Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Creating Your
Corporate Vision for
Food Safety Compliance
Food safety, quality and
compliance software for the Our mission is to provide global food businesses with
cutting-edge software products and expert advice
forward thinking food company that support you in the management of food safety,
quality and compliance.
Table of Contents
General
Food safety hazards and their management remain an on-
going preoccupation for most food businesses. Food safety
is driven by numerous commercial, legal and regulatory
demands. Often the true nature of food safety hazards and
their associated risks do not become apparent until there
is a specific event. These events may range from a minor
consumer complaint to the more serious market recall in
full public and regulatory glare.
Globalization
What is a Corporate Vision for Food Safety Key among these changes has been the globalization of the
Compliance and Why Does It Matter? food industry. This has seen the emergence of many large
food businesses operating across numerous geographical
A corporate vision for food safety compliance is a defined
borders and regions. These companies are multi-site in
and documented strategy for mapping out the business’s
nature with some form of central organization and man-
objectives for meeting its compliance obligations now and
agement compliance needs and oversight.
in the future. It is focused on future-proofing the business’s
need to meet a dynamic compliance framework, maintain
a high level of consumer protection and support business
development objectives.
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Challenges
Change Management
Change management can be a thorn in the side of many
great initiatives. Effective change management requires
both transformational leadership and strong teamwork
across the organization. Corporate food businesses must
overcome many hurdles to keep pace with an expanding
volume of regulatory requirements while balancing impacts
on people, processes, and technology.
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In our work with food businesses, we have witnessed first- Variation in how key processes, such as CAPA manage-
hand the challenges posed by the expanding scope of com- ment, are conducted from site to site can result in failure of
pliance. In the following chapters we will highlight some of One of the most some sites to correctly estimate risks. Other sites, on the
these challenges. significant risks and other hand, may be expending valuable resources on low
priority issues. From a business group perspective, it can
destroyers of time is
Absence of a Vision result in poor and varying visibility on compliance status
non-standardization, and can frustrate efforts to address issues.
Most senior executives in a corporate food business know
which is the situation
there are significant gains to be found by improving how Non-standardization can also lead to significant waste
compliance is managed and controlled in their organization. where business units,
in human and financial resources. People spend time on
However, it can be difficult to see where one should start sites, departments activities and workflows that add little value. Even the mere
and how it fits into the broader development strategy of and functions activity of having to figure out how a local site is conduct-
The absence of a clear
the company. ing some processes can be enormously wasteful.
vision holds companies conduct similar or
This absence of a vision is due to a number of reasons that back from achieving the identical activities, The vast majority of systems and processes used for food
are covered in this paper. However, food safety compliance tasks, processes and safety compliance are repetitive, particularly in the areas of
gains they seek.
is a relatively new function compared to traditional compli- management processes, HACCP and general controls. They
workflows differently.
ance disciplines, e.g., financial or corporate. For this reason, lend themselves well to standardization.
the best approach to formulating a food safety compliance
vision is only now starting to emerge. Nonetheless, the ab- Poor Quality of System Design
sence of an established vision holds companies back from
achieving the gains they seek. In any organization, poorly designed systems and work-
flows for the management of compliance can lead to
Lacking Integration of FSM in Core inefficiencies, waste and failure to maintain compliance
standards. Poor design often emerges out of a reaction to
Management Team Food safety compliance
specific arising compliance needs and the efforts of the
Technical teams and managers often feel rejected by the as a business objective company to meet these needs quickly — the quick fix. Over
is often the subject of Poorly designed
core business processes and decisions. Food safety compli- time, these systems become embedded in the company
ance as a business objective is often the subject of second- secondary meetings and systems and workflows and create a “hidden plant” with waste and poor compli-
ary meetings and generalized operational budgets. Costs lead to inefficiencies, ance outcomes. In larger enterprises, this effect is more
generalized operational
savings and efficiencies relating to compliance usually do waste and failure to pronounced as it is magnified across greater and more
not form a core or specific requirement when investing in budgets. complex structures, business units and plants.
maintain compliance
ICT or Lean programs. The effect can be to frustrate the
technical compliance team in seeking improvements in their standards. Variation in Legal and Commercial Standards
roles and benefits to the business as a whole. Corporate food businesses by their nature tend to oper-
ate globally both in terms of manufacturing and markets.
Non-standardization Globally spread operations often lead to a situation where
One of the most significant risks and destroyers of time and the business as a whole needs to deal with different legal
resources is non-standardization. By non-standardization standards. Legislation relating to risk assessment, hazards,
we mean the completion of the same tasks by business commodities, composition, origin, ingredients and labeling
units in a different manner. can differ remarkably from one country to another.
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SAFEFOOD 360° PROFESSIONAL WHITEPAPER SERIES CREATING YOUR CORPORATE VISION FOR FOOD SAFETY COMPLIANCE
Corporate food Corporate food businesses that fail or are slow to react to
this changing environment face significant risks:
businesses that fail or
are slow to react to this • Inability to stay on top of mounting compliance
changing environment requirements
face significant risks. • Rising costs of product failures and non-conformances
which for many companies can be catastrophic
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Area of Change in
Current State Emerging State
Food Safety Management
Approach to Food Safety • Key compliance processes, such as auditing, CAPA, • Food safety processes are starting to be integrated into
to single
a single
platform
platform
as opposed
as opposed
to to
Management recall, SQM, monitoring and document control are being managed in a number of fragmented systems.
different from site to site.
• Key processes are being group led as opposed to being defined at a
site
site
level.
level.
• Compliance level against industry regulations
• Benchmarking and performance management is starting to be possible due to better
differs from site to site even if each site follows the
application of ICT solutions.
same certification.
• More and more companies are moving away from following multiple certifications and
• Compliance is heavily reactive which means that
are adopting one of the GFSI standards.
new processes are introduced together with new
regulations. • Business groups are now in the position to offer real support,
support and
andnot
notjust
justoversight
oversight,due
due
to better application of ICT solutions.
• Reporting and KPIs differ from site to site making
group-wide overview of compliance status nearly
impossible.
Food Safety Management Team • Senior compliance roles are disconnected from • Communication technologies are improving the way food safety compliance teams can
business decision making. now interact and audit systems from
can be
even
accessed
remotefrom
locations.
remote locations.
• Compliance teams are typically overburdened
overly burdened with • Food safety talent is moving freely from site to site. Talent is being developed by
taskstasks
with and lack
and resources
with not enough
to deal resources
with the volume
to deal investment in education and professional events participation.
of work.
with the volume of work.
Scope of • Food safety compliance is often like a separate • While more industry regulations are putting pressure on food safety compliance
Food Safety Management business within the larger group and food safety organizations to grow, there is also a countering trend of compliance processes being
risks are not usually taken into account as part of better managed and concentrated.
wider business risk assessments.
• Food safety systems are disconnected from
each other, which leads to double work in some
areas while in other areas critical tasks are falling
between the crack.
cracks.
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1. Integration
2. Analysis
Integrate food safety
management with core Analysis of legal and
management. commercial framework
5. Improvement
The Five Elements of
Your New Vision Build on your success by
seeking and implementing
ongoing improvements in 3. Standardization
compliance management
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Five Approaches
This table lists out five different ar-
Approach What is it? Benefits eas where your organization can start
developing a highly effective corporate
1. Integration • Integration of food safety compliance functions • Introduce new thinking to decision vision for food safety.
into the broader business management to making and avoid costly surprises later.
Integrate food safety
address gaps in risk coverage emerging from Each of these approaches work as a
management with core • Better utilize the compliance expertise
different hazards, products, channels, commercial, standalone, but the most benefits are
management and knowledge that has previously
legal and regulatory sources. realized by employing them all in se-
remained tacit in your organization.
quence.
2. Analysis • Clear and ongoing understanding of the • Provides a clear definition of business,
compliance demands of your business necessary legal, customer, food safety and
Analysis of legal and
to support sustainable development and business stakeholder requirements.
commercial framework
objectives.
• Sustainable business development.
4. Streamlining • Over time, compliance processes have a tendency • Allows your teams focus their efforts on
to become more complex and time-consuming. value-adding work.
Streamline and simplify
Streamlining means that your team adopts a new
systems and processes • Improves employee motivation.
mindset where processes are made leaner, which
will benefit your organization tremendously in the
long run.
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1. Integration
• No clear vision for corporate compliance • Development of initial • Fully embedded vision that is documented, with defined KPIs, reviewed and revised
corporate vision for
• Food safety management and compliance lie outside • Food safety leaders are a core and integrated part of the general management team
compliance
the core management processes of strategy, finance, HR
• Clear Business Unit and Group organization
organisation structure with defined responsibilities
and purchasing • Process of integration of
food safety team into key • Key business, strategy, operational and other decisions are taken with food safety
• Food safety management team members are technical
decisions commences fully part of the process
people with no formal management training or education
through formal review
• Food safety managers are trained and experienced in
• K
ey decisions, development and budgets are processes
management skills and communication
taken independently of food safety and informally
• Commence training of
notified • Formal budgets and cost centers in place and under
existing team in key
the control of senior technical members
• Food safety team only involved at management level management skills or
during crises or follow
following
poor
poor
audit
audit
outcomes
outcomes appointment of skilled • Clear lines of communication to top level executives
manager • Risk and compliance responsibilities are spread across all functions, not just technical
• Food safety representative has informal or no direct line
of communication to senior management • Early development of • Risk assessment and management is driven by analytics, key risk indicators, and
budgeting processes and dynamic risk assessment, monitoring, and testing
• No integration of reporting at senior or enterprise level
cost centres
centers
• No formal system for measuring compliance and not • Reporting provides actionable information at the enterprise level
• Appointment of defined
measured as a cost centre
center
BG and BU level
management to execute
vision
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2. Analysis
• Poor understanding of legal and commercial • Increased understanding or limited • Automated systems for the monitoring and actioning of legal, regulatory, commercial
framework access to expert knowledge and scientific developments in the sector
• No formal or robust processes for • Semi-automated systems for • High-level understanding of legal and commercial framework within internal resources
monitoring, reporting and actioning legal notification of legal and commercial
• High-level ability to translate requirements into lean and effective systems of
and commercial changes across the group changes
management and control
• Lack of or poor access to legal, technical and
• Risk Analysis central process to all decisions
compliance expertise
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3. Standardization
• L
ittle or no standardization of compliance • Introduction of new ICT and • Utilises
Utilizes ICT and other technical tools to standardize all processes and workflows across
systems or processes across the group software solutions for FSM, group, unit and site operations
SQM and other key process and
• Each local site operating independently in • Centralised
Centralized control from top down with flexibility for local sites based on risk and
workflows
terms of legal and certification standards businesses
business case
cases
• New tools and systems establish
• Significant “creep” between sites and within • Common certification used across group
the first phase of standardization
sites
in management process
processes • Each site operates to defined and standardized systems of workflows
• Little or no oversight of compliance status in workflows, risk assessment,
• Benchmarking of all site activities
local site HACCP, PRPs, etc
• Real-time visibility on compliance status at all levels
• Long lag time between significant events and • Early stages of site alignment
notification of same, e.g., product failures • Real-time notification of significant events
• Basis for real-time oversight
• Little or no use of IT or other standardization developing • Little or no creep in local systems
systems. -Failures
failuresare
areaaresult
resultof
ofsystem
systemdesign
designand
andlocal
local
tools with high reliance on manual processes variation
• Communications practices and
and tools
data exchange shifting on-line and • Automatic and real-time reporting to business group
• Changes in system take place at discretion of more automated • Changes controlled at central level – risk defined
defined.
local managers with no reporting to central
• Risk assessment becoming more • Use of standard risk assessment methods
group
centralized forcing culture change
centralised
• Risk assessment and control is performed in at both business group and site • Specific hazard identification
site “silos” level
• General or generic hazard identification • Local sites use various certification
standards
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4. Streamlining
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5. Improvement
• Systems and processes have not been • Benefits of improvement as a business • Ongoing review and identification of improvement projects based on quality data
assessed for improvement opportunities process increasing in management generated from systems
consciousness
• No management of change process in • Clear management of KPIs
place • New systems and standardization
• Decisions based on sustainable objectives and not quick-fixes
highlight more improvement
• No use of KPIs or reporting
opportunities • Real-time oversight, visibility notification and escalation of activities based on risk
• Decisions to improve based on assessment
immediate compliance need and not
• Supplier quality management, management of change and other key improvement
sustainability
processes are fully integrated into overall FSM
• Poor or no validation of systems
• Benchmarking is used in all sites to drive improvement and best practice
• Certification in place because it is
• Strong validation of systems for hazards and risks
required
• Certification used for improvement
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Managing Change
A key hurdle to realizing your vision will be the management
of change. A grand vision requires an extensive project
and you need to be equipped with the necessary tools and
knowledge to be successful.
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1. Integration
Integration of food safety management with core manage-
ment. Making food safety compliance an embedded ele-
The first step in
ment of corporate business activities.
developing your
The first step in developing your corporate vision and corporate vision and Area Actions
strategy is the real integration of the compliance team into
the core business management processes. Integration is strategy is the real
Responsibilities Clear responsibilities regarding food safety compliance should
required to ensure that all decisions are made with con- integration of the be assigned at group, unit and site level. These may be existing
sideration to the compliance demands of the business and compliance team into positions with expanded responsibilities or new appointments. In
to avoid compliance failures. Your vision document should the core business any event, they should have a clearly assigned responsibility and
address each of these areas with clear projects to support authority to affect change at the appropriate level.
their implementation. management processes.
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Identification of Some local markets may have very specific regulatory protocols
specific regulatory that need to be addressed when conducting business. For
aspects required example, the FDA under FSMA has very specific requirements and
for local markets administrative protocols for importers.
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Area Actions
Tender Process Undertake a robust tendering process to select the right product
and service provider(s).
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4. Streamlining
Simplify systems and processes.
Area Actions Performance • The management of your compliance processes should be based
management on relevant and easily monitored KPIs, that you can then use as
Organizational • Give key people access to the data that allows them to identify part of group wide streamlining projects. Example of such KPIs
capabilities wasteful processes. include: complaints time to closing out, mock recall duration,
• While you want to remove creep from your key compliance time to approving a document etc.
processes, you need to give your staff the right tools and • Make sure your KPIs are part of the wider compliance strategy
authority to make improvements in their work. and are often communicated to your people.
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5. Improvement
Build on your success by seeking and implementing ongo-
ing improvements in compliance management.
Area Actions
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Available Modules
Document Control • Document Control
Upload, approve and review all your • HACCP
central documents. Keep track of • Hazard Database
versions and be notified of changes. • Complaints
• CAPA
HACCP • Non-conformance
Build and maintain all your HACCP • Management review
plans. Benefit from advanced risk • Auditing
assessment models and decision • Recall
trees. • Quality Management
• Calibration
Management • Cleaning
Paper free management processes • Pest Control
with automatic reporting. • Employee Training
• Microbiological Control
PRPs • Traceability Testing
Document and manage your daily • Medical Screening
operations and enjoy the benefits of • Contamination Control
automatic scheduling and alerts. • Code of Practice
• Monitoring
Monitoring • Receiving Inspections
Monitor any parameters in your • Batching
system including CCPs, oPRPs and • Supplier Control
material quality. • Supplier Portal
• Employees
Supplier Management • Suppliers
Approve, risk assess and review • Product
suppliers. Conduct audits, collect • Materials
documents, and let your suppliers • Alerts
complete self-assessments. • Reports & Analytics
Utilities
All the necessary tools ranging from
alerts to reporting.
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