root causes (not just symptoms), and close the loop with documented evidence. Fast, thorough, and built to prevent recurrence.

Root Cause Analysis Corrective Action Plans Preventive Actions FDA / Regulatory Response Audit Finding Resolution Trend Monitoring
Also Available
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Food Safety Training
Staff, ServSafe prep, HACCP awareness
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New Product Launch Review
Safety & compliance check before launch
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Label & Claims Review
Allergen statements, clean label, organic
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Co-Packer / Supplier Audits
Virtual or on-site supplier qualification
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FDA Response Support
Warning letters, 483 observations
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Sensory & Shelf-Life Evaluation
UC Davis-trained sensory methodology
In Practice

What This Looks Like for a Business Like Yours

A few honest examples — some drawn from my own years running QA, others showing how I'd approach a typical project. No staged testimonials. Just how the work actually goes.

Bakery & Baked Goods

Allergen claims that hold up across every line and location

I've run QA inside bakeries, so I know how fast allergen and sanitation gaps show up the moment you add a SKU or a second shift. If you're moving from one kitchen into wholesale or a second location, I make your food safety travel with you — the same controls, records, and training everywhere, not just in the room you happen to be standing in.

What I'd build
  • Allergen control & changeover SOPs
  • Sanitation & environmental monitoring program
  • Location-consistent HACCP plan
  • Training records auditors accept
Sauces & Acidified Foods

Get your process validated before a co-packer — or the FDA — asks

Say you make a hot sauce or a salsa and you're going from small batches to a co-packer or a bigger run. Acidified foods carry rules people don't realize they're breaking — pH limits, a scheduled process, FDA registration. I make sure your process is validated and documented correctly the first time, so you're not reformulating under pressure after a buyer or inspector flags it.

What I'd build
  • pH & water-activity validation
  • Scheduled process with a process authority
  • FDA acidified foods registration (FCE/SID)
  • Co-packer qualification & oversight
Ready-to-Drink Beverages

Be the brand that says "yes" the day a retailer asks for paperwork

If you're launching a functional drink, cold brew, or tea, the retail buyer conversation almost always ends with "send us your food safety documentation." I build that package ahead of time — the HACCP plan, the label and claims review, the co-packer audit — so when the email lands, you answer in a day instead of scrambling for a month.

What I'd build
  • Beverage HACCP plan
  • FDA label & claims compliance review
  • Shelf-life / process validation
  • Retail-ready compliance package
Ways to Work Together

Pick the Model That Fits

Not every business needs the same type of engagement. Choose the level of involvement that matches where you are right now.

Project-Based 📦

One-Time Project

A defined scope with a clear deliverable. You know what you need, we build it, and you own it. Fixed-fee where possible so there are no surprises.

Best for
First HACCP plan or SOP library
Pre-audit gap assessment
CAPA after a failed audit
New product safety review
Start a project →
⭐ Most Flexible 🔄

Fractional FSQA Manager

Meera becomes your embedded, part-time QA leader on a monthly retainer. Ongoing oversight, system maintenance, team support — the expertise of a full-time hire at a fraction of the investment.

Best for
Growing manufacturers needing regular QA oversight
Companies targeting retail or SQF certification
Operations that want a dedicated QA contact
Founders who can't yet justify a full-time hire
Discuss fractional →
Retainer 🤝

Ongoing Advisory

A set number of hours per month for questions, document reviews, system updates, and guidance as your operation evolves. Like having a food safety expert on speed dial.

Best for
Post-project maintenance & updates
Seasonal or scaling operations
Teams that need occasional expert input
Annual audit prep support
Ask about retainers →
How It Works

Simple. Practical. No Surprises.

Every engagement follows a clear path so you always know where you are and what comes next.

1

Free Consultation

We talk through your operation, goals, and food safety needs. No pressure, no jargon — just an honest conversation.

2

Scope & Proposal

You receive a clear proposal: exactly what's covered, what you'll get, and what it costs — fixed-fee where possible.

3

Assessment

We review your current operation — processes, facility, documentation — to understand precisely what needs to be built or fixed.

4

Deliverables

You receive complete, usable documentation — HACCP plans, SOPs, audit reports — tailored to your business.

5

Ongoing Support

Optional retained support for questions, updates, and keeping your systems current as your business evolves.

Meera Deveriya
Founder & Principal Consultant · Aegis Food Safety

"I've sat in the QA director's chair. I know most growing food companies need that expertise long before they can afford it full-time — so I make it available part-time, right-sized to where you are."

M.S. Food Science & Technology — University of Georgia
MBA — Master of Business Administration
PCQI — Preventive Controls Qualified Individual
HACCP Certified
SQF Certified Practitioner
BRC Certified
Internal Auditor Trained
ServSafe Certified Manager
Better Process Control School
UC Davis — Applied Sensory & Consumer Science
12+ Years

Bay Area Food Industry

DessertsNDelight

Also a food founder

About Aegis

I've Been the QA Director — Now I'll Be Yours, Part-Time

I started Aegis for one reason: small and mid-size food companies need real QA leadership long before they can justify a full-time Director of Quality. You shouldn't have to choose between an expensive hire you can't keep busy and crossing your fingers at your next audit.

I bring 12+ years of hands-on food safety and quality leadership across bakeries, manufacturers, airline catering, and certification bodies in the Bay Area. I've held Director of QA roles, written entire SQF programs from scratch, managed FSMA and HACCP compliance, and walked facilities through SQF, BRC, and FDA inspections — so when I step into your operation, I already know what "good" looks like.

I also run a food business of my own, DessertsNDelight, so I understand the budget pressure and the long hours firsthand. My job is to give you director-level expertise that fits your size, your stage, and your numbers.

Education
M.S. Food Science, UGA
MBA
Experience
Director of QA, Bakeries, Airline Catering, Certification Bodies
Location
Hayward, CA
Bay Area & Remote
Specialties
HACCP · SQF · BRC · FSMA · CAPA · Sensory Science
Work With Meera →
Get In Touch

Let's Talk About Your Operation

Start with a Free 30-Minute Consultation

Tell us where you are, where you want to be, and what's getting in the way. No commitment — just a real conversation about whether we're the right fit for your food business.

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Location
Hayward, CA · Bay Area & Remote
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Response Time
Within 1 business day

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