How to Build a Proactive Food Safety Culture (That Auditors Love) with Lora Stone
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Food Tech Talk: Supply Chain Insights from Farm to Fork, host Lydia Adams speaks with Lora Stone, a food safety and quality expert with over 15 years of experience and the Programs and Operations Compliance Manager at Great Plains Food Bank.
Lora shares how mindfulness has shaped her leadership style, communication approach, and decision-making in fast-paced, high-stakes environments. Drawing on formal training and lessons from books like The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, she explains how staying grounded helps her lead with clarity and purpose.
Lora discusses how connecting teams to the “why” behind food safety regulations creates stronger buy-in and reinforces the importance of protecting consumers. She outlines her approach to achieving compliance and with GFSI or FSMA and managing certifications such as Organic, Kosher, and Halal by integrating their requirements into core food safety programs rather than building separate systems.
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She also talks about the value of slowing down, using intentional pauses, and staying focused during operational or regulatory challenges to improve outcomes and reduce missteps.
Additional topics include:
- How to build trust through communication and maintain morale while holding teams accountable
- What’s changing in GFSI audit schemes, including a growing focus on leadership and food safety culture
- Why early planning and cross-functional coordination are key to staying proactive in a shifting regulatory environment
Throughout the conversation, Lora offers practical tools and insights for food safety professionals navigating complex systems, regulatory pressure, and team dynamics.
