What is Dairy RegTech and how does it work?

Dairy RegTech: working together to protect food safety

Dairy RegTech is an innovative program that acknowledges that a strong food safety culture results in better food safety outcomes. It also aims to better employ technology to optimize the capture, analysis and utilisation of food safety data generated by dairy businesses

Dairy RegTech supports DFSV’s efforts to safeguard public health through a robust regulatory framework. This approach recognises that food safety systems depend on the people who implement them, and importantly the food safety culture of a business.

While sites who transition to Dairy RegTech will continue to undergo compliance audits, these audits will be targeted to focus on areas that support better food safety practices and incorporate the other information gathered through Dairy RegTech.

Transitioning to Dairy RegTech is voluntary for dairy manufacturers. It is not yet available for dairy farmers.

 

Why did DFSV develop Dairy RegTech?

While the audit-based compliance system for Victorian dairy food has worked well over many years, DFSV and industry wanted to explore innovative approaches that were more proactive and collaborative. Together they developed Dairy RegTech, which enhances the current compliance and enforcement protocols and recognises and supports businesses that are focusing on food safety culture improvements.

 

What does Dairy RegTech involve?

Dairy RegTech involves four stages – Apply, Assess, Plan and Strengthen.

 

how it work application

1. Apply

  •     Site submits an application to DFSV via website
  •     Top-to-top meeting between DFSV and the site’s most senior business leader

2. Assess

  •     Site completes self-assessment survey, onsite interviews with senior leaders and focus groups with production staff/supervisors
  •     Site receives a food safety culture report based on responses

3. Plan

  •     Key staff attend a workshop where DFSV facilitates peer-to-peer learning, with the aim of developing an action plan
  •     Site develops an action plan reflecting insights from the food safety culture assessment
  •     Action plan is provided to DFSV for review, after which the site is recommended as a Dairy RegTech Adopter i.e. has completed the transition and moves to an alternate audit model

4. Strengthen

  •     Site is a Dairy RegTech adopter and can access:

            - Tailored and targeted DFSV audits

            - Ongoing food safety data analysis

            - Ongoing support from DFSV

            - Regular peer engagement

  •     DFSV works with the site to confirm what food safety data to share via the Dairy RegTech portal that will best fit in with their existing business practices
  •     Site uploads data to Dairy RegTech portal to inform next DFSV audit.
  •     Audits are informed by data shared by the site and focus on key areas of food safety risk
  •     The DFSV Culture Specialist works with the site on progressing actions identified in the food safety culture action plan, including identifying strengths and areas for improvement, linking behaviours and food safety impacts.


Who is involved at a manufacturing site?

  •     All staff complete an online self-assessment survey. This will take 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
  •     The most senior business leader ie. the CEO, Managing Director or owner of the company will need to allocate one hour for a discussion with the DFSV CEO at the beginning of the Dairy RegTech program.
  •     For each site there will need to be 3 key site staff who are involved throughout the assessment period (around 15 weeks). For a small site, one or two people may cover these roles. These are:
Site Contact

The senior leader for the site for Dairy RegTech. This role is critical for engagement and communication across the site and subsequent Dairy RegTech activities and actions. In smaller sites, this person may be the owner/operator.

Site Culture Contact

This is key driver of culture change who will liaise with culture specialists from DFSV to drive culture improvement initiatives at the site. This could be the same person as the Site or Data Contact or could be someone from the site with a HR background or interest. 

Site Data Contact

Works with the DFSV Food Safety Manager in discussing the data components of Dairy RegTech, preferably has autonomy for decision making e.g. Technical Manager or Quality Manager.

 

The diagram below outlines what’s involved at the various stages of Dairy RegTech:

 RegTech timeline

 

How can I sign up?

DFSV Manufacturer sites can apply to participate in Dairy RegTech, click here for more information

 

For a printable fact sheet about the use of food safety data in Dairy RegTech, please see:  Publication - What is Food Safety Data

 

logo without 2022

Joomla! Debug Console

Session

Profile Information

Memory Usage

Database Queries

Log Messages