The Alliance to Stop Foodborne Illness and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced the return of their joint Food Safety Culture webinar series, kicking off in January 2025.

Despite food safety regulations and processes improving over the last several decades, foodborne illnesses have not significantly declined. This begs a critical question, which the article attempts to answer through a food safety culture lens: Are new regulations and "best practices" actually improving outcomes?

This research article assesses the contemporary developments of food safety management system (FSMS) standards as capacity-building programs worldwide and identifies the primary constraints and advantages associated with their implementation by small- and medium-sized enterprises and smallholder farmers across different world regions. 

To keep your plant in compliance with regulations and ensure that operations are running safely and smoothly, you need to ensure that your food safety and sanitation programs are being managed appropriately.

Ignoring psychosocial risks in a food business—including control and support—gives a false sense of security for leaders, who may believe that high external inspection and audit scores mean that the company has a strong food safety system and culture.
 

The event discussed how after a year of launching the BRCGS Global Standard Food Safety Issue 9, the transition audit data collected over this period was analyzed to comprehend the common non-conformities and trends, and how sites can overcome these challenges in future audits.

Delivering safe and high-quality food must be a top priority for everyone involved in the food industry, from food manufacturers and suppliers to grocery stores and restaurants, and from CEOs and CFOs to manufacturing plant workers. Food manufacturers can eliminate the risk of food contamination anywhere along the supply chain by creating a culture of food safety.

The highly regulated food industry has recently reached major milestones in its food safety culture journey. In addition to general acceptance of the key concepts, a unified language and framework has been developed. The local food movement is characterized by short supply chains, typically involving direct sales to consumers. The majority of businesses in this category have a handful of employees and include small-scale farmers and processors, as well as cottage food producers. The concepts of food safety culture are at the infancy stage, gaining traction as the rest of the food industry settles into the new normal of behavior-based food safety practice. This article explores the question: To what extent do the established food safety culture cornerstones apply to the local food segment of the food industry?

In the ever-evolving world of food manufacturing, employee training and education play a pivotal role in achieving operational excellence, maintaining the highest quality standards, ensuring food safety, and establishing a robust food safety culture within an organization.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we are joined by Sara Mortimore, M.Sc., FRSPH, MIFST, Vice President and Global Subject Matter Expert for Food Safety at Walmart Inc., to discuss her experience overseeing food safety and managing supply chains at large food and retail enterprises, as well as specific food safety and supply chain initiatives at Walmart.