Food Safety Culture Training Model
Assessment
Review
Food
Safety
Culture
Outcomes
Implement
Engage
Culture Change
Empower
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Review
Implement Culture
Change
Engage and
Empower
Outcomes
Audit and
Assess
Food
Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
A company’s culture comprises the shared identity, values, beliefs and practices of that company. It
creates the ethic, attitudes, behaviours and qualities that make the company distinctive and
appealing to work for and buy from. The quality of the company culture enables it to succeed in the
marketplace, and can make the difference between success and failure.
The investment into in-house staff training to develop the most effective culture is now proven to
offer the very best ROI on training provision (CIPD, 2012).
AHeadForSuccess creates bespoke packages, using tried and tested principles, delivered by the
most well known and highly respected professionals in the training and coaching arena with a
proven track record in creating robust business cultures.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Communication
& Trust
Employee
Engagement
Leadership
Food
Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Research tells us that companies with a dynamic culture, aligned to business goals, routinely
outperform their competitors. Dynamic cultures adapt effectively to change and continue to evolve
because everyone supports and strengthens the culture and company identity at every level.
Without full commitment to a properly implemented food safety system by absolutely everyone on
every level of any company producing food, safe food production cannot be assured. Everyone
needs to:
commit to the company identity

name and claim beliefs and values, both company values and food safety standards; companies
rarely fail on issues of competence but often on issues of motivation and value

maximise and value the capabilities of the team and the organisation

support effective communication and positive behaviour every day

create a productive and nurturing environment for everyone to ensure safe food production
Consequently, ‘Food Safety Culture’ training from AHeadForSuccess is designed for everyone
involved in the production of safe food, on every level, from factory floor or kitchen to Senior
Management and Chief Executives. ‘Food Safety Culture’ training instills the values, beliefs and
behaviours necessary to fully embed and support the operation of legally required food safety
management systems.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Communication
& Trust
Employee
Engagement
Audit and
Assess
Food
Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.u
Audit
It is absolutely essential that companies producing food in whatever form or arena establish a ‘food
safety culture’ that engenders good practice, support and commitment to its food safety
management systems because:Food Safety is the concept that food will not cause harm to the consumer when it is prepared
and eaten according to its intended use (ISO, 2005).
HACCP is a system which identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards which are significant for
Food Safety (Codex 2009).
However, HACCP alone does not guarantee food safety. While the use of HACCP continues to
increase there are still ‘Catastrophic Failures’ because of a lack of awareness and commitment from
the people involved. Many food safety failures are management failures because HACCP is only
successful when there is an effective ‘Food Safety Culture’. (Wallace CA 2012)
AHeadForSuccess will undertake a review of existing HACCP and pre-requisite documentation with
a view to understanding the current level of knowledge regarding both HACCP and microbiological
food safety within the business. This will be the start of the assessment process and a major
marker by which the ‘food safety culture’ training will be judged at the review stage.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Assessment
The way a company is guided and directed is determined by its leaders. A company’s leaders influence
the thinking and behaviour of its workers. When leaders engender empowerment, involvement,
commitment and trust, then everyone is engaged, takes up their responsibilities, is productive and feels
valued.
The essential ingredients to a successful ‘Food Safety Culture’ are:
•
business values
•
competence and capability
•
business operations
•
leading
•
owning
•
communicating and engagement
AheadforSuccess will assess each ingredient through research and focus groups to establish where
coaching and training is required. The initial HACCP Audit will identify the gaps between understanding
and commitment to the company’s food safety management systems and the risks to food safety.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Communication
& Trust
Outcomes
Audit and
Assess
Food
Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Outcomes
From the assessment, desired and necessary outcomes will be set with a time frame for reaching them.
Enthusiasm and motivation will be encouraged to create new behaviours and environments based on
learning and development.
Together we will look at the beliefs about what will be happening or what won’t be happening and the
costs and consequences of both.
We will examine how food safety culture coaching including absolutely everyone will create greater
understanding of:
• business operations
• the necessity for training to improve competence and capability
• good leadership
• the value of role models
• communication and engagement to create pride in the workplace.
Finally, we will focus on commitment by everyone to ‘food safety culture’ training
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Engage and
Empower
Outcomes
Audit and
Assess
Food Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Engage and Empower
"I think it's very difficult to lead today when people are not really truly participating in the
decision. You won't be able to attract and retain great people if they don't feel like they are
part of the authorship of the strategy and the authorship of the really critical issues. If you
don't give people an opportunity to really be engaged, they won't stay.“
Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks
Business leaders influence and determine the level of employee engagement which is
essential for a food safety culture to thrive. We know that the level of engagement is
indicated by the following:
•
•
•
•
•
Employee awareness of the objectives of the business
Employee involvement in setting the objectives and targets of the business
Employee involvement in setting their own objectives and targets
Employees believing in the values of the business and experiencing being valued
Employee commitment to the success of the business, evidenced by their
behaviours and motivated by the values of their managers and colleagues
The higher engagement at all of these levels, the more robust the food safety culture of
the organisation will be.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Implement Culture
Change
Engage and Empower
Outcomes
Audit and Assess
Food Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Implement Culture Change
For an effective ‘Food Safety Culture’ to thrive and be sustained, there has to be openness and
integrity throughout the business. Communication and trust has to flow and exist on all levels.
It is imperative that Food Safety is the number one priority every minute of every day. So it is
essential that everyone feels confident to highlight or report problems and concerns. People must
be safe in the knowledge that not only will issues be resolved swiftly and effectively by
management, but also that disclosure of issues will not jeopardise their position. A position of
feedback not failure, and continuous improvement, must be taken to optimise open and effective
communication.
This absolute requisite for a no blame culture is key to the success of food safety legislation, in
which the identification of problems is seen as a ‘positive’. This cultural value assures the company
of the opportunity to improve and flourish, ensuring good practice and preventing sub standard
practices from developing.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Review
Implement Culture
Change
Engage and
Empower
Outcomes
Audit and
Assess
Food
Safety
Culture
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Review
Recent research from the CIPD suggests that companies who review, monitor and institute mechanisms
for continuous improvement have the best results.
At the end of the training programme, a review of what has been identified, challenged and changed
will be undertaken, so that sustainability of improvement can be monitored and further training
undertaken where necessary. Indicators that a ‘Food Safety Culture’ has been embraced include:
•
improved efficiency and output
•
financial gain
•
reduction in absenteeism
•
retention and promotion of key workers
We recommend a re-audit of food safety systems at the review stage, as this will be a major marker by
which we can judge the level of improvement in the company’s culture.
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Food Safety Culture
Systems Culture People
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
Contact us to discuss how we can help you create a robust
Food Safety Culture for your organisation.
Review
Implement
Culture Change
Engage and
Empower
Outcomes
Audit and
Assess
Food
Safety
Culture
Jan Sheward
jan@aheadforsuccess.co.uk
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk
+44 (0)845 4310 221
+44 (0)7730 624500
© Jan Sheward, Dr. Graham Dexter, & Dr. Jan Russell-Dexter
www.aheadforsuccess.co.uk