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At this time of year, I always pause to look back before I look forward. I start with the evidence. Metrics. Performance data. Photos. The glimmer moments as well as the hard ones. The achievements, the breakthroughs, the incredible clients we have partnered with, and the work we are genuinely proud of. Then I focus on improvement. What worked well. What did not. Where we stretched. Where we missed the mark. Because continuous improvement only works if we are honest with ourselves. From there, I shift into a deep dive on emerging trends and what the year ahead may hold. This is not about prediction or being “right”. It is a planning tool. It is about anticipation. About building organisational muscle so we are not reacting late, but thinking early. From a food safety perspective, several forces are converging right now. Technology is a major one. AI is already influencing food safety in complex ways. On one hand, it gives us access to vast amounts of information that can support hazard analysis and system design. On the other hand, that information is not always accurate, contextual, or reflective of what is actually happening on site. This has serious implications for auditing. Auditors are increasingly presented with beautifully generated documents that may have little connection to real practices. As a result, we will see a necessary shift away from document-heavy audits and toward greater emphasis on verification, testing, and observation. Systems that exist only on paper will be exposed very quickly. Climate change is another critical factor. We are seeing disruption across supply chains, increased disease pressure in agriculture, greater reliance on sprays, and in some cases the loss of entire crops in certain regions. These pressures affect food safety directly, whether through raw material variability, water quality concerns, or increased risk of fraud as commodity prices rise. Flooding in the eastern states is a current and very real example that demands vigilance around water sources and contamination risks. Demographics and politics also play a role. Labour availability, capability, and experience continue to shift. At the same time, geopolitical decisions such as tariffs and trade restrictions can influence sourcing, cost structures, and ultimately food safety outcomes within our own country. The value in thinking deeply about these trends is not fear. It is opportunity. Risk management, when done well, allows us to mitigate emerging risks and also identify opportunities to strengthen food safety systems, protect consumers, and protect businesses. But this only works if systems are real, embedded, and understood. This is a critical moment to ask some hard questions: Is our food safety system genuinely protecting our consumers and our business? Does our HACCP plan reflect reality, or is it simply compliant on paper? Are our stakeholders aligned and capable, across our supply chain and service providers? Are we investing in upskilling to meet the challenges that are already here? If these are the questions you are thinking about, you are not alone. We share practical insights like this regularly through our newsletter, and we work with organisations to validate and strengthen HACCP plans so they stand up in practice, not just in an audit. If you want to stay ahead of emerging food safety risks and opportunities, I invite you to subscribe to our newsletter and reach out to discuss how we can support your system.  Planning early is no longer optional. It is a leadership responsibility.