In food manufacturing, compliance used to mean “passing the audit” and getting back to production. That’s no longer enough. Between retailer demands, new traceability rules, ESG pressure, and a social media environment where a single incident can go viral, food safety and quality are now core business risks — and real opportunities.
At this year’s EATS, we sat down with Mike Clark, Global Strategic Account Manager at SafetyChain Software, who works with plants ranging from single facilities to global, iconic brands that are moving from paper to digital and from reactive to proactive. For SafetyChain, digitizing FSQA isn’t a tech project — it’s a culture project that changes how frontline teams, supervisors, and executives see and use their data. When it’s done well, the impact shows up everywhere: less waste, fewer sleepless nights before audits, stronger customer relationships, and a clearer line from compliance metrics to the P&L.
In our conversation, Mike talks about why compliance has become a boardroom topic, what the real ROI story behind digitization looks like, why culture and change management determine whether plants soar or stall, and how leading manufacturers are using data and traceability as a competitive advantage rather than just a regulatory response.
Q. Over the last few years, compliance has gone from a back-office task to a boardroom conversation. What’s driving that change in visibility and urgency?
Mike Clark: Compliance used to be a box-checking exercise – something businesses did to satisfy regulatory requirements before swiftly moving on. Now, for the brands we work with, compliance is a matter of risk and resilience. The penalties for non-compliance are still a motivating factor, but increasingly it’s the loss of contracts, the reputational damage, and the problems that emerge downstream that have led to a renewed focus on compliance.
A single breakdown can cost a contract, or create operational and commercial fallout that takes years to repair. That’s why executives now see compliance as an enterprise-level risk, not a departmental chore.
That’s why we’ve seen the conversation shift to data. Retailers, brand partners, and customers all expect information they can trust and act on. They want a clear line of sight into what’s happening in the plant. And once compliance data becomes performance data, it naturally becomes a board-level discussion.
Q. Are executives now tying compliance metrics more directly to financial performance?
MC: Absolutely, and it’s happening because so many of those metrics flow straight into the P&L. Yield, waste, throughput, labor efficiency – these are now seen as performance levers to be pulled rather than compliance indicators. When leaders get clear, reliable data on those areas, they can see exactly where small improvements translate into real margin impact.
What we focus on is giving teams that level of visibility. Once organizations can trace how compliance actions influence production outcomes, the link to financial performance becomes obvious. Better data leads to better decisions, and better decisions show up in the numbers.
Q. In our last interview, your CEO Dean Brown described digitization as the fastest capital project a manufacturer can greenlight. What’s the real economic story behind that? How does digitizing FSQA move the margin needle?
MC: Dean makes a great point. When digitization is set up correctly, it delivers one of the quickest returns a plant can generate. The economics come from taking friction out of daily work. For instance, paper consumes an enormous amount of time – filling it out, chasing it down, filing it back, correcting it. Once you remove that bottleneck, you immediately free up labor, eliminate unnecessary waste, and tighten up efficiency across the line.
But I think the biggest impact comes from visibility. Digitization gives QA, operations, and leadership the same real-time picture of what’s happening. That shared view lets teams act faster, spot deviations earlier, and make better decisions at every level. Those operational gains quickly add up, and that’s why digital FSQA so often produces rapid, measurable ROI.
Q. You’ve worked with hundreds of facilities — what separates plants that truly modernize their operations from those that stall after implementation?
MC: For me, it starts with culture – mindset over machinery. Technology matters, but mindset determines whether a plant moves forward or gets stuck. The facilities that make real progress are the ones willing to adapt, learn, and keep evolving. The ones that struggle tend to view digitization as an IT project rather than a shift in how the organization operates.
I’ve seen it time and time again – successful manufacturers tend to roll out change in a way people can relate to. They’ll start with a single line or facility and turn it into a model others can see working. When you’re deploying across dozens of sites, that peer-to-peer credibility is powerful. Thoughtful rollouts build confidence, drive adoption, and create the buy-in needed for digitization to deliver the efficiencies everyone is looking for.
Q. Is success more about leadership alignment, data transparency, or the change management process?
MC: Change management is the cornerstone. You can have strong leadership support and great data, but if the frontline doesn’t feel that sense of ownership, the project won’t stick. People need to believe the system is helping them do their jobs better.
When operators can see an issue on the line and make adjustments in real time, that’s where the real impact happens. It shifts decision-making from “after the fact” to “as it happens.” And that empowerment is the threat that ties digital transformation back to ROI. Leadership sets the direction, data provides the insight, but adoption on the floor is what turns all of it into results.
Q. There’s a misconception that digital transformation starts and ends with software. What role does data fluency play in building long-term value — and how are you seeing that skill set evolve among your customers?
MC: I think about software as the starting line, not the finish line. The lasting value comes from how people read the data, interpret it, and act on it. When operators can spot a deviation and adjust immediately, when supervisors can see patterns across a shift, and when leadership can plan based on what’s actually happening on the floor – that’s when digital transformation becomes real.
We’re seeing customers blend deep operational experience with digital confidence. Many of the most successful plants pair long-tenured employees who know the line inside out with people who are eager to embrace new tools. That combination of practical knowledge and data fluency creates teams that can move faster, collaborate better, and turn information into continuous improvement.
Q. In regards to audit preparedness, one of your customers said, “SafetyChain turned a fire drill into five clicks.” What kinds of efficiency gains are most meaningful for leaders who’ve lived through the chaos of paper-based systems?
MC: They summed it up perfectly. Audit prep shouldn’t feel like a scramble. It should be something you can pull up instantly. For leaders who’ve experienced last-minute file hunts, late-night document checks, and the stress of not knowing what might be missing, the biggest gains are confidence and control. They finally know where everything is, and they know it’s accurate.
And that’s the thing about digital audit readiness – it removes the guesswork. Whether the audit is scheduled or completely unplanned, teams can give auditors a clean, controlled view of the data within seconds. And because that same information supports customer standards, internal requirements, and multiple compliance frameworks, plants aren’t duplicating effort or maintaining parallel systems. It’s smoother, faster, far less stressful, and it lets people sleep at night instead of mentally preparing for drills.
Q. With new traceability rules and rising ESG demands, how are manufacturers using technology to stay proactive instead of reactive?
MC: Traceability is really about staying ahead of what’s coming, not cleaning up after the fact. When manufacturers control their data from end to end, they can see issues earlier, respond faster, and meet new requirements with far less disruption. That level of visibility turns traceability from a compliance function into a clear competitive advantage.
What we’re hearing from teams here at EATS reflects that. Traceability is one of the biggest drivers behind digital transformation because it gives plants confidence that the information flowing through their operation is accurate, comprehensive, and ready to act on. When you own your data, you’re better prepared for new rules, customer demands, and ESG expectations, and you’re able to make decisions based on what’s actually happening from start to finish.
Q. You’re talking with food producers across EATS. What’s the tone of those conversations this year — curiosity, urgency, or readiness?
MC: Oh, the tone has changed significantly. For a long time, most conversations were exploratory – people wanted to understand what digital could do, but they weren’t ready to commit. Now the mood is very different. There’s a real sense of urgency because manufacturers can see the competitive gap widening between plants that digitize and plants that don’t. Instead of “Should we do this?” leaders are asking, “Where will digital make the biggest impact?” and “Do we have the right people to drive this forward?”
Q. Do you think 2025 is the year digital transformation finally shifts from optional to essential?
MC: It’s already essential. More manufacturers recognize that staying competitive means moving beyond paper and giving teams the data they need to act with confidence. We’re helping organizations build the business case where it isn’t fully defined yet, showing the operational impact and sharing real examples from peers who’ve already made the transition.
At a recent summit in New Orleans, several global brands talked openly about their journeys. The common thread across all of them was change management – focusing on ownership, using data to drive action, and empowering people to make informed decisions. That’s what turns digital transformation from a “nice to have” into something mission-critical for every facility.
Q. If you could give one piece of advice to manufacturing leaders evaluating digital safety and quality systems, what should they prioritize first: technology, culture, or ROI clarity?
MC: Culture comes first. Even coming from a software company, I’d put culture at the top because it shapes everything that follows. When teams are aligned, open to change, and “bought into the mission,” the technology finds its place and the ROI becomes much easier to capture.
With the right culture, implementation becomes smoother, people embrace the tools, and improvements show up faster. Technology and financial outcomes fall into line when the organization is ready to adopt, learn, and keep improving. Without that foundation, even the best tools won’t deliver their full value.
Q. How do you spot the leaders who are truly ready to get this right?
MC: They’re the ones who empower their teams rather than hold all the decisions themselves. The leaders who succeed aren’t afraid to make changes, move quickly, and learn as they go – in other words, they don’t get stuck in over-analysis. They treat transformation as a journey and bring people along with them.
Practically, they start with something focused: a specific facility, a single product line, or a contained part of the operation. Then they involve frontline employees early and give them real ownership, so the system isn’t something being handed down from above. When leaders build that kind of shared commitment, momentum follows, and the entire organization feels ready to take the next step.
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