Food Safety Culture (Part 1 Communication): What’s Your Auditor Looking For?

Dec 18, 2023 | Food Safety

  • Nexus Consultancy
  • 5
  • Food Safety Culture (Part 1 Communication): What’s Your Auditor Looking For?
Nexus TAC - Danielle Tan - Box (2023)

Danielle Tan

Chief Operating Officer
The ISO 14064-1 standard provides guidelines for organizations to quantify, monitor, and report greenhouse gas emissions and removals. This aims to explain the purpose and scope of ISO 14064-1, helping readers understand its importance in greenhouse gas reporting and environmental management.

food safety culture (part 1 communication) what’s your auditor looking for introduction

In recent times, the term “food safety culture” has become commonplace. However, for many individuals, understanding how this concept translates into their daily activities remains unclear. The essence of the term lies in its fundamental elegance – encapsulating the actions of employees from the moment they step into the facility to when they depart. Essentially, food safety culture reflects a company’s stance on food safety and the attitudes of its workforce.

Participating in any Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) audit such as FSSC 22000 Version 6 entails an assessment of your company’s “food safety culture,” even if not explicitly stated in the scheme requirements. Auditors scrutinize staff interviews, training programs, and production observations to evaluate the dedication to producing safe food. Whether your company deals with agricultural products, raw materials, or finished goods, the employees’ culture profoundly influences the safety and quality of your products.

Management’s role is pivotal in shaping food safety culture, emphasizing the need for a top-down approach. This is evident in all GFSI audit schemes, which incorporate a “management commitment” section. Food safety culture extends beyond Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance; it reflects the company’s trajectory.

Proving a strong food safety culture involves several key elements” communication, training, employee feedback and engagement and performance measurement. In this article, we are going to talk about guidance on auditing the communication element.

food safety culture (part 1 communication) what’s your auditor looking for body

Guidance on Auditing the Communication Element

1. Senior management can demonstrate their engagement with food safety by establishing expectations for every department and throughout the organization with regard to food safety and quality culture e.g. establish whether this is included within job descriptions.

2. Verify how food safety and quality culture aspects are communicated throughout the organization e.g. establish if the organization has a communication policy and communication matrix.

3. Verify how top management has verified that all staff e.g. understand food safety and quality culture expectations, verify whether this is included within induction and annual training for personnel, and whether it included an assessment of personnel’s understanding.

4. Interview personnel on the shop floor to determine whether employees know their responsibilities and what they are accountable for in relation to food safety and quality-related tasks. Verify how personnel receive feedback on production performance and food safety/ quality issues e.g. verify if there are weekly or monthly production meetings and include feedback on production performance and food safety/ quality issues.

5. Assess during interviews with top management whether they can explain the organization’s food safety and quality expectations and how they are used in the decision-making processes.

6. Assess during interviews with the shop floor to which level personnel are informed on food safety and quality expectations. E.g. check the level of comfort and ease with which the auditee explains or responds when asked about the expectations, such as whether they know what to do when a nonconformance occurs. Can they describe for their section/ area of work what nonconformance is?

7. Assess the capability of top management to react to, e.g. customer complaints or supplier issues, in a timely and effective manner whilst ensuring the right decisions are made. This can be assessed during the interview with top management as well as when sampling customer complaints and corrective actions.

8. Assess whether food safety and quality-related expectations are communicated in a language understood by the personnel on the shop floor. E.g. look out for examples of translated materials either posted on the walls where employees work or other areas such as canteen walls.

9. Verify the training material is available and translations are in the local language and sample and examine answer sheets if written tests are used for verification of competence.

 

food safety culture (part 1 communication) what’s your auditor looking for body 1

GFSI Guiding Question

  • How do your senior leaders engage with food safety?
  • How is your messaging used to communicate food safety expectations to all employees?
  • Is your company’s vision and mission clearly expressed so that all staff understands both?
  • Are you confident that all employees know their responsibilities and are held accountable for their food safety-related tasks and that accountabilities are well-connected?
  • Can you articulate your company’s food safety expectations and how they are applied to every decision?
  • Does your strategy enable you to respond quickly and effectively, with appropriate oversight, to ensure the right decisions are made?
  • Can you identify examples of where using industry intelligence has helped identify potential hazards or risks to your business?
food safety culture (part 1 communication) what’s your auditor looking for body 2

Conclusion

To sum it up, “food safety culture” is a vital aspect of how a company operates. It’s not just a trendy phrase—it’s about how employees act every day, impacting the safety and quality of products. In GFSI audits like FSSC 22000 Version 6, the focus is on how committed a company is to food safety. Communication, training, feedback, and performance measurement are key elements. The article provides practical tips for auditing the communication part, ensuring everyone in the company understands and follows food safety expectations. Following these practices is crucial for success in the ever-evolving world of food safety.

Take the First Step Towards Excellence! Contact us today to learn more about how your organization can elevate your food safety standards and establish a culture of excellence within your organization.

 

Our Services

ecology icon 12

ESG

Podcast

Tune In, Get Inspired.

Webinar

Connect & Learn.

w

Get In Touch

Damansara Intan e-Business Park, Unit C-02-08 (lobby 4) Block C, No 1, Jalan SS20/27, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

T: +603 – 7728 1637 /
T: +603 – 7728 1590

W: +6013 – 294 3885

E: info@nexustac.com

Seamless process and the consultant is able to work directly with the MR & farm's management to get the things done.
QL Resources Berhad
Seamless process and the consultant is able to work directly with the MR & farm's management to get the things done.
QL Resources Berhad
The trainer was able to provide us with practical tips and tools that we could easily implement in our work life. Their teaching style was engaging and effective, and I felt confident that I would be able to apply what ...
Read More
Eastern Pretech (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
The trainer was able to provide us with practical tips and tools that we could easily implement in our work life. Their teaching style was engaging and effective, and I felt confident that I would be able to apply what I learned in the session to my day-to-day work. Overall, I found the training to be very helpful.
Eastern Pretech (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
Presentation and training were clear, concise, and interesting. They gave examples throughout the session, which helped me and my colleagues to understand the material better. Overall, we found the training to be excellent, and I would highly recommend!
CCS Corporation
Presentation and training were clear, concise, and interesting. They gave examples throughout the session, which helped me and my colleagues to understand the material better. Overall, we found the training to be excellent, and I would highly recommend!
CCS Corporation
The trainer has a very good foundation in the subject matter and communicated clearly and effectively throughout the training, using language that was easy to understand and explaining complex concepts in a way that was accessible to everyone in the ...
Read More
Brahims Food Services Sdn Bhd
The trainer has a very good foundation in the subject matter and communicated clearly and effectively throughout the training, using language that was easy to understand and explaining complex concepts in a way that was accessible to everyone in the audience. They also took a personalized approach to the training, taking the time to understand the unique needs and learning styles of each participant, and tailoring the training to the specific needs of our organization.
Brahims Food Services Sdn Bhd
One of the best trainers we ever engaged with. Thumbs up! The trainer’s expertise and knowledge in the subject matter were exceptional, and their insights and advice were invaluable. They made the training interactive and engaging.
DXN Industries (M) Sdn Bhd
One of the best trainers we ever engaged with. Thumbs up! The trainer’s expertise and knowledge in the subject matter were exceptional, and their insights and advice were invaluable. They made the training interactive and engaging.
DXN Industries (M) Sdn Bhd
Great training! They went above and beyond to make the subject interesting. The trainer did an excellent job of engaging the audience and bringing the material to life. The teaching style was energetic and enthusiastic, and trainer clearly put in ...
Read More
Hap Seng Trucks Distribution Sdn Bhd
Great training! They went above and beyond to make the subject interesting. The trainer did an excellent job of engaging the audience and bringing the material to life. The teaching style was energetic and enthusiastic, and trainer clearly put in a lot of effort to ensure that everyone was able to follow along and understand the material. I found the training to be both informative and enjoyable! Highly recommended!
Hap Seng Trucks Distribution Sdn Bhd
The trainer highlighted important keywords throughout the session, which made it easy to understand and remember the most important concepts. They were able to explain complex ideas in a way that was accessible to everyone in the audience.
Hitachi Elevator Engineering
The trainer highlighted important keywords throughout the session, which made it easy to understand and remember the most important concepts. They were able to explain complex ideas in a way that was accessible to everyone in the audience.
Hitachi Elevator Engineering
It was one of the best training experiences I have had. The trainer was engaging and supportive throughout the session, and they demonstrated excellent teaching skills. They took the time to interact with each participant, and their sincerity to teach ...
Read More
Sime Darby Industrial
It was one of the best training experiences I have had. The trainer was engaging and supportive throughout the session, and they demonstrated excellent teaching skills. They took the time to interact with each participant, and their sincerity to teach was evident in the way they delivered the training. I felt encouraged and motivated to learn!
Sime Darby Industrial
Very helpful consultant and the service provided is good.
HK3 Marketing
Very helpful consultant and the service provided is good.
HK3 Marketing
Despite some delay to postponed the plan our request, the overall ISO45001 migration was done perfectly ontime and able achieve ultimate goal to have a successful audit for ISO 45001 certification. Nexus provided us a good experience through this challenging moment ...
Read More
Endress + Hauser (M) Sdn Bhd
Despite some delay to postponed the plan our request, the overall ISO45001 migration was done perfectly ontime and able achieve ultimate goal to have a successful audit for ISO 45001 certification. Nexus provided us a good experience through this challenging moment during the COVID pandemic. Consistently supporting us along with guidance provided that made us successful sailed through with this tough period.
Endress + Hauser (M) Sdn Bhd

Contact Us

Share your contact details through the form below or reach out to us using the contact information provided.

Let’s have a conversation that can truly make a difference for your business.

Contact Form
Target date to start project / training.
How can we help you? The more details, the better!

Get ISO Tips & News From Nexus Consultancy

Sign up to Nexus Consultancy e-mail newsletter and stay up to date with useful ISO tips, news, special offers and more.