b'In the AgeJENNIFER SCOTTrememberstions in the age of COVID means being vividly the day the World Healthflexible.Organization declared COVID-19 a globalWe conduct business across Canada, of COVID,pandemic. She was flying home fromand that means that youre dealing with Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, havingprovincial health regulations in a lot of dif-just finished a seed grader course. Sheferent jurisdictions. In Ontario, were split teaches between four and six of thoseinto public health units. Each public health Lab Safetycourses across Canada every year. unit can operate as its own entity and Audits and inspections have alwayshave its own requirements. Our instruc-been done in person. When the pan- tions to our auditors and inspectors from demic hit, it totally changed how auditsthe beginning was to be mindful of whats is Topand inspections were done and in April ofrequired of you by law where youre 2020 we had to make those changes veryworking.quickly, she says. For an auditor to go on-site, both they Scott has worked in the Canadianand the client had to feel safe.Priority seed industry since 1997. As managerSome companies have a policy of not of client programs with Seeds Canadaallowing anyone whos not an employee based in London, Ont., shes responsibleon the premises, and that has to be for three major initiatives: the oversightrespected. Some people have health con-of the seed program that Seeds Canadacerns, which can be a factor. Our organic Working in a laboratorydelivers on behalf of the Canadian Foodfarm inspections are mainly done outside, Inspection Agency (CFIA); the identitywhich made it a lot easier, of course.setting is a challenge thesepreservation and food safety programs itThe good news was that modern tech-days, to say the least. delivers on behalf of the Canadian Grainnology allowed Seeds Canada to do its We talk to two experts onCommission; and the organic certificationaudits and inspections remotely.program delivered on behalf of CFIA. I wasnt sure how this would all work how to play it safe when inScott designs the tools that auditorsout in the beginning, but we are able to close quarters.Marc Zienkiewicz and inspectors use in terms of forms andcarry out very effective remote audits policy, and she also has overall respon- and inspections. I myself have done three sibility for the training of all Seedsor four lab audits remotely, making use Canada auditors and inspectorsof the technological tools that we have to across the country. facilitate that. Depending on how things She says doing her jobprogress with future waves of the coro-when the pandemic hitnavirus, the remote option is going to was a whole new ballremain viable for the foreseeable future.game. WorkplaceAmanda Ver Helst experienced the safety both forsame need for flexibility. The director of Seeds Canadaoperations for SGS based in Brookings, auditors andSouth Dakota oversees the worlds larg-their clientsest independent seed testing laboratory becamelooking at seed germination, measure-more crucialments, vigor, purity, specific traits, and than ever,many other metrics used to measure and Scott foundseed quality. SGS also has an analytical herself navigating achemistry laboratory where staff analyze complex array of public healthcomponents of grain feed and other com-requirements depending on wheremodities.she found herself. The high-throughput laboratory in For Scott, doing audits and inspec- Brookings comprises about 68,000 58/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2022'