Factors influencing food safety and good manufacturing practices in ready-to-eat meat processing plants in Ontario, Canada: A qualitative study

Abstract

Inspections of ready-to-eat (RTE) meat processing plants in Canada have identified a lack of compliance with good manufacturing practices (GMPs), indicating a need to improve food safety practices to protect consumers. The objective was to conduct a qualitative study to explore factors influencing food safety practices and GMPs in meat processing plants. Semi-structured interviews and open-ended online surveys were conducted among RTE meat processing plant operators in Ontario, Canada. Across all 18 participants, most were owners (n = 9, 50 %) and indicated they had worked in their plant for more than 10 years (n = 10, 59 %). Three themes were generated through reflexive thematic analysis: (i) education, experience, strong core values, and positive attitudes contribute to safe and high-quality food production, (ii) day-to-day challenges are exacerbated by inadequate resources, changing regulations, and a fractured relationship with government, and (iii) on-the-ground changes are needed to improve plant productivity and reduce external hurdles. Operators from this study shared opportunities for improvement to tackle existing food safety challenges faced by the meat industry. These included facilitating dialogue with the government, providing program planning support, and increased professional development opportunities for meat operators. These findings can help shape government priorities as they pertain to meat processing plants, and support interventions aimed at improving food safety and GMPs in the RTE meat and poultry sector. © 2025 The Authors