[Corporate Culture] Are You Ready to Move Forward?

The new millennium is well under way. Most food industry workers would probably agree that in the past several years there have been significant changes and additions in the systems and programs by which we manage food production, handling, and transportation. Such changes include Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), quality systems, allergen control, food defense, etc. These new programs have added increased responsibility for all food workers, from temporary employees to CEOs. We are tasked with increased responsibility to manage the safe and secure production of a food product with ever decreasing resources.

The next significant change on the horizon is the modernization of the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). Once again, the industry and individuals will be tasked with additional responsibilities.

But, is the industry ready and capable of handling these changes? This question occurred to me while my wife and I took our son to his six-month checkup. The doctor’s office is new and very technological. There are computers in each exam room. We chose this clinic for its newness and the energy level of the doctors and nurses.

The first person to greet us in the exam room was our nurse. As soon as she entered the room she washed her hands. At first, I was very impressed with her concern for hygiene, especially with the recent cases of mumps in the Midwest. However, the food safety inspector in me took a closer review of her practices. I noticed that the hand-washing activity was more of a surface cleaning than bacteria reduction. She soaped, rinsed and dried her hands in less time than you can say "mumps"! She then proceeded to turn off the faucet, handle equipment, and use the computer keyboard before she examined our son. It is evident to most that the nurse’s hand washing routine had no real effect on microbial reduction and may have further promoted the growth of bacteria on her hands.

So, what does this have to do with food plants? Nearly every company has a policy that hands must be washed prior to work, after all breaks, after using the toilet facilities, after coughing or sneezing, or at any other time when they may have touched unsanitary objects or otherwise become soiled. Is your written hand washing policy truly the law of your company, or is it just for show?

Too often, I notice that hand washing is not properly followed at the facilities I inspect. This violation occurs with all levels of employees, but is most common with the management team. During a typical visit, I arrive at a food plant, meet briefly with management staff, and then proceed to the plant floor. Sometimes we stop at a hand washing area before we enter, but often times we move right into the facility and begin the inspection. This is where I gain my first impression of how committed a company is to its written policies.

Hand washing is a key step in promoting food safety to reduce the concern for disease, bacteria, allergens, or other unsanitary conditions at your facility. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that 38% of reported food-borne illness outbreaks are due to poor hygiene and estimates that hand washing education could reduce outbreaks by 30-40% and save one million lives each year.

Hand washing is only one example policy. Do your employees comply with all established policies and programs? If not, why are they not enforced? Compliance is often a reflection of the culture established within a facility. Establishment of a food safety culture is critical to ensure the success of programs and policies.

One company I visited set their culture and commitment to hand washing. They achieved this by developing a well-written policy, training employees, providing appropriate tools, posting continuous reminders, and requiring compliance by all persons at the facility. The following tools are located inside the plant to promote policy compliance:

l Hand washing stations and sanitizers at all entry points into the production and warehousing areas

l Multi-lingual hand washing signs

l Guard rails at the entry points to force pedestrians to pass by the hand washing stations

l Motion-activated, talking billboards that remind employees to wash hands

Again, this is only one example of setting a culture of policy compliance. At this particular facility, the theme resonated throughout the rest of the facility with other food safety and GMP policies. The company established the culture by which they expect all employees and visitors to comply.

The food in the United States is probably the safest it has ever been. However, consumer attention to food safety is also at its highest. This heightened consumer attention, along with the CDC’s estimate that 76 million Americans suffer from food-borne illness each year, emphasize the importance of reviewing the policies, procedures, compliance level, and culture established at your plant.

The next time you enter your facility, take a look at the day-to-day activities. What is the culture that has been established? Does your management team follow the written policies? Companies must ensure that existing policies and procedures are established, understood and practiced before they can begin to tackle the modernization of the GMPs and future demands from regulators and customers. AIB

The author is the Director of Food Security at AIB International.