Page 35 - FoodFocusThailand No.223 October 2024

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to assess food safety hazards that may arise in the food development activities must be implemented in alignment and
production chain and develop a Food Safety Plan. This plan integrated with one another. The organization must find ways to
includes control measures such as management by baseline ensure that the majority of employees feel a collective
programs under Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP), responsibility to comply without the need for enforcement.
Process Preventive Controls, Allergen Preventive Controls, Meanwhile, even if some employees may lack awareness, they
Sanitation Preventive Controls, or management by the Supply still need to follow the rules. If they do not, they may become
Chain Program, ensuring that the controls are appropriate and targets of criticism from the majority in the organization,
effective in addressing the hazards intended to be controlled. discouraging inappropriate behavior.
These measures must be practically and efficiently implemented,
especially during random inspections by the U.S. FDA when Resources and Facilities Management must
goods are imported at ports or airports for entry into the country. demonstrate genuine commitment to food safety by
If the focus is on documentation alone, while neglecting risk ensuring that the organization provides the necessary
assessment and the establishment of appropriate preventive infrastructure to support operations that truly ensure food safety.
control standards, it may result in the detection of residual This includes creating an appropriate working environment and
hazards, leading to the refusal and destruction of the goods, providing suitable facilities under requirements. The organization
causing economic losses. should streamline the procurement and approval processes to
make them faster. If equipment is damaged, it must be promptly
Personnel Development Process The repaired or temporarily taken out of use, with repairs done swiftly
development of personnel to have knowledge and to prevent potential damage to the products.
awareness of food quality and safety is crucial.
Activities that must be implemented concretely include: Applying Innovation for Management
2.1 Training: Efforts must be made to raise awareness about Improvement Technological advancements lead
food safety. When employees are forced to follow unfamiliar to various product and management innovations that
tasks, they can easily avoid them. However, proper training helps can be used to build a food safety culture. For example,
employees clearly understand the real reasons behind actions innovations in rapid detection of chemical or biological hazards
that contribute to food safety. This includes the media presented, can help personnel responsible for controlling hazards become
the training format, post-training assessments, and the topics more aware of their duties. If an abnormality is detected, it can
covered. The training must be tailored to suit the employees, with be traced back to the source, whether it be a supplier, machinery,
other continuous training activities. Besides providing information, or an employee involved in the hazard during production.
there must be mechanisms to raise awareness that food safety Technologies like IBM Food Trust or Foodpro Chain , which
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is everyone’s responsibility. It should be highlighted that improper support traceability as required by U.S. FSMA regulation, enable
behavior can impact food safety. Training should also cover other producers to trace the origins of food, increasing the awareness
topics, such as improving work efficiency, marketing, and of the source. In addition, tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or
sustainability management. These topics should emphasize the Foodpro Bot can assist in quickly finding answers from various
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relationships and practices that foster a food safety culture. information sources can be accessed more quickly, and
2.2 Communication: Efforts must be made to communicate supervisors who instruct employees based on incorrect reasoning
in a way that makes employees realize that food safety is not will no longer be credible, as employees can easily access
just an issue between the company and its customers, but information through these innovations. Therefore, communication
something that directly affects them. The focus should be on must be accurate and clear, which will help raise awareness and
raising awareness and translating that into action. Communication motivation to foster a sustainable food safety and quality culture.
can be integrated into various opportunities beyond training With the changing business and trade models, diverse
sessions, such as creating short promotional videos for marketing and distribution channels present challenges in
employees to watch during lunchtime, during clock-in times, daily designing food safety and quality management. Simply complying
morning meetings, monthly meetings, in group chats, or displaying with regulations may not be enough to create sustainability.
safety messages on the back of employee ID cards. Other Having a food safety and quality culture helps the organization
methods could include suggestion boxes or announcements via develop appropriate behaviors and equips personnel with the
the internal public address system. agility to quickly adapt and adjust their work methods to suit
2.3 Monitoring and Performance Measurement: The focus different situations. Employees will gain understanding and
should be on performance criteria that reflect the effectiveness awareness without the need for enforcement or control, reducing
of activities carried out, such as increased employee understanding, errors and the chances of product recall. This can improve the
a decrease in the number of errors in their work, and fewer efficiency and effectiveness of operations, supporting the
customer complaints. The emphasis should not be placed on development of Industry 5.0, which will enhance the quality of
employee satisfaction, as it may not be directly linked to the life for the global population in the future. Furthermore, employees
effectiveness of operations. with a positive attitude toward ensuring product quality and safety
2.4 Employee Engagement Activities: Encouraging will contribute to building a strong organizational culture. At the
employees to take pride in the value of their work and being part same time, the organizational culture will help develop personnel
of an organization with no food safety issues such as activities within the organization, as both employees and culture influence
that raise awareness of a food safety culture including recognizing and support each other. Therefore, we must seek ways to
and awarding outstanding employees, organizing weekly promote a sustainable food safety and quality culture going
activities, and creating bulletin boards that report statistics on forward.
improvements and changes, etc.
In practice, some organizations experience frequent employee
turnover and continuously need to hire new staff. Employees who
have been trained may not remain with the organization for long, More Information Service Info C002
making it very challenging to ensure that all workers have the
same level of understanding and awareness. The four personnel
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