Younes Jellal is the Global Supply Quality & Product Safety Lead at Impossible Foods. He partners cross-functionality to support product development and innovation by assessing and qualifying reliable suppliers and co-manufacturers. He conducts thorough raw material risk assessments.
Younes oversees Impossible Foods’ supplier network from a food safety and quality perspective. He shared his expert insights and valuable thoughts for the 2025 edition of Food Business Review about the innovation and advancement in food safety and quality.
From Managing Tasks to Truly Leading People
My leadership philosophy was profoundly shaped by an early career experience and a specific book: Patrick Lencioni's "
The 3 Signs of a Miserable Job." The book's central message—that employees feel miserable when they experience Anonymity, Irrelevance, and I mmeasurement—was a powerful revelation for me. It shifted my focus from simply managing tasks to truly leading people. This insight became the "why" behind every role I took on, as I sought to create environments where people felt seen, their work mattered, and they could clearly measure their own success.
I applied this in a previous role as an FSQR Manager, where low morale and high turnover plagued the team. I combated Anonymity by holding one-on-one meetings to understand personal aspirations, addressed Irrelevance by connecting daily tasks to broader impact, and tackled Immeasurement by helping each team member define SMART goals. This approach resulted in a 90% reduction in turnover, increased product conformance (>98% Right the First Time), and a more engaged and collaborative team.
These experiences shaped my current leadership philosophy through Empowerment: Knowing team members individually and trusting them with responsibility. Purpose: Continuously connecting work to a greater purpose. And Clarity: Providing clear, measurable goals for tangible accomplishment.
This philosophy, born from a simple but profound insight, is what guides me in my current role as a Global Supply Quality & Product Safety Lead at Impossible Foods and is key to how I build high-performing and fulfilled teams.
Balancing Innovation and Food Safety
My approach to balancing innovation and food safety is based on three key pillars:
a tiered risk-based approach,
cross-functional collaboration, and
proactive communication.
The future of quality and food safety demands adapting frameworks, embracing new technologies, and proactively engaging with evolving regulations to ensure innovative foods are both delicious, sustainable and safe.
High-risk materials (e.g., novel ingredients) undergo a rigorous qualification process (documentation, audits, testing), prioritizing food safety. Low-risk materials have streamlined processes using questionnaires and supplier certifications (e.g., GFSI, ISO), speeding time to market. This ensures better-focused resources. I embed my quality team early in product development, fostering cross-functional collaboration. We identify risks early, recommend pre-qualified alternatives, and form integrated teams (R&D, Supply Chain, Nutritional Health & Safety, Regulatory) to ensure food safety is integral to design, preventing bottlenecks.
Proactive communication is crucial. We provide clear qualification guidelines, and for new projects, assign a dedicated quality representative for real-time feedback. This transforms the quality framework into a strategic enabler of both product safety and innovation.
Building Transparent Partnerships
Supplier audits are handled with a risk-based, collaborative approach aimed at building transparent partnerships.
My process begins with a strategic, data-driven plan, prioritizing based on risk. Factors considered include the raw material's risk profile, supplier's performance history, existing certifications, and geopolitical/supply chain factors. This allows me to focus resources on high-risk suppliers conducting in-depth on-site audits, while lower-risk suppliers may undergo targeted, virtual, or documentation reviews.
Prior to an audit, we review historical performance and previous audit results to identify focus areas. During the audit, we operate with a collaborative mindset, seeking to understand processes and provide constructive feedback while building trust. Post-audit, a corrective action plan with deadlines is required with rigorous follow-up to ensure sustained compliance.
Ultimately, I view supplier audits as a tool for building resilient, long-term partnerships. This means focusing on risk mitigation, not just reporting, by collaboratively identifying and addressing risks. Audits also drive continuous improvement for both our processes and the suppliers’. By treating audits as strategic and collaborative, we protect quality, brand, and strengthen our supply chain.
The Future of Supply Quality and Food Safety
The rise of novel ingredients and manufacturing processes is paramount. My focus is on robust and thorough risk assessments. Proactive internal frameworks are crucial as regulations catch up. The shift in regulatory paradigms requires constant attention, as regulators are moving towards technology-specific frameworks. Staying informed and proactively engaging with regulatory bodies is essential. Global harmonization is lacking, so our teams design flexible quality systems adaptable to different regional requirements and monitor international standards.
In essence, the future of quality and food safety in this sector demands adapting frameworks, embracing new technologies, and proactively engaging with evolving regulations to ensure innovative foods are both delicious, sustainable and safe.
Path to Build Influence and Drive Change
For quality and food safety professionals entering the food tech space, my key advice is to shift from a gatekeeper to an enabler. In this fast-paced environment, your role is to accelerate innovation safely, not just prevent mistakes.
To build influence and drive change, speak the language of the business. Connect your work to company goals like speed to market, customer trust, and brand value, rather than just compliance.
Be a proactive partner, not a reactive reviewer. Get involved early in product development, offering guidance to prevent issues. By providing solutions, you become an indispensable partner.
Embrace a risk-based mindset. Focus resources on high-risk areas (novel ingredients, complex processes) and streamline for lower risks. This demonstrates understanding of both speed and safety, earning credibility.
Finally, champion transparency and education. Act as an educator, creating accessible training and explaining the "why" behind rules. When colleagues understand risks, they become partners in managing them. By adopting these principles, you transform your role into a strategic pillar, gaining the influence to drive meaningful and lasting change.
