You already know that Food Safety Policies don't

equal Food Safety Culture. 

That's why you're here. 

While Food Safety Culture should start with top leadership support, it doesn’t always appear to start there.  Before we go too far, let’s not forget, top leadership believes their Food Safety and Quality Teams are ready and able to lead food safety culture through writing policies and programs to mitigate risks, protect consumers, and protect their brand.  After all, that’s why top leadership hires Food Safety and Quality professionals.

What those top leaders fail to realize is that writing food safety policies and programs won’t change their culture. 

Top leadership may not always see how heavy the responsibility of food safety is to carry.  It’s crazy to think one person, or one team, can be an expert on everything from HACCP to food defense to training to distribution and everything in between.  On top of that, top leadership assumes Technical Experts are Technical Leaders that can effectively take care of direct reports, collaborate effectively, and influence appropriately.  That’s not always the case.

Technical Leadership requires a different skill set than being a Technical Expert.  In fact, Technical Leaders require a different skill set than Operations, Finance or any other department.  WHY? 

Because Technical Leaders are influencers.  

They have direct authority over very little, and recommend often.  Because of this status, the Technical Team can often be overlooked and underserved by development programs typically sponsored within the organization.  On top of that, Technical Teams are often relatively small compared to the overall organization; therefore, they are not always included in strategic business management activities like succession planning that are critical for growing food safety to support business growth. 

Let’s be clear - Technical Experts CAN BE Technical Leaders with the right development programs and support.  

Yet too often Technical Experts are constantly fighting an uphill battle driving change and hoping everyone will understand the importance of food safety as they haven’t transformed into Technical Leaders.  This cycle happens over and over, leading to burnout and turnover, taking a toll on morale (and food safety culture!).

You probably aren't surprised to learn there's a 2.5 times higher turnover rate for managers within the food and beverage industry compared to an industry average of 10%.  

Surprised?  We didn't think so. 

What if there was a different way to help equip your Technical Team to shoulder this burden and protect your organization in food safety & quality? 

We don't train.  We coach. 

At Catalyst, our people-focused approach to transforming technical experts into technical leaders delivers results that matter and change that lasts.