Food Safety Culture in Industry

Food Safety Culture is a hot topic in the industry today. The GFSI (Global Food Safety Institute) believes that practices dedicated to keeping the global food supply safe must be habitual and systemic. These skills can be developed naturally within a cultural context—the extent to which people are empowered to promote Food Safety will impact the organization's ability to adapt, improve and sustain its Food Safety Culture.

According to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Positioning Guide made available on November 4, 2018, each employee has an important share of responsibility for the Food Safety Culture, from senior management to operations, third parties , service providers, etc. Food Safety Culture begins at the top of the organization and descends through hierarchical levels. When management makes Food Safety a priority and sets a good example, every individual in the organization also believes in the culture. 

Benefits of Food Safety Culture

• Ensures compliance with international regulations and standards, avoiding legal problems and financial losses arising from contaminated food.
• Promotes consumer trust, who come to see the company as a responsible organization committed to food quality and safety.
• Improvement of the working environment; Employees who work in a culture that values ​​food safety tend to be more engaged and motivated, as they realize that their actions have a direct impact on consumers' health.
• Reduction of incidents, as everyone is aware of good security practices and procedures.

Challenges for implementation

One of the biggest challenges is resistance to change. Team members and even management may be accustomed to certain practices and may view the change as unnecessary. It is crucial that leadership is committed to and clearly demonstrates the benefits of a Food Safety Culture to overcome this resistance.

Communication is also another challenge. Messages about the importance of food safety need to be clear and widely disseminated. All employees must understand good practices and the reason behind them. This requires a continuous training and capacity building effort.

Strategies to overcome challenges

• A key measure cited by the GFSI is communication. It must be widely disseminated with clear messages so that everyone can understand and remember good practices so that food remains safe. Management must remind members why Food Safety is important.
  
  
• Training is also essential for disseminating the Food Safety Culture, and it must be remembered in practice so that all employees can reach maturity levels. Another solution is recognition programs; incentives on good practices serve as a reminder of the importance of the Food Safety Culture within the organization.
  
  
• Checking and monitoring the Food Safety Culture is important. This process can be done internally or by an outsourced company. Auditors or consultants who are outside the process will be able to evaluate the entire process and show unique results.
  
  
•  Changes must be made when necessary and communicated at all levels of the organization. There is also a need for continuous improvement; Team members should meet regularly to determine what can be improved, allowing space for feedback from other members of the organization to create a stronger Food Safety Culture.

See more tips on how to implement a Food Safety Culture in your company here.

Food Safety Culture is a multidisciplinary and constantly evolving topic, but it brings important benefits to the companies in which it is implemented. It is important that this is always a topic that is constantly updated to remind management and the team of its importance and so as not to let anyone forget its fundamental role in food safety and consumer relations.