Legal and normative requirements for food safety culture – a consolidated overview for food companies within the EU

• Published in: Trends in food science & technology 2023-12, Vol.142, p.104222, Article 104222
• Main Authors: Cavelius, Lea Sophia, Goebelbecker, Joel Micha, Morlock, Gertrud Elisabeth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: certification; compliance; European Union; food industry; food safety; foodborne illness; management systems; technology
• ISSN: 0924-2244
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2023.104222

A vivid and positive food safety culture helps reducing the number of food safety related incidents and foodborne illness outbreaks, and thus helps food companies to reduce costs and loss of customers. Since 2021, the cultivation of food safety culture is mandated for food companies in the European Union through both legal regulations and food safety certification standards. However, a consensus regarding the specific interpretation of these requirements has not yet been established within the food industry. The purpose of this review is to present the legal and normative requirements applying to food safety culture by identifying and condensing the applicable requirements. It incorporates the stipulations of Regulation (EU) 2021/382, as well as the requirements outlined by the International Featured Standards Food Version 8, the Food Safety System Certification 22000 Version 6.0, and the 9th issue of the Global Standard Food Safety by the Brand Reputation through Compliance Global Standard. A strong food safety culture requires a management style which ensures open communication, provides sufficient trainings and takes its role model function seriously. In addition, the company's management must be committed to the production of safe products by providing the necessary resources and ensuring legal compliance, appropriate documentation and performance measurement while promoting continuous improvement of the food safety management system. Although the theoretical foundation has been established, practical interpretation remains critical to effective food safety culture integration, requiring informed and context-specific approaches to advance further in the ever-evolving food safety landscape.