In order for a business to fully recognise food crime as a genuine risk to food defence, brand integrity, and profitability, it must consider the risk at a strategic level.
This page describes suggestions and considerations to open up the internal discussions necessary for businesses to recognise and mitigate food crime risk, the threats that come from it, and where vulnerability exists within the supply chain.
When considering critical business risks such as food crime, it is important that a business establishes its understanding of risk at a strategic level and identifies its intentions for management of such risks. This is usually captured in the policies under which a business intends to operate. Details of policy statements relating to food crime probably best sit within the food defence or food safety policies of the business.
When considering critical business risks such as food crime, it is important that a business captures its intentions within operating rules that provide clear and concise instructions as to how to operate across areas which may affect the business’s risk of food crime or vulnerability to fraud.
The control of critical business risks such as food crime make it important that a business clearly documents operating standards that provide the safest and most effective route to delivering the expected outcomes such as product quality, authenticity, and food safety.
Where risks such as food crime have been identified, then standards which consider specifications, documentation, inbound materials checks, sampling, and testing protocols for example, should reflect the food crime risk and be developed to consider and control that risk.
Once a critical business risk such as food crime has been considered and evaluated as a genuine threat to a business, it becomes important for it to develop a plan to reduce or remove risks. This should be supported by monetary investment, revenue budgets, or both. It may be that a business needs to invest capital to improve physical hardware, security, supply chain, or manufacturing equipment, or perhaps invest in more expensive materials with greater integrity or assurance.
Many businesses are subject to external assessment against food industry recognised operation standards such as Safe and Local Supplier Approval (SALSA) and Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard (BRCGS), or perhaps retailer standards if supplying retailers with own brand products.
With the establishment of best practices and operating standards (procedures), documented processes, and integrated information systems, comes the means to confirm all is working according to plan. A business, if not subject to external assessment, can choose how to challenge itself by both internal audits and by externally recognised accreditation standards.
These can be used to incorporate challenges in areas specific to the control and management of food crime risk in areas such as procurement practices, supply chain processes, inbound material checks, internal material segregation, recipe management, and any other process identified as critical to food crime risk.
Food businesses are generally far more successful in managing critical risks such as food crime when they invest time and effort into integrating systems they use to manage business critical processes.
The ability to integrate, information, preferably digitally, such as workflows, recipes, process control, specifications, supplier performance, and consumer feedback as examples, affords businesses far more robust and reliable information to make effective decisions.
The control of critical business risks such as food crime make it important that a business clearly defines processes that provide the safest and most effective route to delivering the expected outcomes such as product quality, authenticity and food safety.
Where risks such as food crime have been identified, then standards which consider material specifications, inbound materials checks, sampling, and testing protocols for example, should reflect the food crime risk and be developed to consider and control that risk.
The management of critical business risks such as food crime should consider clearly documented practices that provide the safest and most effective route to delivering the expected outcomes such as product quality, authenticity and food safety.
Where risks such as food crim have been identified, then those which have been proven to be best practices, considering materials specifications, inbound materials checks, sampling, and testing protocols for example, should reflect the food crime risk and be developed to consider and control that risk.
Once a critical business risk such as food crime has been considered and evaluated as a genuine threat to a business, it becomes important to provide trained, competent, and proportionate resources to ensure the risk is managed and outcomes remain successful.
Identifying a role or roles that lead the management of such critical risks together with objectives and targets for risk reduction is important. The roles will involve identifying those controls, monitors, and best practices most likely to maintain good performance, also roles that establish external reference to the supply chain through trade organisations and industry bodies.
The management of critical business risks such as food crime are less successful if they are considered 'functional' (the sole responsibility of a dedicated department) by a business. Where single functions or even individuals are given the responsibility to manage agendas, systems, processes, or deliver performance improvements without the support and engagement of areas of the business that may affect this critical risk area, performance improvements are much more challenging.
A far more successful approach is to recognise such critical risks as business risks, engaging a cross functional approach with shared objectives and collective responsibility for performance improvements.
