LONDON, 2016-May-19 — /EPR Retail News/ — BRC Global Standards has today announced the launch in June of a new voluntary module assessing food safety culture.
The module is being offered in partnership with Taylor Shannon International (TSI), industry leaders in the fields of food safety, management, education and organisational culture. Drawing on decades of academic research, combined with TSI’s workplace research in food safety management, the module was developed in order to offer a simple, cost-effective way for manufacturers to receive a food safety culture assessment at the same time as their annual audit, with this exclusive new product available to all sites choosing food safety certification with BRC Global Standards.
The Food Safety Culture Module offers many benefits for manufacturers, specifiers and the wider industry. Culture is often considered a broad or blurry concept, but this assessment provides a way to evaluate food safety culture, identify areas for development, and measure the success of changes over time as a company’s culture evolves.
It involves two questionnaires, one completed by employees, and the other by the external auditor following the audit. With answers measured across four categories: people, process, purpose and proactivity, the results provide both manufacturers and specifiers with a tool to evaluate site culture, and an Assessment Report with clear, actionable findings.
Food safety culture is a growing focus in the industry, and this module delivers thorough analysis and insight into working culture; complementing existing food safety programmes with valuable understanding of a site’s culture and areas for action. It is a unique way of measuring food safety and complements the existing Standard, giving a more in-depth understanding of the site and its staff. This visibility highlights areas for investment and facilitates improvement, providing the potential for a more food safety focused workforce, targeted training programmes, and greater operational insight.
David Brackston, BRC Global Standards Technical Director, said: “We are delighted to be working with Taylor Shannon International to offer this industry leading assessment of food safety culture. We’ve seen considerable interest in the module when presenting it to BRC Global Standards sites, conference delegates, certification bodies, and auditors, and look forward to being the only GFSI-benchmarked scheme to offer this tool to the food safety industry.”
Notes to Editors:
About BRC Global Standards
BRC Global Standards are the world’s biggest provider of safety and quality standards programmes for food manufacture, packaging, storage, and distribution. BRC Global Standards are generated with the help of technical specialists, retailers, manufacturers and certification bodies from around the world, so everything is based on practicality, rigour and clarity.
For more information please visit http://brcglobalstandards.com/CultureExcellence.aspx
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