OMAHA, NEB. – Greater Omaha Packing announces Kirby Childs, PhD, as the company’s new vice president of food safety and technical resources. In his new role, Childs will lead ongoing food safety efforts and oversee “company-wide endeavors to integrate the industry’s latest technology,” the company said.

"Adding Kirby to our leadership team will further strengthen our depth and leadership in the food safety area," said Mike Drury, president of Greater Omaha. “Safety and quality assurance are the cornerstone of the Greater Omaha mission to deliver the best product to our customers. With Kirby’s expertise in research and development, microbiology, quality assurance, and food safety, we anticipate leading the industry in food safety and internalizing technologies to ensure we produce the safest product possible.”

Childs has years of experience working with beef and poultry harvest facilities, in addition to working in further protein processing. Childs has also led research and development teams and brought products to market for national and regional chains. In his previous roles, Childs has managed food safety efforts in ground beef, par-cooked, ready-to-eat and sous vide facilities.

“I am eager to collaborate with a team as passionate about exceeding food safety protocols and advancing in modern approaches and processes as I am,” Childs said. “I look forward to adding to the legacy Greater Omaha has built around the world.” 

Childs has a master's degree in food science from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in animal science with specializations in meat science and food science from Colorado State University.