The paramount concern of the food industry and the food safety professionals who work in it is the moral commitment to the consumer, Andrew DeHont, Director Food Safety Compliance, Bimbo Bakeries USA, told the 10 graduates of the Management Development for the Food Safety/Sanitation Professional class Aug. 6 at AIB International in Manhattan, Kan.
“What sets us apart from different industries is that we make food. What we do every day people eat. And they trust us. Whether it’s Doritos in South America, or White Castle Buns, or Oroweat bread in the Northwest, people trust us,” DeHont said. “It doesn’t matter what it is. They don’t ask themselves, ‘Should I buy it? Is it going to make me sick? Or am I going to get injured? They trust us. We have a moral commitment to our consumers to make that happen. The trust factor is huge. We feed our grandchildren. We feed our parents. We feed our neighbors. We always have to remember that the thing that sets us apart from everyone else is we make food.”
DeHont said to fulfill this commitment, food safety professionals need four qualities:
- Passion—“Sometimes people think we’re crazy but in order to be successful you have to have that passion.”
- Dedication of purpose—“Think of it very broadly. My job is to guide, to educate, and to uphold values.”
- Courage of conviction—“You have to have the courage to go against natural roadblocks. You have to be tenacious and persistent.”
- Integrity—“Without personal integrity we’re lost. Call it falsification of documents, call it abdication of responsibility, or call it having blinders on. None of it is tolerable in our job. You have to havepersonal integrity about what’s right and then take steps to see that it’s done.”
DeHont closed by urging the graduates to “take what you’ve learned and make a difference. You can’t do it all at once. Pick your battles, be focused, take your passion for change and make it happen.”
The next four-week Management Development for the Food Safety/Sanitation Professional class begins Feb. 7, 2011.
Source: AIB International
