In my opinion, Quality and Food Safety (QFS) aspects are often addressed too late in the innovation project timelines. This delayed attention frequently results in last-minute pressure to resolve issues that earlier integration could have avoided. In some cases, shortcuts are taken, forcing QFS and operation teams to work intensively to fix food safety problems just before product launch. At times, even the best efforts fall short of ensuring sustainable quality and food safety.
This highlights how QFS aspects are frequently relegated to operational teams, with managing directors, marketing, or sales leaders often overlooking the importance of involving quality and food safety experts in the discussions early in the first stages of the projects—not out of resistance but due to a lack of understanding.
Food industry commitments: Is the talk backed by the walk?
In an ideal framework, food safety is treated as a core priority, woven into every stage of strategic decision-making with proactive evaluations to identify risks and adapt to evolving challenges. While top management frequently emphasizes that food safety is their highest priority, the real measure lies in how consistently this commitment translates into action.
In many cases, food safety considerations are largely confined to operational teams, receiving modest attention at the strategic level. This approach leaves critical gaps in the Product Safety by Design process, exposing both consumers and companies to unnecessary risks.
Adopting a proactive approach is entirely attainable.
Many food companies adopt a reactive stance. Top-level attention is typically triggered in response to incidents such as recalls or consumer complaints. This approach overlooks opportunities to identify vulnerabilities at an early stage. A reactive approach to Product Safety by Design exposes food companies to significant risks, including costly recalls, regulatory non-compliance, and a loss of consumer trust and brand reputation. Ineffective considerations of food safety aspects throughout the product life cycle also lead to operational inefficiencies, such as wasted resources and delays, directly impacting profitability.
In a proactive framework, on the other hand, food safety is a strategic issue permeating all organizational levels. Management continually evaluates risks, monitors system health, and ensures alignment with updated regulations, technology, and market demands. Every stage of the product lifecycle presents an opportunity to challenge assumptions, assess performance, and reinforce a culture of food safety. Even minor failures are analyzed constructively to prevent recurrence, with insights shared across teams to foster collective improvement.
The reasons to overlook the health of Product Safety by Design process.
Here are a few reasons why food companies overlook the health of their Product Safety by Design process:
- Overconfidence in the status quo: Many food companies operate under the assumption that the absence of incidents signals effective food safety processes. However, this “good enough” mindset overlooks evolving challenges such as regulatory changes, shifting consumer expectations, and increasing supply chain complexities. Without continuous improvement, these companies risk falling behind.
- Certifications as a false sense of security: While certifications are essential components of food safety systems, they should not be treated as the ultimate goal. Organizations that view certifications as static achievements fail to recognize the need for ongoing evaluations and updates. Similarly, reliance on technology and automation without proactive human oversight leads to gaps in safety.
- Fear of Uncovering Weaknesses: Assessments of the Product Safety by Design process often uncover uncomfortable truths, such as outdated protocols, resource gaps, shortcuts in decision-making, or food safety compromises due to cost-cutting. Many organizations avoid these evaluations out of fear of the effort, investment, and organizational change required to address deficiencies, perpetuating a reactive culture.
- Lack of Cross-Functional Collaboration: Effective food safety management requires integration across functions like R&D, marketing, procurement, and operations. However, many organizations work in silos, prioritizing individual departmental goals over collective product safety objectives. This fragmented structure leaves food safety as the isolated responsibility of Quality and Food Safety teams, reducing overall effectiveness.
In an ever-changing world, the stakes are too high to wait for crises to act. Proactive food safety practices offer not only compliance but also a foundation for operational efficiency, consumer trust, and sustainable success. For food companies willing to invest in this approach, the rewards are far-reaching, more substantial business, safer products, and greater confidence in the systems that underpin them.
When was the last time you checked the health of your Product Safety by Design Process?
By Tülay Kahraman
December 09, 2024
