Integrating 5S Practices into Haccp Food Safety Management Evidence From a Malaysian Food Manufacturing

Abstract

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems depend on disciplined prerequisite programmes and consistent execution at the workplace. This study examines how the 5S practices of Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, and Sustain can support HACCP-based food safety management in the context of Malaysian probiotic beverage manufacturing. The article reanalyses and updates a single-case study originally completed in 2020, with empirical data collected in 2019. Ten employees from executive and laboratory-supervisory functions completed a structured questionnaire, while two executives participated in semi-structured interviews. Questionnaire evidence, interviews and documentary interpretation were triangulated. The case showed strong routine implementation of HACCP controls, while 5S implementation was uneven. Shine was the most established practice, reflecting the sanitation demands of food production, whereas Sustain was the weakest because it depended on employee commitment, self-discipline, leadership and continuous reinforcement. The case-based mapping linked Sort with HACCP Principles 1 and 4; Set in Order with Principles 2 and 3; Shine with Principle 4; Standardise with Principles 5 and 6; and Sustain with Principles 6 and 7. The dominant implementation barriers were employee-related, particularly communication, awareness, commitment and resistance to change, followed by organisational and resource constraints. The findings suggest that 5S should be treated not as housekeeping but as an operational layer that makes prerequisite programmes, visual control, documentation and verification easier to execute consistently. The study offers a practical 5S-HACCP integration sequence for food manufacturers while acknowledging the limitations of a small, single-site case study