CJ CheilJedang said on the 30th it had its "global food safety leadership" capabilities officially recognized by BRCGS, a global food safety standard operating body, and LRQA, an internationally accredited certification body.
According to CJ CheilJedang, the evaluation reflects high marks for being the first in Korea to introduce a "global food safety culture assessment program" and fundamentally improve the organization's overall makeup. The key point is that it shifted the entire organizational culture—including employees' awareness and behavior and the on-site atmosphere—to focus on food safety.
To mark the occasion, an event to share food safety culture outcomes was held on the 27th at the CJ CheilJedang Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by Kang Min-su, head of food production support, and Park Cheon-ho, head of global quality innovation, as well as Ray Jin, BRCGS head for North Asia, and Lee Il-hyung, LRQA CEO.
CJ CheilJedang said this is the first case in which BRCGS has officially recognized a Korean corporations' food safety culture achievements. BRCGS is a leading global food safety standard used as a supply criterion by major retailers in Europe and North America and enjoys high credibility in international markets.
CJ CheilJedang determined that an education- and inspection-centered management approach alone had limits in driving tangible change on the ground. In August last year, it introduced BRCGS's food safety organizational culture assessment platform, Food Safety Culture Excellence (FSCE).
Through FSCE, it conducted a multifaceted analysis of organizational strengths, weaknesses, and areas needing improvement, and enabled comparisons with the global industry average. Based on this, the company said it became possible to establish a more systematic food safety improvement strategy.
It also carried out optimization tailored to domestic organizations. By fine-tuning the survey questions to reflect Korea's organizational culture and work environment, frontline employees could clearly understand the intent of the questions and respond.
A survey of about 4,700 executives and employees specifically identified each organization's characteristics and improvement tasks. Based on this, on the 15th, it held a workshop at the Nonsan plant to discuss implementation plans and began full-scale improvement activities.
CJ CheilJedang is accelerating the spread of change by selecting "food safety culture ambassadors," focusing on organizations directly involved in food safety. The company plans to expand these activities companywide so that all employees naturally put food safety values into practice in their daily work.
A CJ CheilJedang official said, "This is the result of our proactive efforts to establish a food safety culture," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our global top-tier food safety leadership."