Measuring Food Safety Culture: Beyond the Annual Survey
Food safety culture is now required by Codex, by GFSI-recognised schemes and by customers. The difficult part is measuring it in a way that leads to action.
Key points
- A survey shows what people say; observation and records show what they do.
- A small set of indicators, tracked over time, is more useful than a long questionnaire once a year.
- Culture improves when managers act on what the measurement shows.
Why surveys are not enough
Surveys are easy to run and easy to misread. Staff often give the answer they think is expected, and a high score can sit beside poor practice on the line. A survey is a starting point, not the measurement.
Indicators that show behaviour
- Hygiene and behaviour observations on the line, by shift
- Number of concerns and near misses reported by staff, and how quickly they were answered
- Repeat findings in internal audits
- Completion and results of training, checked at the workplace
- Time taken to close corrective actions
- Presence of managers in production areas
Turning measurement into improvement
Report the indicators in the management review alongside production and financial figures. Choose one or two priorities for each period, give them an owner, and tell staff what was done with their feedback. People keep reporting only when they see a result.