While employers across the food sector are starting to establish whistleblowing channels, the industry appears to be slow off the mark in the face of a number of food production scandals, not least the horsemeat scandal of 2013, claimed business development manager Chancelle Blakey.
“Add to this an increased awareness of modern slavery occurring within supply chains through forced labour – with one UK government statistic estimating 13% of all potential forced labour victims come from the food sector,” Blakey added. “We can easily see why both consumers and businesses are concerned.”
“The simple fact is having a whistleblowing service and anti-bribery and anti-food crime clauses in place within supply chain contracts should be one of the most basic elements of commercial arrangements.”
The case for whistleblowing
Blakey made a case for a robust whistleblowing system in most business employing more than 50 people.
“Regulators in the food sector have always highlighted the importance of having robust due diligence procedures,” she explained. “But often this is not enough, especially when many food manufacturers are still lagging far behind regulatory best practice.
“That’s why regulation is increasingly demanding food industry businesses become proactive in their preventative actions, which brings us to whistleblowing systems.”
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