Food Protection Trends - November/December 2021 - 595

when a potential problem might threaten the safety of a product. In an analysis of food product recalls from 2004-2010 in
the U.S., UK and Ireland, most recalls (55%) were caused by operational mistakes such as incorrect labeling, presence of
an undeclared ingredient and contamination during the production process (12).
From a 2008-2009 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study of food recalls, Kheradia (8) noted that the root cause
of these recalls were traced to a lack of controls in labelling, suppliers, sanitation and processing, as well as deficiencies
in employee training and lack of environmental monitoring (8). Figure 2 provides the percentage of recalls attributed to
these causes.
Figure 2. Evaluating FDA Food Recalls with Sanitation as a Root Cause (8).
Figure 2. Evaluating FDA Food Recalls with Sanitation as a Root Cause (8)
Root Cause of Food
Recalls*
Percent of
Recalls
Lack of Label controls
Lack of supplier controls
Deficiencies in employee
training
Lack of sanitation controls
Poor Processing Controls
Lack of Environmental
Monitoring
57
37
24
17
13
9
The root cause of ~ 1/3 of FDA food product recalls
from 2008-2009 were related to cleaning and sanitation,
hygiene, and material-handling practices (8).
A panel of fifteen, nationally recognized food safety
experts, conducted an elicitation study to evaluate the
frequency and severity of food safety risks in the food
processing industry (13). The panel determined the top
ten food safety problems in five industry sectors and
three different plant sizes (13). The expert team determined
that problems such as deficient employee training,
contamination of raw materials, poor plant and equipment
sanitation, poor plant design and construction, no
preventive maintenance, difficult to clean equipment,
post process contamination at the manufacturing plant,
contamination during processing, poor personal hygiene
and incorrect labeling and packaging were of concern
(13). The lessons learned from reviewing and evaluating
food recall information and other related studies, clearly
indicate that most food safety incidents are caused by
failures in GMPs, and are rarely caused by food safety
system failures.
A global food safety training survey, by Intertek/
Alchemy, Campden BRI and several other international
organizations of 1,200 food manufacturing facilities
representing many industry sectors was conducted in
January/February 2020, pre-COVID (7). The study, the
sixth conducted since 2013, determined that the largest
number of training deficiencies noted during audits were: lack of understanding by employees, lack of/late refresher
training and inadequate/incomplete training of visitors and subcontractors, incomplete employee training records and no
training was given in specific key areas (7). In the survey, it was also learned that the reason employees don't follow food
safety programs consistently is that they have bad habits, prefer to do things " the old way, " follow the direction of other
employees, were not engaged and didn't remember the training (7). It is clear from these and other studies and surveys,
that there is a real pressing need to address the inadequate education and training of food workers to prevent foodborne
illnesses and product recalls. Unconsciously competent workers are the vital link between GMPs/Good Retailing Practices
(GRPs)/Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and food safety.
When we think about organizational excellence, several core values and interrelated concepts that are key components
of Baldrige Performance Excellence Program (11) come to mind. High-performing organizations, including worldclass
companies in food and other businesses, often possess these core values and attributes. The following core values
and concepts are from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Baldrige Performance Excellence
Program website (https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/core-values-and-concepts) (11).
Visionary Leadership. Leaders establish a vision for the organization, create a customer focus, demonstrate clear
and visible organizational values and ethics, and set high expectations for the workforce (11). Innovative and progressive
leaders, who are forward thinkers and trailblazers, who surround themselves with dedicated people, and can propel their
companies to new heights. Leaders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Irene Rosenfeld, Jeff Bezos, Indra Nooyi and many others
whose innovations and visionary thinking have lead their companies to success.
Valuing People. High performing companies value their workforce members and other people who have a stake in
the organization, including customers, community members, suppliers and partners, and those affected by its actions (11).
Customer-Driven Excellence. Since customers are the ultimate judges of company performance and the quality
of products and services, organizations must consider all attributes that contribute to customer satisfaction, loyalty and
success (11).
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https://www.nist.gov/baldrige/core-values-and-concepts

Food Protection Trends - November/December 2021

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