The value of food safety culture to the hospitality industry

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to review existing literature in the discipline of food hospitality with specific emphasis on the interaction between food safety management, food safety management systems (FSMS) and food safety culture. It is the first paper in a theme issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, discussing the importance of measuring food safety and quality culture. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines academic literature on FSMS and food safety culture and emerging tools and methods being used to determine their efficacy. Findings FSMS provide a framework for determining the resources required and the procedures and protocols, monitoring and verification necessary to deliver safe food. However, a performance gap has been identified in the literature between intended and actual food safety practice. The factors, rituals and behaviours that mediate this divide have been termed by many as “food safety culture”. It has been shown that food safety knowledge does not necessarily lead to behaviour that promotes food safety. Thus, the knowledge–experience–attitude–behaviour dynamic of food safety culture is of crucial importance and worthy of further empirical study in the hospitality industry. Originality/value The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders involved in the hospitality industry.

The Evolution and Cultural Framing of Food Safety Management Systems—Where From and Where Next?

“…While there are advantages to using a checklist type approach in terms of auditor consistency, conversely this approach can cause “audit fatigue” (Martz, ; Petersen, ). Auditor fatigue will decrease the reliability of the verification activity and due to the rigid application and nonreflective use of a checklist can also drive “evaluation myopia.” This also may lead to an inability of the auditor to identify side effects or side impacts during the audit, that is, they have a linear rather than a holistic auditing approach (Manning, ; Manning & Soon, ; Manning, ; Martz, ). Even though checklist based auditing might be technically correct, there may be no incentive for the auditor to identify wider material weaknesses or deficiencies in the FSMS (Flores‐Miyamoto, Reij, & Velthuis, ).…”

“…Varzakas and Jukes (1997) argued that globalization has driven global integration and standardization of markets and complex interdependence that has then led to the emergence of isomorphism in structures, attitudes, and norms especially within transnational corporations. Manning, Soon, de Aguiar, Eastham, and Higashi (2017) noted that the concept of supply chain pressure has increasingly emerged within supply chain literature over the last decade especially the notion of integration and greater isomorphic pressure (Delmas & Toffel, 2004;DiMaggio & Powell, 1983;Esfahbodi, Zhang, Watson, & Zhang, 2017;Gimenez, Sierra, & Rodan, 2012;Manning, 2018c;Sarkis, Zhu, & Lai, 2011;van Plaggenhoef, 2007). In essence, homogenization, or isomorphism, creates and spreads a common set of values, norms, and rules, which then results in similar practices and organizational structures (Othman, Ahmad, & Zailani, 2009) often driven by a need to conform not only to the external environment, but also the context that the environment itself promotes (Czinkota, Kaufmann, & Basile, 2014).…”

The Relations Between Safety Culture and Quality Culture

“…According to the definition, the security culture refers to both the attitudes or attitudes of employees as well as to the structure of a given organization. It deals with issues related to the fulfillment of all safety requirements (Manning, 2018;Arezes, 2003;Chinda, 2008). Another definition is the definition presented by the British Health and Safety Commission (HCS).…”

The development of a safety and quality culture assessment tool from a longitudinal, mixed-method research journey

“…The importance of culture in the food industry and the most recent academic literature on food safety culture are discussed via an academic literature review in paper one of this issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (Manning, 2018a), and via industry viewpoint in paper seven (Emond, 2018). Furthermore, the growing importance of culture in relation to verifying that food safety standards exist even when an auditor or inspector are not present is discussed in an academic literature review in paper two (Manning, 2018b), and through food inspector viewpoints in paper eight (Nayak, 2018 This paper provides an overview of the academic underpinning of the Culture Excellence assessment tool and the conceptual model of safety and quality culture that it was designed to measure.…”