Focusing on practical approaches to deepen the positive food safety culture in its restaurants, McDonald’s Cyprus kicked off the new year dynamically with an impressive Food Safety Culture event. The gathering took place on January 16, 2025, at the Royal Hall in Nicosia. The initiative reinforced the already-existing commitment of senior management, motivating them to impart food safety values with even greater zeal in every McDonald’s restaurant, thus ensuring its continuous improvement.

Elena Andreou, Managing Director of McDonald’s Cyprus, began welcomed attendees with an address. “Food safety starts with us and continues with our daily commitment,” she said. “This process requires dedication, continuous training and adaptation to new challenges. Let’s commit to continue to keep food safety as an integral part of our daily operations, providing safe and high quality products.”

One of the highlights of the event was the speech by Professor Bizhan Pourkomailian, McDonald’s Global Head of Food Safety and Visiting Professor at Cranfield University. In inspiring words, he discussed the importance of culture in food safety, highlighting how it acts as a bridge between people from different cultural backgrounds.

As he stressed, culture is key to creating a safe environment where all members of staff actively contribute to ensuring the daily quality and safety of the products offered to customers. Cultivating this culture unites people from different backgrounds and age groups, creating a common goal to achieve food safety.

He also highlighted the importance of mutual recognition and respect in professional relationships, pointing out that treating others with the same respect and attention we would like to receive enhances cooperation and trust at every level.

This was followed by a panel discussion involving notable professionals from various countries who shared their experiences and the challenges they face in the field of food safety. Litsa Mastrogianni, Quality Assurance Manager of McDonald’s Greece, spoke about the effective management of food safety during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the practices followed on a daily basis and the collaboration with the University of Crete for the training of staff in food safety.

Wissam Fares, Supply Chain and Quality Assurance Manager of McDonald’s Lebanon, presented the importance of food safety even in critical situations such as war conditions, highlighting the need for stricter controls and procedures in such times. Tamar Gaganidze, McDonald’s Georgia Quality Assurance Manager, discussed the digitisation of Food Safety training at McDonald’s Georgia.

Sylvia Gruendler, Supply Chain and Quality Assurance Manager of McDonald’s Cyprus, stressed food safety starts and ends with each and every one of us, from staff to management, and its success depends on our continued commitment to implementing its values on a daily basis. At the same time, she said that for 2025, McDonald’s remains committed to integrating food safety into every aspect of its operations. She also noted the evolution of food-safety training, which now includes technological and experiential approaches, both outside and inside the restaurants.

The event was not limited to theory alone, as participants had the opportunity to engage in interactive training games. Through working in groups, they enriched their knowledge of food safety in an enjoyable and constructive way, and exchanged views on how to apply best practices to their daily roles.

The game series concluded with the award ceremony for the ‘Sundae’ team, which won the educational competitions, and were presented with an award by Professor Pourkomailian. A cocktail party followed, which strengthened, in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, the cooperation and relations between the professionals in the industry.

Just before the evening closed, McDonald’s Cyprus emphasised the fact that it remains committed to strengthening its Food Safety Culture, agreeing with the words of Professor Pourkomailian, McDonald’s Global Food Safety Manager, that: “food safety is not just a process, but a culture that is built every day with the cooperation and commitment of all of us to protect our customers”.

In this context, the Company is committed to continuing to implement the most innovative and reliable practices, ensuring the health and complete satisfaction of its customers.