Steven M.R.
Covey keynotes virtual conference co-hosted by North
American Meat Institute
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 25,
2022 /PRNewswire/ - Maple Leaf Foods (TSX: MFI)
yesterday held its 12th Food Safety Symposium as part of
the company's commitment to facilitate food safety information
sharing and collaboration in the food industry with a goal of
creating a safer, healthier food supply.
With the theme How Measurement, Management and Transparency
Builds Long Term Trust Among Stakeholders, Maple Leaf Foods
partnered with the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) Protein
PACT in co-hosting the timely event.
The Symposium featured keynote speaker, Stephen M.R. Covey, author and co-founder of
CoveyLink and FranklinCovey Global Trust Practice. Calling trust
"the currency of our time," Covey said that trust is given in
response to displays of character and competence. He also shared
the elements and value of high trust organizations and cited
studies showing the connection between trust and high performance.
"Speed happens when people trust each other," Covey said, "and
nothing is as fast as they speed of trust."
"Today's leaders are expected to lead change with agility, and
to develop high-performing teams," said Covey. "It is trust that
turns a group into a team. Trust is the ultimate collaboration tool
and the linchpin of a collaborative partnership."
In addition, a panel of leading food safety experts shared their
thoughts about what can be learned from the industry's
non-competitive approach in creating Listeria Control Best
Practices and workshops and how these kinds of efforts can create
value and trust for stakeholders. "We all have the same goal and
that's public health — to make sure we're putting out safe,
quality, wholesome food to the public," said Sharon Beals, Chief Food Safety Officer at CTI
Foods. "I see a lot more collaboration and openness in the industry
... together we're smarter and that's how we improve."
"The non-competitive nature of the event — processors teaching
processors … it creates a tremendous learning environment," said
Jeremiah Johnson, Corporate Manager
of Regulatory Compliance, Food Safety and Sanitation at Hormel
Foods. "It's about impacting public health and us saying we can
come together to minimize the impact of salmonella in products. And
we're starting to do these things right now with NAMI's
support."
A second panel discussed the value of food safety audits in
encouraging transparency and continuous improvement. Panelists
agreed that how a company responds to a finding during an audit is
more important than the audit itself. "We don't live in a perfect
world," said Andrew Clarke, senior
director of quality assurance at Loblaw Companies Limited, adding
that companies must respond in an appropriate manner. Panelists
also noted that findings on audits can strengthen food safety if
these findings are viewed with an eye towards continuous
improvement. David Rasmussen,
director of quality at The Kraft Heinz Company said, "We want to
avoid situations where looking good replaces being good."
In the closing panel, Randy
Huffman, Ph.D., Chief Food Safety and Sustainability
Officer at Maple Leaf Foods; Julie
Anna Potts, President and CEO of NAMI; Jim Snee, CEO of Hormel Foods, and Michael McCain, Executive Chair of the Board and
CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, discussed the Protein PACT, its ambitious
visions and targets for 2030 and the increasing demand among
consumers for transparency.
Snee welcomed the increasing transparency that the Protein PACT
will bring to the meat industry and the opportunities for trust
building. "We often hear 'big food is bad.' We want to be GOOD big
food." McCain agreed: "Transparency is a central and defining
attribute of who we are. It's one of the secret sauces to
trust-building."
Next year's Maple Leaf Foods Food Safety Symposium date will be
announced soon. For information on food safety at Maple Leaf Foods,
visit:
https://www.mapleleaffoods.com/our-commitments/safe-food/
About Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. ("Maple Leaf Foods") is a carbon neutral
company with a vision to be the most sustainable protein company on
earth, responsibly producing food products under leading brands
including Maple Leaf®, Maple Leaf Prime®, Maple Leaf Natural
Selections®, Schneiders®, Schneiders® Country Naturals®, Mina®,
Greenfield Natural Meat Co.®, Lightlife® and Field Roast™. Maple
Leaf Foods employs approximately 14,000 people and does business in
Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The company is headquartered in
Mississauga, Ontario, and its
shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MFI).
Related Links: https://www.mapleleafoods.com
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maple-leaf-foods-presents-12th-food-safety-symposium-focused-on-trust-and-transparency-301659161.html
SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
