top of page

The Real Challenge in Food Safety Isn’t What You Think (What Was I Thinking? )

Writer's picture: Darin DetwilerDarin Detwiler

Updated: 6 days ago

Are you seeing the forest through the trees?
Are you seeing the forest through the trees?

In January 2025, Global Food Safety Resource posted on LinkedIn a  simple question: “What’s the biggest issue food safety professionals need to watch out for in 2025?” I posted a brief list of items that came to my mind.  Then I questioned my post:


  • What was I thinking when I came up with this list of challenges?

  • Why did I not focus on other challenges?


and decided to dive deeper.


There is no shortage of pressing issues in food safety today. The rise of new pathogens, labor shortages in food production, and the relentless pressures of inflation squeezing food safety budgets are all real and urgent concerns. Yet, when I step back and look at the bigger picture, I keep coming back to one fundamental truth:

 

The greatest challenge in food safety

is not any single crisis,

but rather the mindset that allows these crises

to keep happening.

 

Too often, food safety is treated as a regulatory hurdle, a series of check-boxes, a legal requirement that companies must satisfy to stay in business. But compliance alone does not equal consumer protection. Meeting the bare minimum doesn’t prevent catastrophe; it merely defines the lowest acceptable level of risk.

 

This is why we continue to see food safety failures, even in some of the most well-established companies with decades of experience. The recalls of 2024 were stark reminders that food safety isn’t just about following the rules - it’s about understanding that the rules themselves aren’t enough.

 

Compliance should be the foundation,

not the finish line.

 

The real work happens beyond the regulations: in the systems that organizations build, the cultures they foster, and the leadership they demonstrate when no one is watching.

 

Food safety professionals today must operate in an increasingly volatile environment. The supply chain is a minefield of vulnerabilities, where a single weak link - an unvetted supplier, a lapse in sanitation protocols, a failure in communication - can trigger a crisis. Climate change is altering agricultural patterns, geopolitical instability is disrupting supply chains, and economic pressures are forcing difficult decisions about costs and risk management. Food safety cannot be approached with a reactive mindset. It demands anticipation, investment, and unwavering vigilance.

 

The companies that are truly leading in food safety today are those that refuse to settle for the bare minimum. They leverage artificial intelligence and digital tools to enhance traceability and predict risks before they escalate. They invest in recall readiness, ensuring that if something does go wrong, they can act swiftly and transparently to protect consumers. They build company-wide food safety cultures, where responsibility is shared across every level of the organization - not confined to compliance officers or quality assurance teams. These organizations recognize that food safety is not a department; it is a way of doing business.

 

And yet, we don’t talk enough about those who are getting it right. In an industry where the spotlight often shines brightest on failure, the Herculean efforts of those who prevent crises before they happen often go unnoticed. We don’t celebrate the food safety leaders who fight every day to close the gaps, to push for better technology, to advocate for stronger policies, and to create cultures where safety is a shared mission rather than an obligation. But they are the ones who ensure that recalls don’t happen, that outbreaks don’t make headlines, that families never have to ask why the food they trusted made them sick.

 

The challenge, then, is not just preventing failure but also recognizing and valuing success. It is easy to criticize when things go wrong, but harder to appreciate the unseen victories—the contamination that was caught before reaching consumers, the risk that was eliminated before it became a crisis, the policies that were strengthened before they were tested by disaster. This is why leadership matters.

 

True leadership in food safety

is not about reacting to problems

but about preventing them

before they ever have a chance to emerge.

 

True leadership is about creating organizations where people at every level - from executives to factory workers - understand their role in protecting public health. It is about providing teams with the right tools, the right training, and the right resources so that they are not just meeting standards but exceeding them.

 

And true leadership is about acknowledging that the cost of doing nothing is simply too high. Not just in financial losses or regulatory fines, but in the trust that is shattered, the brands that are tarnished, and - most importantly - the human lives that are put at risk when food safety is treated as an afterthought.

 

This is why I focused on these challenges. Because every other issue -pathogens, labor shortages, economic pressures - comes back to leadership. Those who lead with vision and commitment understand that compliance is just the beginning. They invest in people, in technology, and in building cultures that make food safety an unshakable priority.

 

To those leaders, I say:

 

Your work does not go unnoticed.

Your dedication makes the difference

between a food system that merely reacts

and one that truly protects.

And in an industry where the greatest successes

are the ones no one ever hears about,

know that your impact is measured not in headlines,

but in the millions of lives safeguarded every single day.

77 views

Comments


Darin and Gennette

Our mission is to support a stronger future legacy of food safety through insightful content to inform and educate.

Our goal is to bring authentically personal voices to inspire courage and highlight the expertise of prominent figures in the field of food safety ensuring that crucial messages reach the audiences that need them most.

 

Feel free to reach out to us for any inquiries or collaborations at pepnexusinfo@gmail.com

© 2024 by PEP Nexus, LLC. All rights reserved.

bottom of page