Food Labeling Specialist

Founded in 2013 Home Chef is the leading meal solutions company with both a retail and online presence. Available online at in retail at more than 2100 Kroger grocery stores Home Chef is committed to inspiring and enabling more people to cook simple delicious meals no matter how busy they are.

In 2023 Home Chef introduced a new brand Tempo! Tempo features a rotating selection of ready-to-heat meals delivered directly to your door. These meals are better-for-you versions of familiar favorites designed to save you time and reduce stress while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Our Tempo menu includes options that are protein-packed fiber-rich calorie and carb conscious keto-friendly and dietitian-approved.

Similar to our recipes we recognize that variety is the spice of life and therefore our employees also bring their uniqueness and color to our fantastic team. Were eager to work with humble team players and pragmatic next-level thinkers to innovate on Home Chefs offerings.

The Food Labeling Specialist is responsible for managing the end-to-end regulatory labeling lifecycle for Home Chefs ecommerce and Ready-to-Heat (RTH) products. This role owns the development verification and continuous improvement of food labeling operations including ingredient validation allergen review nutritional analysis claims verification and packaging approvals. As a member of the FSQA Product Team the Food Labeling Specialist collaborates cross-functionally with Culinary NPD Tech Legal Procurement Production and Operations Excellence to ensure all labels meet U.S. regulatory requirements while also supporting innovation speed to market and customer trust.

This role balances operational execution with strategic leadership by driving labeling compliance maintaining labeling systems and leading cross-functional initiatives to streamline processes and improve data integrity.

Detailed Responsibilities

Labeling Ownership & Compliance Execution

• Lead weekly label review cycles ensuring all ecommerce and retail products meet FDA and USDA requirements prior to print or publication
• Own allergen declaration and ingredient accuracy across all consumer-facing labels and ecommerce meal bag tags
• Approve final label artwork for regulatory accuracy (principal display panel nutrition facts ingredient statement claims etc.)
• Collaborate on vendor-supplied labels and private-label co-packing scenarios to validate compliance
• Provide guidance to partners regarding naming conventions standard of identity font size and layout

Labeling System & Specification Management

• Maintain internal databases with accurate regulatory information from manufacturers (e.g. allergens nutritional content shelf life storage temperature)
• Partner with Culinary NPD and Procurement to resolve discrepancies and gather missing documentation
• Use labeling software (e.g. TraceGains Genesis) to manage project workflows and recordkeeping
• Ensure records are accessible complete and audit-ready

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Act as the FSQA Labeling SME for cross-functional projects involving new product launches ingredient changes supplier transitions and packaging innovation
• Facilitate weekly packaging and artwork meetings with Legal Culinary NPD and Design to align on timelines and risks
• Work with Production and Operations teams to ensure label accuracy at manufacturing sites

Continuous Improvement Leadership

• Identify and lead process improvement opportunities in labeling workflows (e.g. digitization auto-flagging vendor integration)
• Author and maintain SOPs and work instructions for labeling processes
• Deliver training to cross-functional teams on labeling rules claims usage and regulatory updates
• Track and report on KPIs related to label review cycle time issue recurrence and accuracy

General Responsibilities

• Ensure Home Chef labels and packaging meet FDA and USDA requirements
• Supports New Product Development team with regulatory labeling compliance reviews
• Support miscellaneous food safety labeling regulatory activities

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge skill and/or ability needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

• B.S. in Food Science/Nutrition Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance or related field
• Minimum 1-2 years of experience in consumer package label compliance food science food product development and/or food quality assurance
• Working knowledge and ability to comprehend and interpret FDA and USDA label regulations
• Demonstrate experience in continuous improvement project planning and execution
• Must be detail oriented and active problem-solving skills
• Effective written and oral communication skills for non-regulatory audiences
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple tasks/priorities and follow through on project implementation
• Willing to travel up to 10% of the time

More About Us

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