How Important Is Food Safety Training for Non-Food-Safety Workers?

Stricter regulatory oversight is coming, and it's coming quickly. The FDA is taking steps to bolster consumer safety by increasing inspection and enforcement of food safety regulations:

• Additional funding was requested to bring on more inspectors.
• New rules on Food Defense started being fully enforced in September 2024.
• New Food Traceability rules go into effect in January of 2026.

For many in the food safety profession, this has set off alarm bells: "It's time to ensure everyone's training is current so we don't get caught off guard." But does everyone really mean everyone? What about those in marketing, HR, finance, and all the other roles that aren't on the front lines of food safety?

How Important Is Food Safety Training for Non-Food Safety Workers?

A lot of food safety training tends to focus specifically on workers in food-handling roles at food-handling facilities. There might be some general training for managers and executives who occasionally have to visit these facilities, and maybe a broad overview for non-food-handling employees as part of onboarding. But outside of that, it's rare to see any training programs that reinforce food safety importance for employees who don't handle any food.

This is a tremendous missed opportunity. It may not seem like it, but expanding food-safety training to non-food-handling staff can be incredibly helpful for food manufacturers — both for improving their food safety culture and for achieving tangible business results in excess of what they could otherwise reach.

A Culture of Food Safety

At AIB International, we talk a lot about the "culture of food safety." It sounds nebulous, but it's a real phenomenon we notice inside companies that routinely outperform when it comes to consumer health. The easiest way to explain it is with a thought experiment: If an employee, any employee, witnessed a food safety violation at one of your facilities that they were not responsible for, would they bring it to someone's attention? Or would they ignore it and move on because it's not their  concern?

• Commitment from the Top:  Managers, VPs, and executives make their priorities and expectations clear.
• Empowered, Engaged Employees: Every employee feels like they're part of keeping food safety levels high.
• Responsibility and Accountability: Food safety is part of every performance review and operational goal.
• Clear Communication: All communication reinforces a commitment to food safety practices.
• Proactive Practices: Food safety is baked in from the start rather than tacked on at the end.
• Focus on Behavior: Training engages with actions and tasks, not just theory and process.
• Transparency and Proactive Focus: A level of trust is established that gives everyone a voice to raise concerns, even before they become violations.

Implementing these principles requires everyone to get on board; it's impossible to accomplish unless everyone is trained in food safety. Hitting all of these key factors also ensures that no matter how much regulations change or how strict enforcement becomes, your organization will be ready.

Food Safety Training Across Departments

Talking about food safety and a "culture of food safety" in the abstract doesn't give the nuts and bolts of why departments outside of manufacturing operations need to care, so it's useful to look at things on a department-by-department basis:

Human Resources

Hiring qualified food safety professionals is already difficult. An HR department that can't speak the language and posts generic job descriptions isn't going to make it any easier. When HR staff know the rules, they can better understand the needs and craft ads that reflect them. They can also do a better job of screening all applicants for food safety awareness and commitment.

Finance and Accounting

If a critical piece of food safety equipment breaks down or needs to be upgraded, a finance and accounting department can go from being an obstacle to an ally just by understanding the role a key piece of machinery plays. They can make better projections when estimating the risk of recalls and corrective actions and help formulate more effective plans for staying profitable while prioritizing safety.

Marketing

Consumers care a lot about food safety. Almost half are concerned about food safety while cooking at home, and their confidence in food safety oversight is declining. A marketing department that understands these concerns and what their company is doing to ameliorate them can go a long way toward distinguishing a brand from its competitors. When marketers can speak about food safety authentically, this imparts confidence in consumers, even if consumers themselves don't speak the language.

Operations, Facilities, and Maintenance

No one knows the ins and outs of your facility and equipment better than those who keep it clean and running smoothly. While it's common practice to train employees specifically responsible for production equipment and floor space in food safety, it's beneficial to extend food safety training to workers who don't have that as a line item in their job description. When combined with the transparency, trust, and empowerment of a true food safety culture, these employees can be a powerful first line of defense against problems.

Extending Food Safety Training Is Simply a Good Idea

Whether it's increasing the number of eyes on equipment and facilities, hiring better food safety personnel, or finding ways to turn food safety into an economic advantage, there are no downsides to extending food safety training beyond direct food-handling employees. All of it will help you to not just pass, but ace your next audit.

Don't leave your next food safety inspection up to chance. Get the food safety training you need from AIB International to pass with flying colors and ensure you're turning food safety into a true competitive advantage.