On Sunday I will be heading to New Orleans for SQF Unites, their annual meeting. I always enjoy the SQF meetings, they do a great job with speakers and topics related to improving your Food Safety Programs. The buzz this year will be Edition 10 is coming! I hope to learn if there will be any major changes and what will it look like.
SQF has lasted as a Food Safety System because they are continually improving and updating as new knowledge and experiences happen in the Food Safety World. When I was first introduced to SQF, my thought was, “This program is different from other programs because it is a system that can oversee all your food safety and quality programs.” When you set up your system, it should include everyone in the facility from quality, production, maintenance, and all other departments. It should be a team effort.
It will be another year before Edition 10 is officially rolled out but in the meantime, you should be continually trying to strive for Continuous Improvement in your programs.
A great place to start is with Food Safety Culture. Is your Food safety Culture obvious to a new employee, a customer, or an auditor?
The best way to show that you have a good food safety culture is at your opening meeting. Who is at your opening meeting? Is it just the QA staff? What does that say about your facility to an auditor? As an auditor, I would like to meet all the key managers at the opening meeting, and then when I go to their areas of the plant, they can describe to me what is happening, and I can observe and interview key employees. I can see if they are doing what the company intends them to do. I will also try to observe that the employees are doing the right thing when no one is watching.
I like to use the example of washing hands in the facility. It’s a simple way to see the employee’s commitment to doing what is right. When I go into a facility, I wash my hands at every single handwash station. The number one reason is it’s the correct thing to do, but it is also a way to check if it has proper soap, water, etc. And, finally, I know that all your employees are watching me and looking to see if I will do the right thing. Many times, I have been in facilities where I have seen senior management walk into the plant without washing their hands. What kind of message does that send to the employees?
When the auditor questions your employees, how will they respond to food safety culture questions? A lot of times, employees will get confused by the word “culture,” especially in the dairy industry when I’m in a cheese plant or a yogurt plant. I was in one facility where they told me that instead of using “culture,” they were using the word “attitude.” I really liked that because that’s really what we’re looking for. We want to have an attitude in the facility that everybody cares about food safety and quality.
The Food Safety culture in your facility once again should involve everyone. At my workshops I like to tease and pick on any Maintenance people in the room. Firstly, because they can take it, usually that don’t mind, and mostly because they are all over your plant so if they don’t come to work with Food Safety in their toolbox you will not be successful.
When is the last time you did Food Safety Culture training specifically with your Maintenance staff. Don’t ignore them because they will be your downfall. This also includes outside contractors, especially if you are doing any construction projects at your facility. A robust training program that includes inperson discussions with your maintenance and outside contractors is key to your success. By communicating with them in person that will help them understand how important Food Safety is in your facility. You need to get their buy in and help. During construction projects weekly check-in meetings are helpful to discuss any potential food safety issues.
When I get back from the SQF meeting I will share any insights I learned from the meeting but in the meantime go make some food safety connections with your maintenance staff!