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Amidst the dynamic setting of the recent GFSI conference in Dublin, a dedicated workshop convened to delve into the critical topic of food safety culture. This focused session provided a vital platform for stakeholders to contribute to the evolution of GFSI’s approach, building upon the foundation established in 2018.
Evolving Perspectives
Back in 2015, the GFSI Board recognised the growing importance of food safety culture, which at the time was still a relatively new concept with limited guidance available.
To address this gap, a working group was tasked with developing a blueprint for embedding and maintaining a positive food safety culture. This effort culminated in the 2018 position paper, which aimed to articulate GFSI’s perspective on the dimensions and critical content of food safety within the context of an organisational culture, and was also intended to provide benchmarking content and suggest a voluntary measurement system. The paper outlined five key dimensions and critical components, based on scientific analysis and research on existing food safety and organisational culture models.
Feedback gathered since 2018 highlighted the need for greater clarity. Auditors wanted more objective, auditable criteria. Food business operators sought usable frameworks without needing to employ costly consultants. Academics suggested deeper behavioural science underpinnings, and regulators expressed concern that GFSI’s approach could be seen as pushing for certification. GFSI therefore re-emphasises its position: to define the “what” of food safety culture—key elements and expectations—while leaving the “how” to individual businesses and contexts.
Compounding this, published research on food safety culture has significantly increased since 2018, highlighting the need for GFSI’s position to evolve with the latest findings.
Recognising that it was time to review GFSI’s stance, the Dublin workshop was organised to gather direct input from stakeholders.
Deep Dive: Workshop Focus Areas
Chaired by Emeritus Professor Carol Wallace, the workshop adopted an interactive format, dividing participants into groups to tackle specific tasks. The goal was to generate rich discussion and practical input for GFSI’s future work on food safety culture.
Key themes and questions explored by the groups included:
- Defining the Scope of GFSI Guidance: Participants considered what the scope of a GFSI position paper or guidance document on food safety culture should and should not be. Discussions emphasised clarifying the document’s purpose and audience, defining GFSI’s position within the broader food safety ecosystem, and focusing on outlining the auditable ‘what’ elements of food safety culture within organisations, rather than being overly prescriptive on ‘how’ these should be achieved.
- Assessing Food Safety Culture Elements: One group focused on identifying and discussing the specific elements within an organisation that should be assessed to understand its food safety culture.
- Practical Assessment Methods: Another group delved into the practicalities of how food safety culture requirements can be assessed as part of a certification process.
- Tools for Assessors: Participants also discussed the necessary tools and support assessors require to effectively evaluate food safety culture.
- Consistency and Fairness: A critical area of discussion was how to ensure consistency and fairness in applying food safety culture assessments across diverse global settings.
The discussions were energetic, with participants sharing valuable insights and perspectives.
Next Steps
The input captured during the workshop was collated and, crucially, will directly feed into GFSI’s internal discussions on the necessary next steps for its work on food safety culture.
Potential outcomes include updating the food safety culture position paper and reviewing related sections in future GFSI Benchmarking Requirements. Additional consultation with stakeholders is also anticipated as part of this ongoing process. GFSI is committed to advancing this important area.
GFSI extends its sincere gratitude to all who participated in this key workshop. The rich input gathered is instrumental in shaping the future and GFSI’s next phase of work will ensure its guidance remains practical, globally relevant to food safety, and firmly focused on defining outcomes—not prescribing methods.
