31 March 2021
Webinar 2
Operation of a food distribution center
Report
Flavour aims to support a diverse group of mentors and coaches
working in the food surplus sector in UK and Belgium. The first webinar
was dedicated to food safety and handling. This 2nd webinar focused on
the management and operation of a food distribution center in general.
How can we create an effective work environment for people far from the
labour market?
Fareshare Sussex, an established
Food distribution center in the Sussex region presented their
operations. Emily (warehouse manager) shared her experience of running a
busy warehouse, managing 50 to 120 volunteers. Food distribution
entails lots of paperwork, food safety rules, practical rules. How do
you make sure every volunteer knows and adheres to the rules and
processes?
The key message – learning point – is to always allow enough induction time for a new volunteer and explain ‘WHY’ certain
procedures and paperwork exist, in other words why things need to be
monitored and recorded. An example could be a particular document that
is a legal requirement and is used for auditing purposes. The other key
learning point is the constant ‘REPETITION’ – reminders of ‘all the necessary legally binding procedures.
“It is vital to explain why a certain process is necessary and what is the implication of ‘not doing it’”
In
the words of Emily ‘It is vital to explain why a certain process
(paperwork or action) is necessary and what is the implication of ‘not
doing it’. An example Emily provided: Proper temperature control is the
single most important measure in preventing food poisoning and therefore
must be strictly controlled. If the temperature of a fridge/freezer is
not recorded – it means that the food must be thrown away. Explaining
the ‘WHY’ helps volunteers to feel part of the bigger picture and comes
with a sense of responsibility and accountability.
Esmee
(Marjon Uni) built on Emily’s presentation and presented different
strategies to create supportive environment on the workfloor. One
important element is giving effective feedback, using the BIFF model
(Behaviour, impact, future, feeling). It’s an effective model that can
be used for positive actions and also for those that require corrections
(change).
The Belgium project partners (Herw!n, VIVES Hogeschool and Vonst)
delivered a comparable webinar to all the Dutch and Belgium partners,
collaborators and other food (surplus) processing or distributing
organisations.
The webinars
are part of the FLAVOUR project which aims to create socially innovative
business models to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of
services dealing with food surplus whilst creating jobs/pathways to
employment. The webinars are to foster cross – border learning and
engagement and create a platform for sharing knowledge and resources;
with the aim of supporting mentors/coaches and organisations in their
work with people far from the labour market in the food ‘surplus’
sector.