Historically, delivering on the consumer expectation of safe food products has been managed using the concept of understanding and assessing food safety risk; the identification of critical points of control, and the careful management of the production process.

To support this, key performance indicators that can be captured, recorded, trended, and reported to give an overview of performance are identified.

Overlaying an audit process and a product sampling plan provides the framework of a process that attempts to manage defect levels. When issues occur, robust root cause analysis and corrective actions are the usual reactions to a failure in the process.

This concept can be very successful if it’s rooted in an experienced and very well considered understanding of all the food safety risks embedded in the supply chain. How successfully depends on the capability to manage and respond to variation, so that consistent and predictable outcomes can be established and then maintained.

Cumulatively, encouraging the right behaviours and actions within a food organization has become known as a culture of food safety. While the concept isn’t new, the path to a culture of food safety hasn’t always been clear. What many organizations overlook as they work toward meeting the food safety culture-related requirements in standards is that the key aspects that impact culture (values, leadership, motivation) play an important part in encouraging and delivering on consumer expectations.

Embedding food safety at the heart of your organization

How a business operates is heavily influenced by its value set. If there aren’t clear values, then values can differ across departments driving misalignment and likely internal conflict. If an organization’s values aren’t aligned and implemented across all functions, a singular culture—food safety or otherwise—isn’t possible.

The value set of a business is also influenced by what level of risk it’s willing to take in order to deliver its overall objectives. For food safety risk mitigation to be a priority it has to be established as a priority by the overall business and set within the overall business objectives.

When food safety risk is embedded in the individual objectives of each function, it becomes an operating parameter for every function. This creates an environment where there is never any doubt that food safety risk is defined and will never be compromised; regardless of context, circumstances, and cost.

In contrast, in organizations with functionally driven agendas, the food safety risk is not a determining factor in the decision-making or performance indicators of every function. In a functionally driven organization, a team like procurement will determine its own individual functional objectives, which may be separate and distinct from the overall business objectives.

The function of procurement is to ensure the timely delivery of materials and services, and in many organizations, it may also be challenged to drive a cost-based agenda. So, if a procurement team is not bound by an overall business value to manage food safety risk, their functional strategy doesn’t have to be influenced by the risks or values of other functions; and they don’t share or have to accept responsibility for the outcomes of its functional agenda in relation to food safety.

Without a clear set of business values ingrained into all functional areas, functional agendas will be formed and create internal conflict and subcultures. For a food safety culture to be truly embedded, the values of an organization must be more than marketing content or embellished plaques in reception.

To read more on the topic of supply chain management and risk in the food industry, click here.

Key standards that create a food safety culture

At BSI, we believe that the world deserves safe, sustainable, and socially responsible food.

To experience real, long-term benefits, our clients need to ensure ongoing compliance to regulations, market needs, or standards so that it becomes an embedded habit. Our standards help facilitate this process. We offer a broad range of risk management and business resilience standards to help organizations in the food and retail supply chain mitigate risk, protect their brands and build resilient supply chains.

PAS 320:2023 Developing and sustaining a mature food safety culture. Guide gives guidance on recognizing and maintaining a positive culture of food safety in any food organization, regardless of its size or focus.

It includes guidance on using a food safety culture maturity model against which organizations can assess their level of maturity to help foster cultural change that impacts on all functions and levels in a food organization. It covers the defined pre-requisites and taxonomy of organizational culture, with a food safety culture focus.

The BS EN ISO 22000 series deals directly with food safety in the supply chain. These standards provide a comprehensive framework to identify, evaluate, and control food safety hazards throughout the food supply chain.

They helps organizations establish robust food safety management systems, ensuring the delivery of safe and quality food products to consumers.

Create a culture of food safety within your organization by adding these standards to your collection today.

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