Delivering safe and high-quality food must be a top priority for everyone involved in the food industry, from food manufacturers and suppliers to grocery stores and restaurants, and from CEOs and CFOs to manufacturing plant workers. Food manufacturers can eliminate the risk of food contamination anywhere along the supply chain by creating a culture of food safety.
The highly regulated food industry has recently reached major milestones in its food safety culture journey. In addition to general acceptance of the key concepts, a unified language and framework has been developed. The local food movement is characterized by short supply chains, typically involving direct sales to consumers. The majority of businesses in this category have a handful of employees and include small-scale farmers and processors, as well as cottage food producers. The concepts of food safety culture are at the infancy stage, gaining traction as the rest of the food industry settles into the new normal of behavior-based food safety practice. This article explores the question: To what extent do the established food safety culture cornerstones apply to the local food segment of the food industry?
In the ever-evolving world of food manufacturing, employee training and education play a pivotal role in achieving operational excellence, maintaining the highest quality standards, ensuring food safety, and establishing a robust food safety culture within an organization.
In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Sara Mortimore, M.Sc., FRSPH, MIFST, Vice President and Global Subject Matter Expert for Food Safety at Walmart Inc., to discuss her experience overseeing food safety and managing supply chains at large food and retail enterprises, as well as specific food safety and supply chain initiatives at Walmart.
This article takes a look at how whole-being competencies support technical leaders to shift culture through daily interactions and behaviors. As we head into 2024, it is time to move from checking boxes to doing the work of creating and implementing a solid food safety culture improvement plan. Organizations are taking this opportunity to map out how to improve food safety culture in the next year—and, hopefully, over the next several years, as culture shifts are known to take several years to see the impact.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a tool to help restaurant managers asses the food safety cultures at their establishments, as well as the findings from studies and other helpful resources about food safety culture for restaurants, on a new webpage.
Nut product innovation is an exciting space, with companies working on creative new solutions and ingredients, which can play a key role in creating a safer food supply. A majority of Peanut and Tree Nut Processors Association (PTNPA) member companies regularly and proactively educate financial, maintenance, and inventory teams on what it means to operate in a culture of food safety.
In the ever-evolving world of the food industry, ethics play a pivotal role in safeguarding consumers and upholding the integrity of businesses. This article aims to provide readers with a profound understanding of ethics in the food industry and how they intertwine with food safety culture. Thought-provoking stories highlight the importance of formal food ethics and their role in decision-making. As consumers, employees, or stakeholders, we all play a part in shaping a more ethically responsible food industry, where safety and trust are paramount.
This article explores the intricate relationship between food safety culture and EU regulation while shedding light on its enforcement, the legislative framework, and implementation within the industry. It also explores how technology and data-driven approaches can play a vital role in promoting a positive food safety culture, and how industry best practices complement EU regulation.
Food safety culture is about people. Food companies that do this well empower all employees across the entire business to take appropriate action to ensure that the final product is safe. The ultimate goal is to ensure that all employees do the right things all the time—even when no one is looking.