Achieve Excellence: The 7 Pillars of Food Safety for Operational Success

Ensuring food safety goes beyond meeting regulatory standards; it’s foundational to building a trusted brand in a competitive industry. Every step taken—from kitchen preparation to serving the table—influences how customers perceive and trust your establishment.

Steritech’s "7 Pillars of Food Safety Excellence" is a comprehensive approach to achieving food safety management system goals, allowing the integration of food safety into your brand identity. 

Here’s how you can use the approach to achieve operational excellence. 

Pillar 1: Senior Leader Commitment & Engagement

In today's health-conscious society, where consumers prioritize the safety and quality of the food they consume, robust food safety management systems have become an essential part of the food industry. Great leadership plays a pivotal role in creating a dynamic food safety solutions culture. 

Use these concepts to improve senior leadership’s commitment and engagement.

• Participate in regular food safety meetings and include food safety metrics in reports.
• Require senior leaders to complete an introductory food safety training course. This equips them with the necessary vocabulary and an understanding of the basic concepts of food safety.
• Allocate dedicated resources (time, personnel, budget) to food safety initiatives. For example, a study by Food Safety Magazine found that companies with active senior management involvement in food safety had 24% fewer safety incidents.

Pillar 2: Communication

Communication plays a critical role in ensuring food safety. Poor communication can have serious consequences, including foodborne illness outbreaks and damage to a business’s reputation. Identifying and overcoming communication barriers, like language differences and cultural norms, is important to ensure effective communication in food safety management.

Integrate effective communication practices by using the following ideas.

• Share food safety information using a combination of communication channels, such as email newsletters, intranet updates, and team meetings.
• Create an open-door policy encouraging employees to voice food safety concerns without fear of retaliation. 
• Consistent, ongoing communications protect your investment in food safety training by keeping it top of mind. They also improve compliance with food safety protocol, prevent misunderstandings, and ensure everyone is informed equally. 

Pillar 3: Defined Standards

Food safety standards are rules and regulations established by governments, international organizations, and industry bodies to ensure the safety and quality of the food supply chain. These standards aim to reduce the risk of contamination, reduce the chances of foodborne illnesses (which cause 600 million cases of illness and 420,000 mortalities every year) and protect the workers and customers who come into contact with the product. 

Well-defined food safety standards aligned with industry regulations contribute to uniformity and consistency in food safety solutions across all locations. Use the following food safety checklist to practice defining food safety standards.

• Develop comprehensive food safety policies and standards of practice (SOPs) that are easily accessible to all staff.
• Review and update standards regularly to ensure they meet current regulatory requirements. For example, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), establishments with clear, written food safety standards have a 19% higher compliance rate with health inspections.

Pillar 4: Training

A study by the National Restaurant Association found that restaurants that invest in food safety training have an average of 50% fewer critical violations than those that do not. Additionally, food safety training serves two benefits: safeguarding the establishments and their clientele. 

When employees thoroughly understand food processing practices, businesses can mitigate the risks associated with foodborne diseases and contamination. Food safety training increases employee understanding of their responsibilities and the knowledge and skills they need to keep everyone safe. Their improved confidence can positively impact performance. 

Here’s how you can put training into practice. 

• Implement a training schedule that includes onboarding, regular refreshers, and updates on new best practices.
• Use online platforms, hands-on workshops, and interactive modules to make training engaging and comprehensive. 

Pillar 5: KPIs/Scorecards

Like every other performance measurement in the business, clear expectations for food safety key performance indicators (KPIs) should be established in advance, monitored and provided feedback during the year—evaluating success as part of standard performance reviews.

By adopting KPIs for the food industry, companies identify areas for improvement, evaluate strongholds, and make decisions that equip the organization for competitiveness and growth. 

Tracking KPI components will become even more crucial when incorporating food safety compliance software. 

• Identify and track relevant KPIs such as food safety audit scores, incident reports, and employee compliance rates.
• Use scorecards to visually represent performance data, making spotting trends and improvement areas easier.

Pillar 6: Oversight

Recalls and issues regarding food safety are increasing in frequency. Data revealed that, between 2020 and 2023, the total number of food recalls issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FDA grew from 454 to 547—an increase of more than 20%. 

As the global food supply chain grows in complexity, so does the pressure on food safety solutions oversight practices. Effective oversight of your food safety solutions can significantly improve efficiency, streamline processes, and reduce errors. 

With the help of automated oversight systems, you can identify potential issues early and maintain high food safety standards. A survey from the Food Marketing Institute found that automated oversight systems reduced non-compliance incidents by 30%.

Here’s how you can increase food safety solutions with oversight practices. 

• Establish a food safety advisory committee with broad representation from stakeholders across the organization. This group provides diverse perspectives on the practicality of food safety initiatives to increase their chance of success. It also gives everyone a voice in the food safety program, making it clear that food safety is part of the overall culture and not something done just by the food safety team.
• Utilize technology such as automated monitoring systems to provide real-time oversight.

Pillar 7: Positive Recognition

Employees are a valuable resource in shaping and maintaining food safety practices. Involving them in decision-making processes related to food safety instills a sense of ownership and responsibility. 

An equally important initiative is recognizing and rewarding their contributions. This creates a culture where individuals are motivated to uphold and enhance food safety standards and good practices and foster a culture of food safety. In fact, companies with positive recognition programs saw a 15% increase in overall food safety compliance among employees. 

• Implement recognition programs that identify high-performing teams or locations, especially those with repeated high performance. 
• Within a location, frequently recognize team members for practicing food safety, such as through “Employee of the Month” programs that focus on food safety achievements.
• Provide tangible rewards such as bonuses, gift cards, or additional time off for exemplary performance.
• Give frequent, verbal positive reinforcement. Recognition should be immediate and public, reinforcing positive practices across the team. 

By focusing on the seven key food safety pillars of success and implementing these actionable tips, you can build a robust food safety program that meets regulatory requirements and operational benchmarks.

When was the last time you conducted a food safety audit, assessed your food safety solutions, and identified areas for improvement? Contact Steritech, your food safety experts, for guidance and support in achieving food safety excellence.