1.7 Employee’s Role in Food Safety

Food Safety Culture

Employees play a crucial role in guest satisfaction, productivity, and profitability in a food establishment. However, food safety should be the biggest priority for all employees. Companies should begin by creating a strong culture of food safety within the organization.

The Global Food Safety Initiative, for example, defines food safety culture as “shared values, beliefs and norms that affect mind-set and behavior toward food safety in, across and throughout an organization” (Global Food, 2018). The food safety culture of the establishment promotes proper food safety systems to protect the consumer.

Food employees must be provided the proper tools to ensure awareness, knowledge and understanding of how to protect food. Food establishments can do this by creating training programs for new hires as well as continuing food employees. Food safety training programs can be tailored to meet the needs of each food establishment and should include safe food handling practices, personal hygiene and the physical facility.

Empowerment

All food employees must take an active role in the training process. Learning to recognize hazardous and unsafe situations must be instilled in every food employee. Clear and open lines of communication between food employees and managers is crucial when hazards are identified. Working as a team to correct any safety deficiencies should be encouraged. Food employees should help others to follow safety food practices. When employees engage in the process, job performance and positive work culture thrive.

Once food employees have a solid foundation of food safety, empowering employees to make critical decisions about unsafe situations will foster a positive food safety culture. Employees will gain a sense of pride in their work, model correct behaviors to others and overall serve safer food. All food employees have a responsibility to protect the public and must remain vigilant, always prioritizing safe food practices.

Assessment

For an establishment to obtain a better understanding of their employee’s food safety barriers, employees are encouraged to complete the Center for Disease Control (CDC) “Food Safety Culture Assessment Form”, see Figure 1.

The assessment tool can help organizations to find strengths and weaknesses of the establishment’s food safety culture and employee’s commitment to serving safe food. The assessment form can be used over time to track the organization’s progress. Employee commitment, team commitment, food safety systems, tools, training, communication, and recognition are among the areas assessed.

Figure 1. CDC’s Food Safety Culture Assessment Form for Restaurant Workers

References

https://www.cdc.gov/restaurant-food-safety/php/practices/food-safety-culture.html

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362028X23065018