GFSI releases version 2.0 of Food Safety Culture Position paper

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) launches ‘A Culture of Food Safety’ to help organizations around the world strengthen food safety.

The updated report incorporates insights from more than 180 academic and industry sources to build on the 2018 edition.

It identifies ‘Organizational Foundations,’ and ‘Manifested Practices,’ as two tiers that businesses can move beyond mere compliance to a culture of continuous improvement.

The paper states that food safety culture is an integration of shared values, behaviours, risk awareness and organizational learning, emphasizing that it must be measurable and continuously improved.

“Food safety culture is a critical determinant of food safety outcomes – and strong food safety cultures are built through shared values, consistent behaviours and a deep awareness of risk. Too often, food safety is only high on the agenda when there is a crisis, which has to change. In an increasingly complex food system, food safety should go beyond formal regulations to live within the culture of an organisation,” said Elizabeth Andoh-Kesson, interim director of GFSI.

In addition to the updated framework, the paper outlines key implications and recommendations for the industry:

• Adopt an integrated systems-and-culture approach, recognizing that food safety performance depends on both formal controls and organisational behaviours.
• Use the five-dimension framework as a common reference point when designing standards, training programmes and assurance activities.
• Assess food safety culture across multiple dimensions, rather than a single indicator or tool.
• Strengthen research and practical work on under-explored areas, particularly the dimensions of consistency and organisational adaptability.