Campden BRI calls for improvement after training study results show shortcomings

There’s a need to get the basics right and make more time for training, according to the findings of an annual food safety survey.

The eighth global food safety survey involved Campden BRI, Intertek Alchemy, BRCGS, BSI, Intertek, SGS, SQF and TSI.

Responses were received from more than 3,000 locations worldwide, covering a range of industries and company sizes. Nearly three-quarters of the participating companies were active in the food and beverage industry. Others were from related industries, such as agriculture, packaging, distribution, retail and food service.

Campden BRI said many companies were not adhering to best practice and settling for the bare minimum – a finding that has not changed much since the survey began in 2013.

The investigation covered areas such as the budget; amount of training; how training is delivered and reinforced; how training data is documented and managed; training goals, needs and challenges; impact of training; the role of supervisors; cross training; professional development; food safety culture; and advanced training technologies.

Top challenges
Paper documents for employee training are still used by almost a third of respondents, followed closely by Excel spreadsheets. Only a third used a learning management system or other IT solutions.

Nearly three-quarters agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “Despite our training efforts, we still have employees on the floor who are not following established protocols.” Campden BRI said this was one of the most worrying findings, especially as it had not changed in the last ten years.

The three biggest training challenges were scheduling time, resources and staff to manage training delivery, and documentation and leadership support.

Campden BRI said this list reminds us that to improve the situation there needs to be a clear commitment from business and senior management to devote sufficient time and resources to training and associated activities to ensure they are effective .

“Employees must be competent, but also confident, able to do the right thing, motivated/committed, and clear about expectations and responsibilities.”

Training reports
Only two in five used a training needs analysis or assessment to identify training needs, gaps and priorities for each employee.

More than two-thirds always or often used examples from their own production facilities, such as photos, videos and instructions, to ensure that the training reflects the environment in which employees will perform their work.

About half use continuous and updated analytics to assess training effectiveness and guide continuous improvement of training content. Only one in five has an established professional or career development program for production workers.

For emotional intelligence, virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality, less than one in ten indicate they are currently using the technology. However, a quarter are looking at AI.

About a quarter of respondents rated the quality of their overall training program as poor and said they could do better, while 60 percent said this was sufficient. More than a third think their training has no impact on staff retention.

Two-thirds of participants believe their training program has a positive impact on productivity, while one in five do not see a positive return on investment in such programs. More than one in five also has no clear vision for improving training next year.

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