Food Safety Is Not Just a Buzzword

For those of you in the industry, this past year has revealed more concerning aspects of what we encounter microbiologically. As a Food Safety Professional, it’s surprising to think that we still face these types of issues in our facilities. My peers have asked me whether these problems are genuinely new or if we’ve just become better at identifying them. Based on what we’ve seen on social media, it seems it could be a bit of both.

In the industry, we are required, as part of Global Food Safety Initiative audits such as BRCGS or SQF, to review and support our Food Safety Plan to remain compliant and retain certification. Within the meat and poultry industry, we undergo daily inspections by FSIS-USDA to monitor our Food Safety Plan and ensure we consistently execute what we’ve committed to. If we’re honest with ourselves, how many have heard, "That’s Quality’s job to handle," or "That’s their audit"? While these audits and regulations are intended to foster collaboration across all departments, the responsibility for championing food safety initiatives often still rests heavily on the shoulders of Quality.

Some argue that the recent events are due to a lack of food safety culture at the facilities. In other words, having a stronger focus on food safety culture or behaviors could have mitigated the issues we faced this year. I do believe this would have helped, but at the same time, if you have policies and procedures in place with no support from other departments to enforce them, it becomes discouraging for those who want to do the right thing. At the end of the day, I believe that no one intentionally seeks to harm the public. 

However, it’s essential to understand that what we produce today will become someone’s meal tomorrow. Every action we take impacts that outcome, no matter how small, and can affect the safety and well-being of those we serve." Operations are responsible for making the products, but if they don’t understand the difference between food-contact and non-food-contact surfaces, this could lead to disastrous consequences. Maintenance is responsible for repairing equipment, but if they don’t understand the difference between low-risk and high-risk production areas, severe cross-contamination could occur. Sanitation is a cornerstone of the processing environment, but if there is no understanding of proper cleaning procedures or verification methods to ensure sanitation is done correctly, what do we achieve?

Sometimes, I believe the biggest support comes from Senior Management at the facilities. However, if they are disengaged or fail to get involved, all the progress made by the other teams could easily unravel. During these audits, we spend a significant amount of time proving that we have senior management’s support, but it needs to be more than just a day or two. To make progress as an industry, this involvement must be constant—24/7, 365 days a year—from everyone. Food safety can’t just be a buzzword on a company’s website or a huddle meeting for 10 minutes. It is not just the responsibility of one department; it’s a culture that must thrive across the entire organization. The sooner everyone understands this, the less likely incidences will continue. If you think there isn’t a price for food safety, ask the people who have lost a loved one due to food safety failures. Ask the people out of a job because management failed to do the right thing, resulting in the facility shutting down. We all fight for the almighty dollar, but when consumer or customer trust in your product is low, it is hard to regain that trust—it just fades away.