Welsh food manufacturers leverage root cause analysis

With the help of the Welsh Government’s Helix Programme, formerly known as Project Helix, three Welsh food and beverage industries have benefited from root cause analysis training.

With Welsh Government support, the Welsh Pantry in Llantrisant, Kepak in Merthyr Tydfil, and Beacon Foods in Brecon have all received customised on-site training from Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Zero2Five Food Industry Centre.

Root cause analysis is a problem-solving tool that enables food manufacturers to investigate the underlying causes of potential food safety management issues and put in place permanent solutions that prevent problems from reoccurring. 

Food safety management experts from Zero2Five developed bespoke root cause analysis workshops that were delivered on site to each of the three companies. Delegates from across each organisation attended the training, including technical, engineering, production and training team members. 

Each workshop included interactive activities looking at the fundamentals of root cause analysis, a practical case study using a hypothetical scenario, and a real-life example from each company that looked at how root cause analysis could be applied in practice.  

As a result of the support, over 90 members of staff were trained in how to carry out root cause analysis. Using the investigative tool has many benefits for manufacturers, including driving continuous improvement in food safety management, avoiding the costs of product recalls and reoccurring issues, reducing customer complaints, and protecting brand reputation. 

Mark Commons, training co-ordinator, Beacon Foods, said Zero2Five ’s bespoke root cause analysis training has driven a change in mindset amongst the team that has led to better outcomes for investigating any possible food safety issues.

“Our staff are empowered to conduct in depth investigations to support understanding the root cause of problems,” he noted.

Dan Walker, technical manager, The Welsh Pantry, added that the funded support through the Helix Programme has allowed the firm to access expert knowledge and hands-on support that would have been difficult to resource internally.

“It’s enabled us to strengthen our systems, build staff capability, and tackle technical projects that have a direct impact on product quality and compliance,” he said.

Professor David Lloyd, director of Zero2Five Food Industry Centre, said: “Root cause analysis is a key tool that can benefit Welsh food and drink manufacturers in many ways. However, it can be difficult to put the theory into practice if you haven’t carried it out before. Our interactive training, which is funded through the Welsh Government’s Helix Programme, provides staff with all the tools they need to implement effective root cause analysis.”

The Helix Programme is delivered by four organisations across Wales and provides a range of funded technical and innovation support to Welsh food and drink companies.

Zero2Five is hosting a root cause analysis workshop for food and drink manufacturers based in Wales on 16 September 2025.

To find out more about the training event, and to register, visit: https://zero2five.org.uk/training-and-events/food-security-workshop-root-cause-analysis/