Meet Dave Jelle, Regional Sanitation Manager II
Meet Dave Jelle, Regional Sanitation Manager II at Foremost Farms. With a career spanning 43 years, Dave leads sanitation and Clean-in-Place (CIP) cleaning initiatives across all plants, ensuring regulatory compliance and driving continuous improvement. Known for his collaborative spirit, he serves as a vital link between plants and suppliers while championing food safety and innovation.
Please describe your role within Foremost Farms and your primary responsibilities.
I oversee sanitation and CIP cleaning across all plants, ensuring regulatory compliance and supporting continuous improvement initiatives. I also review new equipment, lead major downtime projects and serve as the liaison between our plants and cleaning supplier.
What is your favorite thing about working at Foremost Farms?
The people. I truly appreciate the teams at our plants – they’re eager to learn and committed to doing what’s right. I also enjoy collaborating across functions with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, R&D Tech Services and Environmental, Health & Safety.
What has been the most rewarding project or initiative that you’ve led?
There are two rewarding projects that I’ve led that stand out:
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- Following the 1995 merger of Wisconsin Dairies, Golden Guernsey and Morning Glory Diary into Foremost Farms, I worked with teams at 20+ plants to implement a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Food Safety Plan and Antibiotic Test (ATB) Swabbing Program
- Most recently, I’ve been leading our CIP Validation and Optimization Initiative, which is driving efficiency and strengthening food safety practices
Next month, you’ll be honored with the Food Safety Leadership Award from the Wisconsin Association of Food Protection (WAFP) in recognition of your dedication to advancing food safety and sanitation. Could you share more about what this award represents and what it means to you personally and professionally?
On December 3, 2025, I’ll be honored with the Food safety Leadership Award from the Wisconsin Association of Food Protection (WAFP). This award recognizes individuals who are committed to food safety, inspire others through leadership and advocacy and make a measurable impact on public health and consumer trust. I’m humbled by this recognition, especially since many of the prior recipients were my mentors.
How do you see the future of food safety evolving and how is Foremost Farms preparing for it?
I see the future of food safety shifting from reactive measures to proactive and predictable systems driven by technologies such as AI and real-time monitoring. Even with these advancements, on-site accountability and strong cross-functional collaboration will remain essential.
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, are there any family traditions you especially look forward to each year, or a favorite dish that always has to be on the table?
For me, Thanksgiving means family, food, deer hunting and football. My favorites at the table are the desserts and the turkey dark meat.