Let there be Change

Hello fellow Food Biters,

We smell holidays!  And with less than two months till Christmas, the food industry is gearing up for one of the busiest times of the year.  Truth be told, we are pretty tired and in dire need of some R&R and no doubt, you are feeling the same.

This month we’ve decided to share some insights on managing change in your organisation.  We’ve dusted off one of our previous blogs from way back and included some useful tips on how to ensure a “safe” transition.

When we look at change in the light of our FSMS, it’s all about identifying changes that can negatively impact the integrity of our system.

We are all too familiar with the chaos that ensues when a key employee leaves the company and the implications of a “less than ideal” handover process. Hands up if you have recently changed a raw material supplier or switched to a new pest control service provider… These are typically changes that need to be formally addressed in your food safety management system.

Clause 6.3 of the ISO 22000:2018 standard is very clear about the need for a formal system to address these types of changes.  BRCGS and IFS literally touch on change management and reference events that would trigger a change but only ISO 22000:2018 stipulates that changes should be communicated and carried out in a planned manner.

As part of the formal change management system, the standard requires that the site considers:

1. The purpose and consequences (from a food safety perspective) of the change.
2. How to ensure the continued integrity of the system in the light of these changes.
3. Resources requirements to implement the changes.
4. The allocation and re-allocation of responsibilities where they are affected by changes.

We work for dynamic companies that encourage innovation and creativity and sometimes we change too fast, people are uninformed and our systems, our safety net for change, begin to fall behind.  The wonderful reality is that by design, our food safety management systems are there to help us manage change.

Next time the winds of change start blowing, remember to consider:

• Communication
• Planning
• Risk assessing
• And updating

Watch this space for some exciting news about our new course change management which is currently under development and will launch in January 2023!

In the meantime, head over to our website and see what other amazing training courses are on offer – on-site, public at a conference venue and even online too.

And remember, be the change you want to see in the world!

Food Bites Team