Food Safety Culture, GFSI publishes version 2

Presented on March 26 at the GFSI Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada, the Consumer Goods Forum’s Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has published the second edition of its position paper on food safety culture.

A Culture of Food Safety, Version 2.0 refines the original food safety culture framework established in the first edition published in 2018, incorporating the latest academic research and stakeholder feedback.

It clarifies the role of the GFSI as a benchmarking entity that defines the fundamental dimensions—or the “what”—of food safety , while leaving decisions about specific tools and implementation methods—or the “how”—to industry professionals and individual companies.

Overall, the second edition aims to bridge the gap between food safety culture in theory and practice, equipping the global food industry with a multidimensional framework that can be used to transform cultural intention into consistent and measurable food safety performance.

A model for measurable and continuous improvement

In the second edition, GFSI recognizes that food safety culture is not a "soft" concept, but a fundamental factor in food safety outcomes.
Drawing on over 180 sources of evidence, the second edition proposes a modified five-dimensional model of food safety culture, organized into two levels:

1. Foundations of organizational culture, including:
   • Corporate values, vision and mission;
   • People: Commitment, Empowerment and Responsibility
2. Cultural elements essential for food safety, including:
   • Awareness of dangers and risks,
   • consistency for food safety,
   • adaptability, change and continuous improvement.

The revised model reinforces the central assumption of the GFSI: food safety culture is not simply the product of leadership or training, but an integrated framework of shared values, behaviors, risk awareness, and organizational learning .

To be effective, culture must be measurable, actionable, and continually improved .

An integrated systems and culture perspective

Based on the literature, the position paper also highlights the interaction between formal systems such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) and informal cultural elements such as leadership, staff empowerment and behavioural consistency.

By calling on food safety stakeholders to adopt an integrated, systemic-cultural perspective , rather than assessing food safety culture in isolation, the position paper offers a shared vocabulary and structured framework .

Defines the critical dimensions and components of organizational culture through a food safety lens and supports the integration of culture into standards, training programs, and assurance mechanisms. (Source: https://www.food-safety.com/)