Navigating food safety with Prashani Jayasooria: Insights from an expert trainer
Navigating food safety with Prashani Jayasooria: Insights from an expert trainerWelcome to the next in our series of Q&A sessions with our excellent trainers. As our Food Safety Management Systems Lead Auditor and HACCP Fundamentals course approaches, we’re excited to share insights from the trainer delivering the course, Prashani Jayasooria.
Read on to get Prashani’s insights on ISO standards, training, and auditing.
Understanding Food Safety Management Systems
RTP: Can you explain what ISO management systems are and why they are important?
Prashani: ISO Management system standards help organisations to manage their processes to get the best outcome for the company as well as for the stakeholders; i.e: customers, employees (Health & Safety) or environment.
RTP: How do ISO standards contribute to an organisation’s overall performance?
Prashani: ISO management systems drive continual improvement within the organisation.
Common misconceptions and key benefits
RTP: What are the most common misconceptions about ISO certification?
Prashani: A common misconception is that to achieve ISO certification, a company needs to maintain extensive documentation. The standards are a lot more pragmatic and flexible than many people think.
RTP: What are the key benefits for an organisation to become ISO certified?
Prashani: The benefits include increased customer confidence, a competitive advantage during tender responses, and compliance with standards that require continual improvement.
Insights from a trainer’s perspective
RTP: What is the most rewarding part of being an ISO management systems trainer?
Prashani: The most rewarding part is knowing that you are able to share your experience with others to improve their management systems.
RTP: Can you share a success story where your training significantly impacted an organisation?
Prashani: After delivering an in-house Lead Auditor training session to a company, they mentioned that their whole perspective on external audits had changed. They now understand and appreciate external audits more.
RTP: How do you tailor your training programs to different learners’ needs?
Prashani: I try to use examples that anyone can relate to. I make sure I understand the different industries and roles that people in the course come from, and pull examples and scenarios to suit.
RTP: What are the most challenging aspects of training people on ISO standards?
Prashani: One challenge is getting people to understand that standards are generic and not specific to their industry – they’re designed to apply to everyone.
RTP: How do you stay updated with the latest developments and changes in ISO standards?
Prashani: I stay updated by following ISO Standards via LinkedIn and receiving notifications from auditor certifying bodies such as Exemplar Global and IRCA.
Auditing challenges and advice
RTP: What are the most common issues you find during ISO audits?
Prashani: Common issues include auditees not understanding the standard requirements or having minimal exposure to the standards.
RTP: How do you approach auditing an organisation with no prior ISO certification?
Prashani: I let the organisation know that they are the experts in what they do and invite them to help me understand how they meet the ISO standard requirements.
RTP: What advice would you give to an organisation preparing for its first ISO audit?
Prashani: Get some training on the standards you are intending to get certified in. (And RTP Training is highly recommended!)
RTP: How do you ensure impartiality and objectivity during an audit?
Prashani: Impartiality is maintained by basing the audit on objective evidence that has been verified. I also make sure to remain professional with all of my auditees, and to flag any potential conflicts of interest, whether actual or perceived, early on.
A career in food safety
RTP: What inspired you to pursue a career in ISO management systems?
Prashani: It was a coincidence. I was working as a food chemist with a multinational certification body, and they used to take me as the technical expert when auditing food manufacturing companies. My interest in auditing started from there.
RTP: What has been your most memorable experience as an ISO trainer/auditor?
Prashani: One of my audit findings led to a product recall. The Managing Director thanked me during the closing meeting, saying that the voluntary recall avoided a legislative recall that would have been costly.
RTP: How do you handle resistance or pushback during training or audits?
Prashani: During audits, I always refer back to the standard requirements or audit criteria.
RTP: What qualities do you believe are essential for someone in your field?
Prashani: Being open-minded and having the ability to listen to others and their interpretations.
RTP: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Prashani: Meeting different people and observing new processes.
Prashani’s insights underscore the importance of effective practices and the benefits of management systems and ISO certification. By engaging with the standards and understanding their practical applications, organisations can ensure they maintain the highest levels of safety and quality in their food production processes.
Thank you to Prashani for her time and participation in our Q&A series.
Further reading
Read our Q&A with Pat Horigan
Read our Q&A with Micheal Martin
Read our Q&A with Claire Bingham
