Food Science/Sanitation Internship

Description

Who We Are:
Butterball® Farms is a specialty foods producer and we are passionate about our role in producing artisan-quality, highly desirable products and ingredient solutions that will create a dynamic customer experience. We believe strongly that those that support our passion for producing our products are the key to our success. At Butterball® Farms, we know we couldn't do what we do without our employees, neighbors, and community partnerships. Our mission is to “Enrich Lives” and we do that by following our guiding principles:

• Have integrity in all interactions.
• Anticipate and address customer needs.
• Diligently pursue excellence.
• Promote continuous learning and innovation.
• Make the workplace an enjoyable and integrated part of life.
• Communicate openly and honestly to promote effective teamwork.

Who You Are:
Butterball Farms, Inc is currently seeking a full-time Food Science/Sanitation Summer Intern to support our Quality and Sanitation teams in driving food safety and hygienic practices throughout the facility  and other various accounting tasks. This is an on-site position based in Grand Rapids, MI. This position reports to the Director of Food Safety & Quality.

What You'll Do:

Position Summary

This hands-on internship offers valuable experience in sanitation program management, food safety systems, microbiological sampling, and GMP compliance in a food manufacturing environment.

---

Key Responsibilities

· Support routine quality assurance activities including sensory evaluations, product testing, and shelf-life studies.

· Assist with reviewing and updating food safety and quality documentation (e.g., SOPs, HACCP plans, specifications, etc.).

· Participate in internal audits and support corrective/preventive action plans.

· Assist with monitoring and evaluating sanitation effectiveness through pre-op inspections, environmental swabbing, and microbiological testing.

· Support the implementation and improvement of sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs).

· Participate in root cause investigations and corrective actions related to sanitation and food safety incidents.

· Aid in documentation and verification activities for cleaning validations and sanitation schedules.

· Collaborate with the QA team to ensure compliance with GMPs, HACCP, FSMA, and other regulatory requirements.

· Support sanitation training programs and conduct spot audits for compliance and continuous improvement.

· Assist with data analysis, trending, and reporting of sanitation-related KPIs and food safety metrics.

Requirements

We believe a successful Food Science/Sanitation Summer Intern will have the following qualifications:

· Pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Public Health, or a related field.

· Completed at least two years of undergraduate coursework.

· Strong interest in sanitation, food safety systems, and regulatory compliance.

· Willingness to work third-shift (10pm to 6am), as needed.

· Ability to work both independently and in cross-functional teams.

· Comfortable working in a manufacturing environment.

· Strong organizational, communication, and critical thinking skills.

· Familiar with Microsoft Office Suite and able to handle technical documentation.