Bridging the CGMP Gap Between the U.S. Government, Academia, and the Food Industry

In communication theory, one of the most important aspects is to always remember who the audience is at all times. In this case, the audience are members of the food industry who are expected to translate the knowledge of the CGMPs into practice. The goal of this research is twofold; to effectively communicate the need and nature of the CGMPs and to simply reconnect the regulations to the audience they were developed to assist. Further, a definition of perception is an individual’s capacity for comprehension. We find that in the real world, an individual’s comprehension does not always neatly fit inside the perimeters that the CGMPs provide. In some cases compliance with regulations does not allow for continuation of traditional processing methods, short-cuts, and individual bias when it comes to how firms may prepare, process, hold, and ship food products. That leaves it up to the government to find a means to bridge the gaps that exist between comprehension, perception, and reality. The main focus is to present information so that the ordinary person can understand and act upon the regulation on a consistent basis. The answer may lay not in the regulation itself, but Food Industry members’ ability to relate to and understand the need for compliance.