Governance and Food Safety in International Food Chains

About This Course

The safety and integrity of food as it moves across borders, through multiple handlers, and into the hands of consumers has never been more critical — or more complex. Globalisation has extended food supply chains to span dozens of countries, regulatory jurisdictions, and cultural contexts, making governance and food safety management a strategic imperative rather than a mere compliance exercise. High-profile food safety incidents in recent years have demonstrated that a single weak link in an international chain can trigger product recalls, regulatory sanctions, reputational collapse, and, most critically, harm to public health.

This five-day programme, Governance and Food Safety in International Food Chains, is designed for professionals who operate at the intersection of food production, trade, procurement, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance. It provides a rigorous grounding in the international standards and governance frameworks that underpin safe food trade — including Codex Alimentarius, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, the HACCP system, and the regulatory requirements of major importing markets such as the EU, the USA, and the Gulf states. Participants will examine how these frameworks interact and how to build management systems that satisfy multiple overlapping requirements simultaneously.

Beyond technical standards, the course addresses the human and organisational dimensions of food safety governance: how to foster a proactive food safety culture, how to structure accountability across multi-tier supply chains, how to conduct and respond to audits, and how to manage food safety crises when they arise. Through real-world case studies drawn from sectors including fresh produce, processed foods, seafood, dairy, and animal feed, participants will gain insights that translate directly to their day-to-day professional responsibilities.

TrainingComplex has designed this programme to be immediately applicable. Every module combines conceptual understanding with practical tools, templates, and decision frameworks that participants can take back to their organisations and deploy from day one. Whether you are building a food safety management system from scratch, strengthening an existing programme, or preparing your organisation for international market access, this course will equip you with the knowledge and confidence to lead food safety governance effectively in a global context.

Who Should Attend

• Food safety managers and quality assurance professionals in food manufacturing, processing, or trading companies
• Supply chain and procurement managers sourcing food ingredients or finished products internationally
• Regulatory affairs officers and compliance managers in the food and beverage sector
• Government officials and inspectors involved in food safety regulation, border control, or export certification
• Agriculture and agribusiness professionals involved in export value chains
• Consultants advising food businesses on certification, market access, or regulatory compliance
• Audit professionals conducting second- or third-party food safety audits
• R&D and product development managers who need to understand the regulatory environment for new products

Learning Objectives

• Explain the architecture of international food safety governance, including the roles of Codex Alimentarius, the WTO SPS Agreement, and national regulatory bodies
• Apply the HACCP system to identify, assess, and control food safety hazards across a supply chain
• Interpret and compare major food safety management system standards, including ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, and BRC Global Standards
• Map regulatory requirements of key international markets — EU, USA, UAE, and others — and identify compliance gaps in existing operations
• Design and implement effective prerequisite programmes (PRPs) and operational PRPs as the foundation of a food safety management system
• Develop supplier governance frameworks, including supplier qualification, risk-based auditing, and ongoing performance monitoring
• Construct a food safety culture programme that engages staff at all levels and drives proactive behaviour
• Prepare for and manage food safety audits and inspections, including regulatory inspections and third-party certification audits
• Design a food safety crisis management and product recall plan aligned with international best practice
• Evaluate emerging risks in international food chains, including climate change impacts, food fraud, and digital traceability technologies

Course Modules

Requirements & Prerequisites

Participants should have at least two years of professional experience in a food-related field such as food production, quality assurance, supply chain, regulatory affairs, or agribusiness. A basic familiarity with food safety concepts such as HACCP or GMP is beneficial but not essential, as the course builds from foundational principles before advancing to complex governance topics. No prior certification in food safety management systems is required to attend.

Training Methodology

• Structured case study analysis of real international food safety incidents, examining root causes, regulatory responses, and lessons learned across sectors including fresh produce, seafood, and processed foods
• HACCP working groups where participants apply the seven-principle methodology to realistic food chain scenarios, producing completed HACCP plans as a tangible output
• Regulatory comparison workshops in which participants map the requirements of the EU Food Law, US FDA FSMA, and Gulf Cooperation Council standards side-by-side to identify alignment and gaps
• Supplier audit simulation exercises, including mock audit interviews and documented findings, to build confidence in conducting and receiving formal audits
• Food fraud vulnerability assessment using the SSAFE tool and horizon-scanning techniques applied to participants' own product categories
• Guided development of a food safety culture action plan, using self-assessment instruments and group discussion to identify practical improvement steps
• Interactive crisis management tabletop exercise simulating a product recall scenario, requiring teams to activate response plans and communicate with regulators and customers
• Peer learning discussions structured around participants' real organisational contexts, enabling cross-sector knowledge exchange and application of concepts to live challenges
• Template and checklist workshops where participants complete supplier qualification questionnaires, PRP gap analysis tools, and audit preparation checklists they can use immediately upon return

Organisational Benefits

• Reduced risk of food safety incidents, product recalls, and the associated financial and reputational damage
• Improved compliance with international regulatory requirements, enabling smoother market access and export certification
• Stronger supplier relationships built on clear governance standards and transparent performance expectations
• Enhanced readiness for third-party certification audits, reducing time and cost of achieving or maintaining certifications such as FSSC 22000 and BRC
• A more proactive food safety culture that reduces dependence on end-of-line testing and reactive crisis management
• Better cross-functional collaboration between quality, procurement, operations, and regulatory affairs teams
• Increased competitive advantage in international markets where buyers and retailers demand robust food safety credentials
• Capacity to anticipate and respond to emerging food safety risks, including food fraud and supply chain disruptions

Where Is Governance and Food Safety in International Food Chains Training Offered?

This course runs in-person across: Nairobi, Johannesburg, Kampala, Kigali, Nakuru, Lagos, Naivasha, Mombasa, Riyadh, Dubai, Abuja, Zanzibar, Cape Town, Kisumu, Pretoria, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Accra, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.

Upcoming Schedules

+237 more dates — view live schedule →

Frequently Asked Questions