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Welcome to the February edition of EAS-e-News.

This month, we focus on what truly drives food safety performance when no one is watching. From building a culture that holds under pressure to understanding what auditors actually expect to see, this issue explores how systems, leadership, and everyday behavior shape real-world outcomes.

Together, our Issue of the Month and Under the Microscope feature examine how food safety culture moves from policy to practice, and why organizations that get it right perform better in audits, operations, and risk prevention.

Issue of the Month

Building Food Safety Culture When No One Is Watching

By Sebnem Karasu, EAS Consulting Group Independent Consultant

Food safety culture is not built in policies or posters. It is built in everyday decisions, especially when no one is watching.

In this Issue of the Month, EAS Independent Consultant Sebnem Karasu explores how real culture takes shape on the floor: through small, repeatable behaviors, clear systems, and leadership that makes the right choice easy. She shows why shortcuts under pressure reveal more than audits ever will, and how strong facilities replace “heroics” with habits.

If your culture is what happens when supervision disappears, this article will change how you think about prevention, accountability, and performance.

Under the Microscope

Food Safety and Quality Culture: What is the Auditor Looking For?

Reviewed by Justin Derington, Director of Auditing Services, FSNS Certification & Audit

As a member of the Certified Group and Food Safety Net Services, EAS clients have access to world-renowned testing laboratories that meet your organization’s sophisticated needs. In this column, you’ll hear about their capabilities, environmental challenges and more. We hope you’ll enjoy a look “under the microscope.”

Food Safety and Quality Culture is no longer a “soft” concept. It is a formal requirement across SQF, BRCGS, and FSSC 22000, and auditors expect to see clear, documented strategies that show how culture is established, measured, and improved. This article breaks down what auditors actually look for, from management commitment and defined processes to how sites evaluate success and close gaps.

Drawing on real audit experience, FSNS explains why upper management buy-in is often the deciding factor between strong audit performance and repeat non-conformities. You’ll learn how auditors assess culture in just four steps, what evidence matters most, and how organizations can move from intent to execution.

If you are preparing for certification or looking to strengthen your audit readiness, this piece offers practical guidance grounded in what auditors see in the field.

FDA and USDA Regulatory Updates

▪️FDA Publishes 2026 Foods Program Guidance Agenda: What Industry Should Know

▪️Bipartisan HEMP Act Aims to Create FDA Framework for Hemp-Derived Products

▪️FDA Records Access Authority for Cosmetics: Draft Guidance Now Available

▪️Durbin Introduces Legislation To Improve Transparency And Safety Of Dietary Supplements

▪️Amazon Tightens GMP / cGMP Requirements for Dietary Supplements

To help keep our newsletter attractive and engaging for our readers, you’ll now receive a separate edition mid-month featuring our EAS in Action events and activities. You’ll continue to receive EAS-e-News early each month!

Consultant Corner

EAS offers over 150 independent consultants strategically located around the globe whose expertise provide core value for clients.

Sebnem Karasu

EAS Consulting Group, Independent Consultant

Sebnem Karasu is a food safety executive and consultant with 25+ years leading compliance, validation, and due-diligence work across the U.S. and internationally. She builds and evaluates HACCP/FSMA/FSVP programs, prepares sites for GFSI (BRCGS/SQF) certification, and validates kill steps and microbial-reduction technologies for high-risk and low-moisture foods. Her portfolio spans spices, dry blends, RTE meats, pet food, and ingredients, with deep strength in supplier risk, authenticity, and CAPA/EMP implementation. Sebnem founded Karasu Consulting, previously led sterilization operations, and has guided private-equity and corporate audits pre- and post-acquisition. She serves as past-President of the Chicago Section IFT and is a former ASTA Board Member.