Speakers Angel "Jun" Barnes, Jr. (Professional Service, 3M Philippines Food Safety), Dr. Ena A. Bernal (Quality and Food Safety Audit Head, Monde Nissin Corp.), and Lone Jespersen, Ph.D. (Founder and Principal, Cultivate), highlighted several unique features of Asian cultures that interplay with food safety management: evolving leadership toward modern styles, emerging risk awareness, and an immense hunger for learning.
As with any geographical region, it is challenging to describe food safety culture in Asia, given that the region is so culturally diverse in leadership style, belief, practice, etc. With the aim of finding the commonalities among this diversity, three broad types of leadership were identified in two types of companies. In multinational corporations, leadership tends to be guided by clear, well-established standards and guidelines to ensure food safety and quality. In local businesses, however, vast variation exists, from family businesses sticking to a “traditional” approach to innovators adopting a “modern” leadership style. In “traditional” leadership, the family business is led by family members, people are accustomed to working in a fixed way, and new ideas are excluded or discouraged—i.e., a closed system that resists changes. For “modern” leadership, on the other hand, the local entrepreneurs possess the desire to champion the market competition. There is an evolving trend transiting from "traditional" leadership to "modern" leadership.