Food Safety Culture Risk Assessment

Definition

Food safety culture is the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that determine how everyone in an organization thinks about and approaches food safety, both formally (e.g., policies) and informally (e.g., daily decisions).

A food safety culture risk assessment systematically evaluates how effectively those cultural elements (values, behaviors, practices) support or hinder food safety objectives and identifies risks that poor culture could introduce into food safety systems.

As defined in GFSI (2018): “A food safety culture is the shared values, beliefs and norms that affect mind-set and behavior toward food safety in, across and throughout an organization.”

PAS 320 (2023) emphasizes that culture should be:

• Understood in context,
• Governed and strategically planned,
• Monitored, measured, and continuously improved.

Implementation & Audit Guidance

What does it mean?

Many past food safety crises involved facilities that were technically compliant on paper but suffered from:

• Poor communication

• A fear-based environment

• Tolerance of shortcuts under pressure

• Lack of accountability

• Leadership ignoring frontline concerns

The SQF Code recognizes that food safety depends on how people think, behave, and make decisions in daily operations. It requires companies to formally evaluate, improve, and demonstrate a living food safety culture as part of their certification.

Why It’s Important:

Food safety is human-driven. Even perfect procedures fail if people don’t follow them—or are afraid to speak up when something goes wrong.

Culture determines reactions under pressure. When under stress—like a tight production schedule—people fall back on what’s normal and acceptable in their culture. A strong culture prioritizes food safety even when it’s inconvenient.

Cultural weaknesses are hidden hazards. Problems like silent non-compliance, cover-ups, or “that’s how we’ve always done it” attitudes can remain invisible until a major incident occurs.

Regulators and customers demand it. Global food safety standards (GFSI) now expect companies to measure and manage food safety culture. Retailers and large brands increasingly audit cultural factors alongside technical systems.

Your assessment plan should include:

Implementing a culture risk assessment involves:

• Interviews and observations: Talking to staff at all levels about their beliefs and experiences.

• Surveys and diagnostics: Anonymous questionnaires measuring attitudes, trust, and engagement (e.g., “Do you feel comfortable reporting mistakes?”).

• Behavioral data: Checking incident trends, near-misses, and audit findings that may have cultural roots.

• Maturity models: Tools like PAS 320 or the GFSI maturity tables help benchmark cultural progress from “reactive” to “proactive.”

Examples

Positive Culture:

• Staff immediately report a leaking pipe near product zones without fear of punishment.

• Leadership walks the floor regularly and asks open questions about food safety concerns.

Weak Culture:

• Operators keep silent about discovering foreign material because they fear losing their jobs.

• A production manager yells at staff who slow down the line for quality checks.

Examples

Positive Culture:

• Staff immediately report a leaking pipe near product zones without fear of punishment.

• Leadership walks the floor regularly and asks open questions about food safety concerns.

Weak Culture:

• Operators keep silent about discovering foreign material because they fear losing their jobs.

• A production manager yells at staff who slow down the line for quality checks.

Why is it in the Code & why is it important?

The SQF Code added a specific requirement for a documented and maintained food safety culture assessment plan because industry experience—and major food safety failures—have shown that technical systems alone don’t keep food safe.

Many past food safety crises involved facilities that were technically compliant on paper but suffered from:

• Poor communication

• A fear-based environment

• Tolerance of shortcuts under pressure

• Lack of accountability

• Leadership ignoring frontline concerns

The SQF Code recognizes that food safety depends on how people think, behave, and make decisions in daily operations. It requires companies to formally evaluate, improve, and demonstrate a living food safety culture as part of their certification.

Why It’s Important:

Food safety is human-driven. Even perfect procedures fail if people don’t follow them—or are afraid to speak up when something goes wrong.

Culture determines reactions under pressure. When under stress—like a tight production schedule—people fall back on what’s normal and acceptable in their culture. A strong culture prioritizes food safety even when it’s inconvenient.

Cultural weaknesses are hidden hazards. Problems like silent non-compliance, cover-ups, or “that’s how we’ve always done it” attitudes can remain invisible until a major incident occurs.

Regulators and customers demand it. Global food safety standards (GFSI) now expect companies to measure and manage food safety culture. Retailers and large brands increasingly audit cultural factors alongside technical systems.

RIO Road to Audits (Records, Interviews, and Observations)

Additional References