À propos de nous

🌍 Who We Are

At Food Safety Experts, we work with a small, international team of senior trainers and consultants.
Each of us brings over 20 years of practical experience in the food or pharmaceutical industry.

Most of our experts have held senior roles, including QA Director and VP Food Safety & Quality, in global companies.
Throughout our careers, we’ve guided teams during complex recall situations and helped solve the root causes behind them.
In addition, we’ve supported major audits, led global implementations, and driven change across multiple factory sites.

Our expertise covers a wide range of systems, such as IFS Food, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, ASQ, and other GFSI-recognized standards.
Thanks to our background, we understand how to apply regulatory requirements in real operations — not just on paper.

All of our training content is developed in-house by Kitty Appels and Rob Kooijmans.
This ensures all materials are clear, actionable, and built around real business needs.

In her role as CEO, Kitty Appels also guides managers through holistic stress and burnout coaching.
She helps leaders restore balance, find clarity, and improve personal resilience alongside their food safety responsibilities.

As a team, we don’t just teach theory — we provide solutions that work in daily practice.
Clients appreciate our direct approach, our industry insight, and our ability to tailor support to their situation.

Because we are growing, we regularly collaborate with freelance professionals worldwide.
👉 Interested in joining us?  Check our freelance sales opportunity

Kitty Appels

Kitty Appels

Co-Founder

Kitty is a senior food safety trainer and international change expert with a practical, people-centered approach.
She has led IFS and FSSC 22000 implementations across complex, multi-site organizations.
As a former QA Director, she understands stakeholder dynamics and internal resistance from firsthand experience.
In addition, she creates hands-on training programs that help QA teams improve daily food safety performance.
Her coaching also supports leadership teams in building stronger collaboration and a shared sense of responsibility.
Moreover, Kitty is a certified holistic stress and burnout coach with a focus on leadership resilience.
She helps managers restore balance, reduce overwhelm, and lead with calm, clarity, and purpose.
Ultimately, her mission is to make food safety both practical and human — from boardroom to production floor.

Organiser une réunion avec Kitty

Rob Kooijmans

Rob Kooijmans

Co-founder

Rob combines food safety leadership, R&D knowledge, business strategy, and team development into practical support for organizations.
He served as QA Director, Strategic QA Director, and VP Food Safety & Quality in international food companies.
In addition, his experience includes Regulatory Affairs Director roles across multiple business units.
As a result, Rob understands how to align food safety requirements with operational realities.
He develops training modules that transform complex GFSI standards into clear, actionable steps.
Furthermore, he supports companies in implementing IFS and FSSC 22000 across departments and international teams.
Through coaching and workshops, he strengthens structure, focus, and collaboration on the shop floor and beyond.
His sharp system thinking helps organizations embed compliance into daily routines.
Ultimately, Rob believes real progress begins with strong leadership and consistent, practical follow-through.

Organiser une réunion avec Rob

 Luis Fissore

Luis Fissore

Partner

Luis brings over 30 years of experience in the international food industry.
He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and English fluently, which supports seamless communication across regions.
He has successfully led FSSC 22000 implementations across Latin America for various companies and sectors.
In addition, Luis is a certified ASQ and IFS Food trainer focused on hands-on quality tools and methods.
He quickly understands business structures and tailors solutions to specific organizational needs.
Moreover, his training sessions are valued for their clarity, relevance, and immediate applicability.
Luis easily builds trust with QA professionals across cultures and company sizes.
As a result, he helps teams align around shared quality goals with speed and confidence.

Organiser une réunion avec Luis

Bart Schulte

Bart Schulte

Partner

Bart is a senior QA and regulatory expert in the food ingredients and R&D sector.
He served as QA Director for several multinational companies based across Europe.
His experience includes international roles in spices, herbs, and complex raw materials.
In addition, Bart supports teams in implementing IFS, BRCGS, and customized internal quality systems.
He actively bridges R&D and QA to ensure practical and compliant product development.
Moreover, his multilingual background allows him to work fluently in French, Dutch, and English.
He brings calm structure, strong leadership, and hands-on food safety expertise to every project.
As a result, companies benefit from clear direction and lasting improvements in quality performance.

Schedule a meeting with Bart

Rajnish Chhabra

Rajnish Chhabra

Partner

Rajnish is a senior QA and regulatory expert in the global pharmaceutical and compliance industry.
He held positions as QA Director and VP Manager Quality & Compliance in pharma-related organizations.
His leadership spans complex regulatory frameworks and international business environments.
In addition, Rajnish aligns food safety principles with pharmaceutical-grade precision and structured risk control.
He actively supports cross-border projects and prepares companies for global audit readiness.
Moreover, his practical mindset helps teams simplify complex requirements for daily use.
Rajnish is fluent in English and Hindi, and speaks conversational Dutch as well.
As a result, he connects easily across cultures and helps clients achieve compliant, lasting improvements.

Organiser une réunion avec Rajnish

Rob Herfkens

Rob Herfkens

Partner

Rob is a senior Quality Leader with more than 35 years of experience in the international food industry. He has held senior Quality & Food Safety Director roles at multiple multinational companies in Europe and the United States, operating across complex manufacturing and supply chains end-to- end.
His sector expertise includes both finished products and ingredients, in categories such as coffee, tea, tobacco, rice, nuts, dairy, potato-based products, as well as ingredients produced through biotechnology-driven processes. Rob has successfully led certification projects and implementations of multiple GFSI-recognized standards.
Rob’s focus is on coaching and supporting (senior) quality managers to position the quality function as a true business partner—ensuring that Quality demonstrably adds value to the organization. He has a strong track record of leading and developing quality professionals, quality expert teams to design and implement Quality strategies, food safety cultures, and continuous improvement programs.
He is known for delivering measurable impact, including significant reductions in the cost of quality and strong support of business growth and performance.

Organiser une réunion avec Rob

Sarah Finger

Sarah Finger

Assistant de gestion

Sarah keeps the team running with precision and care.
She manages back-office systems and ensures smooth client interactions.
With sharp technical skills, she supports reporting, planning, and content management.
Sarah is detail-focused, reliable, and solution-oriented.
Her support allows the trainers to fully focus on client results.
She brings warmth, structure, and energy to everything she does.

Organiser une réunion avec Sarah