The assessment of food safety culture

Abstract

PurposeThe concept of food safety organizational culture, whilst largely ignored in the past, is attracting increasing interest. The purpose of this paper is to examine a possible framework for assessing a business's food safety culture.Design/methodology/approachThe literature on health and safety culture and organizational culture is examined and relevant components applicable to food safety are identified and discussed.FindingsA total of six possible groupings including: food safety management systems and style; food safety leadership; food safety communication; food safety commitment; food safety environment and risk perception were identified as “culture” factors that could contribute to food safety performance. These can form the basis for assessing food safety culture and how this may be done practically along with the creation of a positive food safety culture are discussed. Management is traditionally talked about in food safety but a distinction is drawn between this and food safety leadership.Originality/valueFor the first time a method for, and the potential benefits from, assessing food safety culture is presented and this will be of value to auditors, environmental health practitioners and industry. Utilizing the suggestions in the paper could help improve compliance with third‐party hygiene standards, and reduce the risk of food poisoning.

‘When Food Kills’: A socio-technical systems analysis of the UK Pennington 1996 and 2005 E. coli O157 Outbreak reports

“…He uses the concept of a systems based approach in this book to analyse and compare food poisoning outbreaks to the Piper Alpha, Chernobyl and the railway accidents in Ireland and Britain. A similar emphasis on the need for food science to go beyond the microbiological approach and look at the human factors involved in the accidents has also been pointed out by Griffith et al (2010). According to Clayton and Griffith (2008) a number of studies indicate that although disregard for hygiene practices is sometimes due to negligence by the individual, it is often related to the prevailing organisational culture (Griffith et al, 2010) within the food industry.…”

“…A similar emphasis on the need for food science to go beyond the microbiological approach and look at the human factors involved in the accidents has also been pointed out by Griffith et al (2010). According to Clayton and Griffith (2008) a number of studies indicate that although disregard for hygiene practices is sometimes due to negligence by the individual, it is often related to the prevailing organisational culture (Griffith et al, 2010) within the food industry. In this case it is important to realize the importance of trust (Burns et al, 2006) between the individual (workers, customers) and the organization (Schlosser, 2001) as this will influence safety in food production areas.…”

“…Encephalopathy case between 1986 and 1996 and the Walkerton E.coli Outbreak in Canada among many others (Cassano-Piché et al, 2006;Clayton and Griffith, 2008;Griffin et al, 2010;Griffith et al, 2010;May, 2010;Nayak and Waterson, 2015;Pennington, 2003). The study also suggests that the use of a systems approach to analyse the human and organisational issues involved in outbreaks is a practical method as it helps to identify multiple key causal factors, gain an in-depth insight into the functioning of the food industry and identify faults (if any).…”

“…The concept of organisational safety culture though largely unexplored in the food industry, is well established within other industries such as nuclear, aviation, oil and gas, rail transportation and healthcare (Antonsen, 2009;Cheyne and Cox, 2000;Griffith et al, 2010, Waterson, 2014. The 2009 report recommends that food businesses must be able to ensure food safety at all levels in their operation by making sure that the importance of food safety management is embedded in their working culture and practice (Pennington et al, 2009).…”

Exploring the Culture of Food Safety: The Role of Organizational Influencers in Motivating Employees’ Safe Food-Handling Practices

“…Food production requires an effective food safety management system coupled with an appropriate culture to ensure the quality of food served (Griffith, Livesey, & Clayton, 2010b). Recently, researchers have identified the important role the organization plays in influencing employees' safe food handling practices.…”