Culture can be defined as the “personality of an organization” and measuring a personality is not an easy task. Obtaining management commitment and establishing a positive food safety culture within an organization can mean changing behaviors and values that have lived in your facilities’ walls for decades. But as Bob Dylan once said “The Times They Are A-Changin” and with the establishment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) the focus of food safety has now shifted from reactive to proactive, and at SQFI our attention to management commitment and food safety culture can be added to the list of robust elements reflected in Edition 8 of the SQF Code Releasing March 31, 2017.
When the intent and encouraging attention of a positive behavioral change within an organization is targeted, other optimistic effects shift naturally and fall into place that lead to success.
We all have different skills and mindsets that we bring to work and it is good management commitment and a positive food safety culture that synthesizes our unique strengths into a consistent and quality product.
Know what mindsets you bring to the table and recognize when they must change!
Do you take responsibility, or are you always the victim?
Do you only speak facts or do you start and/or promote gossip and exaggerations?
Do you help make ideas successful or do you stand in the way of progress with pessimism?
Do you take the lead on fixing incorrect procedures or do you cast them aside for someone else to deal with?
Qiang Zheng is the food safety and quality assurance manager at Melville Candy Company. He was an early adopter of the Certified SQF Practitioner credential when it launched late in 2024.
In mid to late August 2025, the food safety world will reach a major milestone with the release of SQF Edition 10, a comprehensive update designed to elevate food safety practices across the industry.
SQF Code Edition 10 represents a critical step forward in ensuring rigorous yet practical food safety management across the supply chain.