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organization. Thus leadership defines food safety safety culture requires employees to understand
culture of the organization. responsibility and accountability towards food safety.
EMPOWERMENT OF EMPLOYEE TEAM WORK
Above mentioned example is equally applicable for Team work is one of the very important ingredients
empowerment of employees along with leadership. in the recipe of of food safety culture of organization.
The food handler could stop and say something about Team work often results into developing good culture
noncompliance of jewellary policy by plant head only in the organization along with ensuring food safety.
because he felt empowered to do so. Empowering Example In one organization where I started food
and trusting the employees to take decisions and safety system implementation project, in kickoff
talk openly about food safety issues, problem solving meeting, director was mentioning proudly about
and continuous improvement is the key strategy for nearly 80% women food handlers and their excellent
ensuring food safety culture within organization. team work. In every step of implementation, I realized
Empowerment and trust of employees can be how true and important team work in implementation
achieved through transparency in communication of system in that organization was. While on the other
and supporting each other. hand if organization lacks the team work, developing
and maintaining food safety culture will be “impossible
ENCOURAGEMENT AND APPRECIATION task”.
The environment and culture of the organization,
the actions of top management should refl ect into AWARENESS AND TRAINING

encouragement and appreciation of employees. In Food safety culture is not a “fixed” formula or
one organization where I did project for food safety concept. It is a concept which has to be constantly
management system implementation, I observed evolving for better and better food safety culture in
a very good practice of giving award to employees the organization. Creating awareness by providing
who had done exceptional work in food safety or valuable trainings importance of food safety, will
contributed in problem solving and continuous motivate employees to learn and do better things
improvement. These employees then share their story contributing in continuous improvement and thereby

and actions with everyone in that award ceremony. refining food safety culture of organization. Trainings
By this kind of practices within organization, the about values of organization, benefits of ensuring food

person awarded feel appreciated and other hearing safety and ways and means to achieve food safety will
the story of awardees feel motivation and inspiration form a strong foundation for food safety culture of the
to do better things. When employee gets appreciation, organization.
they are more likely to follow rules and procedures, be
more adoptive to changes and will be ready for greater CONCLUSION
contribution towards food safety. They will always do While developing food safety culture within
much more and much better than expected. On the organization, these factors should be taken into
contrary if employees feel fear, discouragement and consideration which is responsible for creating
not appreciated, they will not feel responsible and strongest and deepest relationships of organization
accountable for their actions and the results of the and employees. If people started believing that the
actions. organization and top management is interested in
their well being, the foundation of the food safety
RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY culture strengthens.
The culture of the organization should be such
that every employee should feel the sense of his/ Thus when food safety culture foundation is strong,
her responsibility as well as accountability in case it goes beyond slogans, procedures, checklists and
something goes wrong. The trust and environment records and benefit the organization for proactively

in organization will make employees work with for food safety endlessly and effortlessly.
greater sense of awareness and understanding of
importance of food safety. Responsibility will see * Author is Consultant-NER, CSIR- Central Food Technological
if the activity assigned to the person is done or not Research Institute Former Managing Director, NERAMAC Ltd,
while accountability will ensure that the activity Ministry of DoNER, Govt. of India, Guwahati
is completed appropriately and effectively. Food

Food Marketing & Technology 13 September 2020