Internationalisation Within The Food Industry

A Luxury or a Necessity?

International ConferenceFood Safety and Regulatory Measures

August 17 Birmingham UK

Deborah Wortelhock

Internationalisation Crossing the borders?

What does this mean within the food industry?– New foods and production methods?– New people?

T Research Project

• Food Safety and HACCP training in the Food Industry.

• Are food handlers trained in line with customer and legislative requirements?

And more importantly:• Are the new skills/knowledge acquired from

the training being implemented in the workplace?

Food Industry Training

• LegislationFood business operators are to ensure:

Food handlers are supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters commensurate with their work activity.

Successful implementation of the procedures based on the HACCP principles will require the full cooperation and commitment of food business employees. To this end, employees should undergo training. EC No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.

• Customer Standards (Tesco, M&S etc.)

Pre-assessment

Courses

Implementation

Research Outline

Safe Food

500 Level 2

SnacksRestaurantSpices/saucesMeat ProcessorPrepared Vegetables

New KnowledgeConsultantAuditorTrainerPGCE

Research Project

Barriers

Cost

Time

Use?How

?

Need

?

LANGUAGE BARRIERS!

Why? How?

New People?

• The number of foreign-born people of working age in the UK has more than doubled from: 2.9 million in 1993 >6 million in 2013.

UK’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) conducted by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS)

How many are working?

• The data shows that number of foreign born workers has grown significantly in the last decade.

UK’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) conducted by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS)

• The increase in the share of migrant labour has been greatest among process operatives including food and drink, up from 8.5% in 2002 to 29.3% in 2013.

As discussed by Aldin et al. (2010)

What is currently available?

• Language - Availability of the courses - CIEH• The benefits drawbacks of language specific

training– Is there a place for this?– Is it important for training to be in English?

• Language - Implementation of training and new skills in the workplace

Methodology Rethink

• Classroom teaching using PowerPoint, visual aids.• All candidates given a copy of the training in their

own language• All encouraged to discuss throughout with piers• Ensured that in every group there was one person

who could translate• Assessment by class contribution exam and

working practice

Food Safety and YOU…..

You must do everything that you can to help

your company to produce safe

products

TAMIL

பா�துகா�ப்பா�ன நொ��றுக்குத் தீணி�காளை�

தயா�ரி�ப்பாதற்கு உங்கா��ன்

காம்நொபான�க்கு நீங்காள் உதவநீங்காள்

எல்லா�வற்ளை யும் காட்டா�யாம்நொ$ய்யா

வேவண்டும்.

Hungarian

Mindent meg kell tennie annak

érdekében, hogy segítsen az Önt

foglalkoztató cégnek egészséges

rágcsálnivalókat előállítani

Polish

Musisz zrobić wszystko, co możliwe, aby pomóc firmie produkować bezpieczne przekąski

Hindi

• आपको� वह सभ को छ कोरना� चा�हिहए जो� आप सरक्षि�त स्ना�क्स को� उत्प�दना कोरना� में� अपना को! पना को" मेंदद कोरना� को� लि$ए कोर सकोत� ह%

Gujarati

સુ� રક્ષિ�ત ના�સ્ત� ઉત્પા�દિ�ત કરવા� મા�ટે�

તમા�ર� ક� પાના�ના� મા�� કરવા� તમા�ર� શક્ય

એવા� તમા�મા બા�બાત� કરવા� જ જો�ઇએ

Exam

• Individually• Individually with translator• Collaboratively as a class• In groups with common native language

Result of exams

• Individually • Individually with translator• Collaboratively as a class• In groups with common native language

What did this show?

• Individually – blank exams • Translator – unworkable• Collaboratively – hidden• Group the overall results were improved• Importance of wrong answers• Basic literacy skills as well as language barriers

Did this impact on working practice?

• Food handlers were observed carrying out their work over a period of time

• Assessed on anything that they did that they had been trained not to do.

• Internal audits carried out• Key inspection areas included:– CCPs– PPE (wearing of and storage) and Hand washing– Canteen areas and toilets etc. etc.

Overall effectiveness of the Training

• Collaboratively – common native language• Industry specific – worked well time• Cost – can be overcome

• But just when you think that you have it sorted …………

Overall effectiveness of the training

• Little changed as systems were not set up for change

• FBO – resources/awareness – unaware of practices being carried out

• Leading by example? – very few bosses trained

• When bosses were trained things changed

Further work

• Ongoing – TACCP• Industry specific – Allergens• Levels 3 and 4

Thank you very much for listening

Any Questions?