Your Systems Aren’t Broken. Your Culture Is.

Jill’s Reflections

There was a time when I was constantly dealing with foreign material incidents.

One would happen, we’d react fast, fix it, and keep moving. Then another one would hit. Different line. Different shift. Different source. But the same pattern.

We were exhausted.

At the time, I chalked it up to the chaos of production, the reality of complex supply chains, or the limits of our detection systems. What I didn’t see then—but I do now—is that we had built a culture of tolerance. We didn’t intend to. We didn’t name it that way. But every time we treated a repeat issue like it was just bad luck or a one-off, we silently accepted it.

And we’re not alone.

The food industry has learned to live with what we should be fixing. Foreign material is just one example—but it's a vivid one. According to FlexXray’s 2024 benchmark report, about 72% of food companies dealt with a foreign material issue in the past 90 days. Most leaders would say it’s probably even higher.

But here’s the kicker: Most of us aren’t surprised.

The red flag isn’t the event—it’s the reaction

When something goes wrong, teams scramble. We investigate.  We use 5 Whys. We fix. We check the box.

But too often, we stop at the surface.  

You all know what I mean because we’ve all had the corrective actions that are quick fixes, not the fix-the-system fixes.  We’ve all seen preventive controls that are cursory to complete the form instead of thinking about how this learning can truly be applied across facilities, lines, suppliers, etc. 

We don’t ask why this happened again. We don’t explore what signals we missed. We don’t press on the uncomfortable questions like who knew something was off but didn’t say anything, or what part of the process everyone assumes someone else owns.

Instead, we recover, move on, and tell ourselves we’re being proactive because we documented a corrective action and there so much more work to do.

That’s not prevention. That’s reaction on repeat.

And over time, it becomes your culture.

Culture isn’t about posters and values. It’s about patterns.

One of the clearest indicators of your culture is what you tolerate.

When leaders allow the same issues to resurface again and again, without curiosity, without accountability, without cross-functional partnerships - it sends a message.

Not fixing it becomes normal.
Not talking about it becomes expected.
And before long, we start designing systems that absorb dysfunction rather than challenge it.

We see it in food safety. But we also see it in quality. In supply chain. In HR. Anywhere there’s friction, there’s a signal.

The strongest organizations don’t just respond faster; they think deeper. They treat breakdowns as opportunities to shift behavior, not just repair output.

The good news? You don’t need better tools. You need better leadership.

Most teams already know how to prevent issues like foreign material. The technical know-how is there. What’s missing is the leadership muscle to create systems that people believe in and follow.

That means clearer expectations.
Real ownership.
And leaders who model the behaviors they expect from their teams.

It’s not glamorous work. But it’s what changes culture—one expectation, one conversation, one decision at a time.

The problem isn’t the problem - it’s just the symptom. 
It’s about what you let slide.
What you don’t say.
And the story your systems are telling whether you meant to write it or not.

Ready to lead differently?

🎧 Listen to this week’s Real Talk with Paula Schwarz from FlexXray
→ Listen here

📅 Join us April 8 at the Catalyst Summit
→ We’ll dig deeper into topics like this—where leadership, systems, and culture collide. Save your seat before early bird ends on 2/14.