Welcome to Season 2 of ‘Off the Menu’. The focus of Episode 2 is unpacking the role and importance of leadership and commitment to supporting robust risk management practices. Tune in to listen to Peter and I talk about the – what, why and how of leadership and commitment. We also discuss:

* The importance of leadership and how that relates to section 5.2 of ISO 31000
* How to demonstrate leadership and management commitment in your business
* Thinking about problems in business
* Top-down approach to risk management success (not bottom-up)
* Good and bad examples of a committed leadership
* Developing your organisational policy
* Allocating resources to support risk management
* Resource accountability, responsibility and accountability
* Plan-Do-Check-Act
* The RACI Model
* The risk perspective of external stakeholders

 









Adapted Podcast Transcription
The following information provides the key concepts that both Pete and I spoke about in this podcast. Our conversation was inspired from an article that Peter published called “Leadership and Commitment in the context of the Risk Management Framework”.












Click to Read






The Role of Leadership
One of the most important roles that leadership can take on is by developing a solid and consistent commitment to good risk management practices.  Leadership is important because it is charged with writing and directing the policy of risk. This means determining what does ‘risk’ look like in the organisation.
Demonstrating commitment
It is one thing for management to say they’re committed to good risk management practices, actually doing so is a totally different matter. Leadership and commitment can be demonstrated by allocating resources. These include:

Human capital: Providing sufficient people to get the task done
Time: Providing enough time to effectively develop, implement and complete tasks
Finances: Nothing comes for free! Adequate financial resources and capital assets are required for all projects and compliance initiatives to succeed

Food Safety and Quality Policy
When top management designs these statements and policies, they should also be appropriately assigning authority, responsibility and accountability to all team members. Naturally, this acts as a tool which can help ensure that risk is effectively being managed throughout your organisation, not just at the top level. It can be especially helpful to work collaboratively with these people to garner feedback as part of your commitment to continually improving your risk management practices.
The RACI Matrix
The RACI acronym stands for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed.  For any policy, procedure or practice, there could be multiple people that have one of the RACI activities assigned to them. RACI is a really helpful tool especially if you are trying to implement or maintain a process in your business. You can start using this matrix by asking the following questions for each process in your business:

* Who is responsible for getting the process done?
* Who is accountable to getting it done?
* Who has been consulted to make sure that the process can be done?

Welcome to Season 2 of ‘Off the Menu’. Episode 1 introduces you to the ISO 31000 Standards, the guiding principles, and the risk management framework.  In this podcast Pete and I talk about:


* Why you should care about risk management
* Making choices around risk
* Aligning your business to risk management principles
* Continual improvement in the food industry
* Appetite for risk
* Positive impacts associated with risk
* The minimum level of compliance
* Implementing a positive risk culture
* Integrated systems
* Starting with food safety culture
* Understanding the ‘Why’
* Defining an acceptable level of risk in the business
* Customising your risk management approach
* Stakeholder input
* Levels of acceptable risk
* Evidence-based information to support decision making
* Reanalysis and reassessment of business systems
* Implementing a dynamic system
* Risk management framework
* Risk is a social activity
* Structuring the risk management process
* Who is responsible for risk?
* Completing a cultural risk assessment
* Examples for evaluating risk management 
* Key components of the framework











Adapted Podcast Summary
The following information provides a more structured account of the concepts that both Pete and I spoke about in this podcast. It has been taken from an article that Peter published called “Navigating Risk in our Time - Introduction to the Risk Management Framework”
We always have a lot of fun making the podcast so it will be useful to listen in to get real-life and practical examples of the risk management principles and framework.  












Click to Read






ISO 31000 Standard
The ISO 31000 Standard was introduced to give organisations practical guidance on how to manage their risk. This risk can be applicable in any aspect of your organisation, whether it be internal or external, current or prospective. Whatever the case may be, the Standard helps organisations customise their risk management practices to their wants and needs.
The guiding principles of risk management
These principles are the foundation and guiding light for our organisation’s operations and processes, as well as how they relate to our risk management practices and procedures. At the core of these principles is one uniting principle - the creation of value and protection of value.

* Continual improvement: this refers to how we leverage our learning experience/s to better develop and improve our current practices and processes.
Integrated: this refers to how well your practices fit within your organisation. Do your risk management practices fit well? Are they cohesive with everything else going on around it? Essentially, is it integrated
Structured and comprehensive: this refers to how well rounded your practices are. Good risk management practices are thorough, of which is usually achieved through a structured and comprehensive approach.
Customised: this refers to whether or not the practices you have are tailored to your organisation’s needs and objectives both internally and externally. Your strategic plan will be helpful here in addressing your objectives.
Inclusive: this principle creates a space for your key stakeholders to be involved with contributing to and developing your risk management practices. In particular, this involvement is to be in a timely manner so you can leverage your stakeholder’s knowledge to strengthen your practices.
Dynamic: this principle refers to the threats that may arise...

Becoming an expert food safety professional does not happen overnight. It can take many years of deliberate practice and dedication to the larger cause. In episode 9 of ‘Off the Menu’, tune in to find out what an expert is, their common traits and how much continuing education contributes to this level of mastery.

Becoming an expert food safety professional does not happen overnight. It can take many years of deliberate practice and dedication to the larger cause. In episode 9 of ‘Off the Menu’, tune in to find out what an expert is, their common traits and how much continuing education contributes to this level of mastery.

To become recognised as a proficient food safety professional, years of experience is needed along with an excellent grounding in the core skills and knowledge of you chosen food industry discipline. Tune in to Episode 8 of Off the Menu as we look at the required attributes, experience, knowledge, and skills of a proficient food safety professionals.

Becoming a 'competent' food safety professional is the next level above advanced beginner in building your career in food safety and quality. At this level your role and responsibilities increase as your experience and confidence build. Tune in, to Episode 7 of "Off the Menu", to find out more on what the ‘Competent’ level means in terms of knowledge, skills, attributes, and work experience.

The Advanced Beginner is the next level above novice in building your career as a food safety and quality professional. At this level supervision of activities becomes more limited. Tune in, to Episode 6 of "Off the Menu", to find out more on what the ‘Advanced Beginner’ level means in terms of knowledge, skills, attributes, and work experience.

The interview process for a job in the food industry can be daunting. Welcome to Episode 4 of Off the Menu. In this episode, we give you some practical tips to help ace your next food industry job interview.

The interview process for a job in the food industry can be daunting. Welcome to Episode 4 of Off the Menu. In this episode, we give you some practical tips to help ace your next food industry job interview.

There are many different places to look for a job or continue your career in the food industry. Welcome to Episode 3 of Off the menu. In this episode, we cover how to find food industry employment opportunities today. We've nutted out six places to focus on in this episode.

One of the questions I continuously get asked is “How can I do what you do?”. Welcome to Episode 2 of 'Off the Menu'. In this episode, we cover how your personal attributes can define your chosen career and how to start matching those attributes and your passion, to your preferred food industry-related job.

OTM 1: Follow the yellow brick road















Summary


Welcome to Episode 1 of Off the Menu. In our very first episode, we cover the backstory and start mapping the yellow brick road to success and satisfaction for those working in the food industry. HACCP Mentor and Peter Holtmann dive into career development for newbies and professionals working in the food industry. Listen in to learn about the skills, knowledge, personal attributes and work experience needed to map your food industry career path.


Episode 1 Highlights



The Off the Menu mission
Climbing the food industry ladder
Does Peter get bored easily?
Along comes Quality
Half A Chicken Chips and Pepsi
How to be an auditor
Assessing auditor credentials
Government inspectors actually know stuff
A chance meeting
Transitioning to self-employment
A purpose of protection
The art of the bribe
Flexibility is key
Passionate about promoting change
Good risk or bad risk?
The pathway forward










Listen to more episodes of Off the Menu








About Off the Menu
In the first season of Off the Menu, Amanda Evans-Lara and Peter Holtmann dive into career development for newbies and professionals working in the food industry. Listen in to learn about the skills, knowledge, personal attributes and work experience needed to map your food industry career path.

Completing a risk assessment for a compliance exemptionI regularly receive ‘how-to’ questions from people working in the food industry so the HACCP Mentor Ask Me! Series is all about providing answers to your food safety, quality and business compliance questions. To kick off episode 1, I am going to cover how to complete a risk assessment related to obtaining a compliance exemption. This is a requirement of SQF Requirement 2.4.2.1.JoAnn, who is located in Chesterfield, Michigan is about to
start her company’s annual assessments. The bakery business is certified to SQF
and JoAnn has asked for input into complying with SQF requirement 2.4.2.1.
Let’s firstly see what the standard requires before I get into how a food
business can comply.SQF Requirement 2.4.2.1SQF Requirement 2.4.2.1 – The site shall ensure the Good Manufacturing Practices described in modules 3, 4, 9, 10 or 11 (as applicable) of this Food Safety Code are applied, or exempted according to a written risk analysis outlining the justification for exemption or evidence of the effectiveness of alternative control measures to ensure that food safety is not compromised.What does it actually mean?The way the SQF code has
been written for these sections is that the clauses are based on an industry
sector. However, not all manufacturing sites in a particular industry
sector will undertake all of the stated GMP processes. For example, a business
might not have cold storage, so, therefore, they would not have to comply with
the requirements for cold storage. Unfortunately, the SQF reference to “applied, or exempted according to a written risk analysis” is not aligned to what we know as being a “risk analysis” as per ISO 31000. Because of this, the action to take may be confusing. In brief, all it is asking you to do is show due cause and document what is relevant to your business and what is not. How to comply with 2.4.2.1To satisfy compliance
with this clause:* List all of the clauses in a table  * Determine what GMPs are applicable to your food business (based on the requirements for your SQF Code Category). A simple Yes / No will suffice.* If you answer ‘No’ to any of these, provide the reason or justification why the clause does not apply.* If you answer ‘Yes’ to any of these, and your food business wants to implement an alternative control (from the one listed in the clause) you will need to state what that control is (keeping in mind the identification of the hazard that is trying to be controlled). The designation of an alternative control is where it starts to get tricky and triggers the need for a true risk analysis to be undertaken.Implementing alternative
controlsTo give you an example, Clause 3.6.5.2 states that “Processing utensils and packaging shall not be stored in areas used to store hazardous chemicals and toxic substances”. To comply with this, you would not store processing utensils and packaging where hazardous chemicals and toxic chemicals are stored. This makes sense to prevent chemical contamination of those utensils and packaging. Now maybe, by some
bizarre logic,

Have you ever had to manage social media during a food recall? Even though you may not have experienced a food recall, it may only be a matter of time. In saying this, preparation is key when it comes to managing your social media. Welcome to HACCP Chat where educational information and interviews are delivered to you in audio format. In this episode, I talk to Steve Heather from The Recall Institute about how to manage social media during a food recall.
In this HACCP Chat, Steve and I discuss:

* The science behind the Friday afternoon recall
* How to stop negative talk by your customers
* The impact of social media on your food business
* Integrating your incident management plan
* Damage to brand
* Online forums for social engagement
* Implementing a social media strategy
* Hepatitis A in frozen Berries recall
* The social media response time-frame
* Good and bad examples of social media response
* How do you know when someone is trashing your food business on social media

Links mentioned in this HACCP Chat
The following links and resources were mentioned in this episode:
The Recall Institute
Product Recall and Withdrawal System Template
Business Continuity Plan Template
Social Media Monitoring Tools
Previous HACCP Chat with Steve Hather
My top three takeaways to manage social media

* Social media strategy. You need to have a strategy that outlines the how, the when and the who of managing social media during a food recall. This is in addition to having robust incident management documented, implemented and maintained for your food business.
* Immediate response can be your saving grace. Keep in front of the media hype by responding to all comments and feedback in a timely and positive manner.
* Identify where the talk is. At a very minimum, set up a social media alert system that tells you who is talking about your business and where are they commenting.

Food Product Recall Training
If you are interested in learning more on how to develop, implement and manage your food recall program register your interest in our upcoming virtual training by clicking here.
Share your food product recalls experience
Do you have a systems in place to manage social media in your food business? Share your thoughts and experience with the HACCP Mentor community by leaving a comment below.
 

Food product recalls seem to daily occurrence around the world. Even though you may not have experienced one in your food business, it may only be a matter of time if you are not adequately prepared.  Welcome to HACCP Chat where educational information and interviews are delivered to you in audio format. In this episode, I talk to Steve Heather from The Recall Institute about the real cost of food recalls.
In this HACCP Chat, Steve and I discuss:

* The real cost of food recalls
* Food product recall risk assessments
* The strategy of food recalls
* Advertising food product recalls
* Brand damage
* Direct and indirect costs of food recalls
* Hepatitis A in frozen Berries recall
* The importance of product recall insurance
* Surviving a food product recall
* The importance of business systems to prevent food recalls
* Food recall training
* The difference between a crisis and a recall
* Attitude is everything
* The international standard for product recalls

 

Links mentioned in this HACCP Chat
The following links and resources were mentioned in this episode:
The Recall Institute
ISO 10393 Consumer product recall – Guidelines for suppliers
ISO 10377 Consumer product safety – Guidelines for suppliers
Product Recall and Withdrawal System Template
Business Continuity Plan Template
 

My top three takeaways

* Implement good systems. Like anything in the world of food safety and quality compliance, you need to have robust systems that have been documented, implemented and maintained for your food business.
* Food Recall Insurance. Review your current food recall insurance to see if you going to be adequately covered. Have a chat to your local insurance broker to have a review completed.
* Brand Protection. It is very hard to put a cost on the any brand damage that may occur if your business goes through a food recall.

 

Food Product Recall Training
If you are interested in learning more on how to develop, implement and manage your food recall program register your interest in our upcoming virtual training by clicking here.
 

Share your food product recalls experience
Have you ever been through a food recall? Did your food business survive? Share your experience with the HACCP Mentor community by leaving a comment below.
 

Food safety professional groups are the easiest way to get both food safety, HACCP and quality knowledge and support. They are a great way to help you increase your own skill base while hanging out with like-minded people who generally understand the ups and downs of this type of work.
Welcome to HACCP Chat where educational information and interviews are delivered to you in audio format. In this episode, I talk to Simon Timperley from the International Food Safety & Quality Network about the benefits of belonging to food safety professional group.
HACCP Chat – Episode 2
In this HACCP Chat, Simon and I discuss:

* The origins of the IFSQN
* How to get answers to your food safety questions
* Etiquette for food safety professional groups
* Putting the fun in food safety
* The value of soft skills for food safety professionals
* How to get people to do the right thing
* Getting started with group support

Links mentioned in this HACCP Chat
The following links and resources were mentioned in this episode:

* Wear your hair net photo competition
* Food Safety Live 2016
* Lynda.com
* Sher Consulting – Behavioral Based Food Safety

My top three takeaways

* Get involved. Go and register or join a food safety professional group or network. Even if you lurk for a while, you can definitely learn something.
* Be professional. Follow the community rules that have been set up. It is not a place to be placing SPAM or having a go at other members.
* Answer questions. If you have extensive knowledge or experience in a particular area, take the opportunity to share the love by giving back to the community.

Do you belong to any food safety professional groups?
Share your favourite professional groups with the HACCP Mentor community by leaving a comment below. You can also let us know what you like most about being involved.
 Food safety professional groups are the easiest way to get both food safety, HACCP and quality knowledge and support. They are a great way to help you increase your own skill base while hanging out with like-minded people who generally understand the ups and downs of this type of work.
Welcome to HACCP Chat where educational information and interviews are delivered to you in audio format. In this episode, I talk to Simon Timperley from the International Food Safety & Quality Network about the benefits of belonging to food safety professional group.
HACCP Chat – Episode 2
In this HACCP Chat, Simon and I discuss:

* The origins of the IFSQN
* How to get answers to your food safety questions
* Etiquette for food safety professional groups
* Putting the fun in food safety
* The value of soft skills for food safety professionals
* How to get people to do the right thing
* Getting started with group support

Links mentioned in this HACCP Chat
The following links and resources were mentioned in this episode:

* Wear your hair net photo competition
* Food Safety Live 2016
* Lynda.com
* Sher Consulting – Show more...