Meet our Board
Sarah Acchione
Sarah Acchione is the Procurement Manager at Italpasta Ltd. Sarah has been with Italpasta more than 16 years, having joined the company in 2007 in the sales department. In 2012, she moved into a new role as National Account Executive. Sarah transitioned into her current role of Procurement Manager in 2022. Sarah served a term as a board member for Food and Beverage Ontario from 2017-2020 and returned to the FBO board in 2023
We have asked a few questions to learn more about Sarah, read her responses below:
How long have you been on the AAC board of directors?
I am approaching my 1 year with the AAC board of directors
How is the AAC making a difference for the agri-food industry?
AAC is making a difference by being ‘the organization to go to’ for knowledge and expertise in the industry for growth and opportunities. AAC has a strength in assisting in creating connections between organizations at all levels from farm to government and the successful history of being a consistent and reliable program delivery partner.
What do you find most rewarding about your involvement with the AAC?
Since joining the board a little less than a year ago, I have found this to be a great learning experience. Having the food supply chain being able to work together to face the challenges and opportunities in our ever-evolving industry is rewarding work.
What challenges or opportunities are on the horizon for the AAC?
Our industry is always evolving and always changing, whether it be from new farming practices, new innovative ways to process foods or regulatory changes/new mandates with food regulations or sustainability impacts, there will be quite a few opportunities over the next few years. AAC delivering the ATII program so processors and farmers can innovate their way of working with advancing automation was really successful, hopefully there are more programs like that. Working with organizations regarding new mandates with the Carbon reporting changes what we will be seeing over the next few years with major retailers in Canada having their Scope 3 emission reporting, etc.
Why should other individuals or organizations get involved with the AAC?
Being a part of the AAC as an organization is a great way to be able access information in one place. When speaking to program delivery as an example, the staff at AAC are knowledgeable and able to help with understanding the application process so that an organization has the best possible chance during the submission process.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I do have a young child at home, so majority of my free time is spent doing a lot of child activities with them. Whether it be swimming on weekends in the summers, apple picking in the fall at a local farm, or tobogganing in the winter at a small hill near our house. My husband and I do also follow Baseball, Hockey and Football; however, the latter is more just my husband. We have traveled to see both the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs at other stadiums and arenas, and this is something we want to continue doing. Hopefully one day we will be able to see all stadiums and arenas in Canada and the U.S.
Click here to learn more about the AAC Board.