Rick Falkenberg, Ph.D., CFS, PCQI, PA

Founder & Chief Technical Officer at Food Safety & Process Technology Group, Inc. https://fspt-g.com/

Turlock, California, United States

About Rick Falkenberg, Ph.D., CFS, PCQI, PA

Rick Falkenberg, Ph.D., CFS, PCQI, PA is Founder & Chief Technical Officer at Food Safety & Process Technology Group, Inc. https://fspt-g.com/. Location: Turlock, California, United States.

I lead validation and scale-up of Atmospheric Cold Plasma (ACP) and other nonthermal processing interventions for food safety—translating efficacy into plant-ready, audit-defensible programs with clear acceptance criteria, verification methods, and operational controls. I am an experienced food science and food safety leader with a track record of delivering measurable improvements across diverse manufacturing environments. I provide clear, strategic direction on risk reduction and compliance, with deep experience spanning Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, procurement impacts, preventive controls/FSMA program design, and biotechnology-enabled interventions. I pair sound business judgment with strong analytical rigor, and I build cross-functional teams that execute reliably from assessment through sustained performance. Specialties: • Recognized Process Authority • Including high/low-acid and acidified foods • Well versed in non-thermal applications, specifically: Atmospheric cold plasma and HPP. • Process Optimization and Validation • Patent Review/Filing; Meat, Poultry, Produce, Flavors and Ingredient Systems • Audit preparation; ISO, Organic, 3rd Party • Food Safety Systems, GMP's, Supplier/Vendor Audits & Certification • Food Quality Systems – CIP, ISO, HACCP, TQM, KP, Organic • Justification and auditing of new product, process and packaging • Regulatory Issues – labeling, process approvals/development and validation • Lab audits/upgrades – analytical, microbiological, micro-physical

Skills

  • Sales
  • Finance
  • Performance Motivation

Additional experience

  • Process Authority - Senior Principal Scientist

    Berner Food & Beverage

    Started May 2018

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), UC San Diego
  • Bachelor of Science (BS), Point Loma Nazarene University