2025 World Food Safety Day: An outstanding mobilization across Newrest!

On 20 December 2018, the United Nations General Assembly declared 7 June as World Food Safety Day — a moment each year to recognize the vital role safe food plays in our lives. Since 2019, this day has become a global call to action. This year, World Food Safety Day was not just a date on the calendar: it became a true movement across the Newrest network, with around twenty countries taking part in the initiative!

Science in action: Food safety as a shared responsibility in Newrest

From workshops to games, posters to awareness campaigns, and from field activities to powerful LinkedIn stories, Newrest witnessed an incredible wave of mobilization, commitment and creativity from the teams around the world.

Every country and every unit brought the theme “Food Safety: Science in Action” to life with passion and purpose. What stood out even more this year was not only what was done, but also how it was shared. The level of communication, both internally and externally, was exceptional — highlighting a strong culture of food safety and a shared pride in the work Newrest’s teams do.

Whether through engaging initiatives, impactful visuals or knowledge-sharing moments, each contribution reflected the same spirit: Food safety is everyone’s responsibility.

A huge thank you to all the teams who participated with such energy and dedication. Their actions show how food safety becomes real, not only through science and systems, but also through the attitudes, behaviours and ownership shown on the shop floor every day.

Who are the 2025 winners?

On July 11^th, Fabien Malbranque, Group QHSSE Director, announced the 3 winners of the 2025 World Food Safety Day Challenge.

Ghana was awarded the first place in the World Food Safety Day Challenge

Newrest Ghana organized a series of initiatives that combined technical relevance with educational value.

The program began with a game called “Allergen Segregation”, in which teams were asked to sort a mix of products to distinguish allergens from non-allergens, reinforcing essential food safety practices.

This was followed by the “Food Safety and Newrest Puzzle”, a word search activity designed to engage participants while enhancing their understanding of food safety and company-related terminology.

To conclude, the team delivered an informative and interactive shop floor demonstration titled “Bacteria in Extreme Temperatures: A Scientific Exploration”, which examined how bacteria respond to heat and cold, emphasizing the importance of temperature control in food safety management.

Angola secured second place

Newrest Angola team presented a large illustration board and led a demonstration on key food safety standards. They also hosted a workshop on cooking temperatures and cold chain management.

To keep the experience interactive, participants took part in a quiz game and explored the “Wheel of QFS Tools.”

The initiative concluded with the distribution of themed goodies to reinforce key messages.

Third place: Madagascar and Peru tied

Madagascar reached the podium for the third consecutive year in the World Food Safety Day Challenge, demonstrating continued commitment to food safety awareness.

The team organized a variety of engaging initiatives, including the “Bacteria Hide and Seek” game, where participants searched for bacteria images during cleaning activities. Motivational quotes were shared daily to encourage team spirit. A town hall meeting was held to explain how scientific principles apply to everyday tasks. The “NNN Puzzle Game” challenged participants to match images and titles in record time.

To close the initiative, staff reaffirmed their commitment to food safety through a photo booth session.

Newrest Peru team also delivered a variety of games, including a bubble booth, safety and quality-themed crosswords, a question roulette, a “Complete the image” activity, and a special round of “Twister I Care”.

Several workshops were also held to reinforce key messages. To break away from routine, the team staged theatrical performances such as “Combating Microorganisms”, “The Super Scientist”, and “The Germ Hunters”, using storytelling to bring science to life in a fun and memorable way.

The teams’ creativity, engagement, and leadership in promoting food safety made a real difference. Each winning team will receive a special award and gift as a token of recognition.

Because I CARE, YOU CARE, WE ALL CARE.

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