Four Communication Superpowers to Level Up Your Food Safety Culture

Originally published in Meatingplace.

In a world of turnover, busy-ness and leadership gaps, maintaining a strong food safety culture can be daunting. In the headlines, food safety is a near-daily feature. From recalls to adulterated product and from foodborne illnesses to regulatory action, food manufacturers understand the spotlight is on. That’s why engaging employees in food safety performance requires both clearly defined expectations and a commitment to doing what’s right – even when it’s not easy.

So how can food safety and quality assurance leaders get ahead? The answer lies within effective internal communications. And while there are dozens of things that contribute to a positive food safety culture in a food production environment, four communication strategies in particular can make the difference.

1. Connect to purpose: Help your team see clearly and consistently the rewards of safe food production. Show them the “why” of producing safe food. Remind them that their families, friends and customers are enjoying the foods they’re producing – and why safe food is the obligation and the responsibility of your organization. Don’t just talk about processes and protocols, feature photos of employees and their families enjoying the company’s food. Share food safety practices through storytelling to build a deeper understanding across the organization. Connecting through purpose is a powerful tool in the food safety culture.
2. Build in company values: Embed food safety in your business by connecting it to your core values. Define for your workforce how the company’s values connect to employees’ own values. But a word of caution – make sure your leaders and managers are walking the walk – not just talking. Values only work if they’re lived inside your organization, which shows up in behavior, not a poster on a wall. Whether the values center around quality, responsibility, stewardship, integrity or transparency, there’s a place to bring food safety into the conversation. Values are key to breaking down silos between departments responsible for quality and safety, as they transcend individual teams and divisions.
3. Drive meaningful communication by mid-level leaders: Multiple studies show that frontline workers want to receive information from their immediate managers and supervisors – not from a company leader. And yet, companies often fail to provide communication training and tools to those most trusted to teach and support employees responsible for food safety measures. Building an army of effective communicators in the middle ranks of your organization delivers higher levels of employee engagement, leading to better outcomes across all areas of production. Ensuring managers have and know how to use message points about a company’s food safety programs and how to recognize and reward food safety habits creates space for relationship-building and promotes food safety accountability at all levels.
4. Reinforce food safety standards on multiple channels: Don’t just “do” food safety – “be” food safety every day. Integrate it into employee spotlights on intranets, websites or social media platforms in multiple languages. Share food safety commitments to current employees with the same rigor and intention you give to training new team members. Reward positive food safety outcomes – and empower and reward those who raise concerns before there’s a problem. Create “safe” and accepted feedback loops that ensure you can recognize those doing it well and address any issues swiftly.

Within food production, all roads to retention, effective regulatory compliance, and purpose-driven work begin with a deep commitment to a robust and focused communications strategy. Well-defined communication can scale employee engagement, team involvement, trust, learning and empowerment. And it can and will deliver stronger food safety outcomes across food production.