Health crises, internationalization of trade, heightened competition, traceability requirements, cost control, volatile consumer tastes… The agri-food industry faces a host of challenges. Do you work in the sector? Discover all our confidence-building solutions, including our food quality and safety standards.
Food Safety Culture: it’s everyone’s business!
Reinforcing food integrity, i.e. all aspects that contribute to preventing acts that affect food safety or quality, also requires an approach based on organizational culture. A culture that gives shared meaning to the company’s day-to-day actions. This is what Food Safety Culture is all about.
What is Food Safety Culture?
Food production is a complex activity that can affect consumer health. Feedback from analyses of health crises shows that without a strong food safety culture, any company remains vulnerable to the “human factor” or human error, whatever its size, experience, resources and preventive measures, embodied in its food safety management system. Food safety is not just a matter of analysis and methods.
This culture needs to be underpinned by staff training and awareness-raising, which alone cannot guarantee an appropriate food safety culture, as well as other pillars, such as staff feedback and SDA (food safety) performance measures, communication and of course supported by “driving” FSC Leadership.
Food Safety Culture is therefore as much about behavior and mindset – particularly the notion of integrity and ethics – as it is about the procedures and other resources implemented as part of management systems.
Develop your Food Safety Culture with AFNOR
The AFNOR Group offers a range of solutions to help you develop a food safety culture within your organization. Our aim is to support you at your own pace and according to your needs, offering you à la carte services tailored to your context and level of maturity. Our ambition is to help you deploy a positive and sustainable food safety culture.
Understanding
Understand the notion of organizational culture and Food Safety Culture. This is an important phase in the process of developing a positive, sustainable culture. For a better understanding of this challenge, inter- or intra-company training is available in the training store.
Evaluate
Diagnosis, self-assessment… The aim is to assess your strengths and weaknesses and draw up a roadmap tailored to your needs.
Plan
Support in managing Food Safety Culture in project mode.
Deploy
Focus groups, ambassador training, HACCP boosts, etc. to better deploy FSC and good food safety practices (PRP & HACCP).
Analyze
Focus FSC+ to assess the maturity of your food safety culture and the way it is deployed. Carried out following a BRCGS, IFS, ISO 22000 or FSSC 22000 certification audit, this focus validates your FSC approach and enables you to progress towards higher levels of excellence.
Strengthen
Support from an AFNOR expert to carry out permanent and sustainable actions to improve the company’s FSC by reinforcing practices.
Are you thinking about it? Want to take action? Would you like more information?
To discuss your needs, click here!
Les experts en agroalimentaire du groupe AFNOR vous présentent le concept de Food Safety Culture à l’occasion de la journée mondiale de la sécurité sanitaire des aliments.
Découvrez les enjeux et les solutions pour déployer une culture de la sécurité sanitaire dans votre organisation.
A concept used in various reference systems
The concept of Food Safety Culture was introduced by the revised version of the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1-1969, version 2020), which triggered the revision of European Regulation EC 852/2004, making Food Safety Culture a subject to be verified by health inspection authorities. But it’s a global concern, as evidenced by the FDA’s (Food and Drugs Administration) “New Era of Smarter Food Safety Blueprint” program, which builds on the “Food Safety Modernization Act” and integrates Food Safety Culture.
At the same time, the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) has included food safety culture in its guidelines for owners of private standards (e.g. FSSC 22000, BRCGS, IFS, SQF). Finally, the Codex Alimentarius now proclaims: ” The establishment and maintenance of a positive food safety culture that recognizes the importance of human behavior in the provision of safe and appropriate food is essential to the proper functioning of any food hygiene system “. So the question is not whether to implement a food safety culture, but how!
How to obtain voluntary standards
Don’t start with a blank sheet of paper to check the hygiene level of your commercial catering establishment, or determine the microbiological shelf life of your products! Voluntary standards are there to give you guidelines and a consensus operating procedure.
Would you like to deploy a food safety management system? Buy the NF ISO 22000:2018 voluntary standard
Want to determine the microbiological shelf life of food? Buy the voluntary standard FD V01-014:2016
Would you like to implement a sustainable development policy specific to your agri-food business? Buy the NF ISO/TS 26030 voluntary standard
Training in food safety management
Vingt entreprises d’Occitanie se sont mobilisées pour revisiter leur organisation afin de maîtriser les risques sanitaires liés à leurs activités de production de produits alimentaires adoptant l’ISO 22000.
Découvrez leurs retours d’expériences
How to use ISO 22000 What is HACCP? What training is available to become a food safety expert? What are the requirements to become an ICA or IRCA auditor in the food industry? Is it possible to have your food safety skills certified?
Discover our training courses available throughout France or on request!
- How can we develop a positive and sustainable food safety culture? Access our Food Safety Culture training
- To master the key points of the food industry standard, access our
ISO 22000 version 2018 training
- If you want to design and/or review your organization’s HACCP system in line with the requirements of ISO 22000 v.2018, consult our
ISO 22000 HACCP training course
Looking for a specific course? Afnor Compétences offers a range of training courses dedicated to the agri-food sector: ISO 22000, HACCP, FSSC 22000. Feel free to consult them.
Certify best practices
Are you a food manufacturer? Consumers expect quality and transparency. Provide guarantees of your ability to control good hygiene practices and the risks associated with foodstuffs. More than just an eye-catching display, a certification process encourages employees to rethink their jobs and supports the development strategy driven by the company’s management. We observe this with our IFS, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000 or BRC certified customers… whether they are companies, hospitals or catering services!
For companies in the agri-food or packaging sector, obtaining certification recognized by the GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative) is often a prerequisite. FSSC/BRC/IFS certifications cover food safety, site protection against intentional malicious acts, and the risk of fraudulent or adulterated inputs.
Would you like to have your food safety management system certified?
- Discover AFAQ ISO 22000 certification
- Discover BRC Food certification
- Discover NF Validation – certification of rapid microbiological food and water analysis kits
Small, medium and large retailers, convenience stores, wholesalers, food retailers… Do you represent a retailer? Show your commitment to reducing food waste with the state label distributed by AFNOR Certification, the Anti-food waste label!
Developing voluntary standards
Voluntary standardization is a strategic tool for developing a market, succeeding in international competition and satisfying consumers. Many agri-food sectors develop standards collectively and by consensus at international, European and national level: these are good practices, product specifications or analysis methods. More work needs to be done to support the development of the agri-food industry in France. AFNOR is the contact point for taking part in this activity.
Staying informed
When it comes to food safety, it’s hard to keep your compliance reference systems up to date and on top of everything! To make sure you don’t miss a thing, get the CObaz reflex: this regulatory and standards monitoring solution developed by AFNOR Éditions helps you identify, consult, decipher, apply and monitor the texts essential to your business. With, of course, all those involved in the ISO 22000 voluntary international standard.
Need help with ISO 22000?
Consult our FAQ
. We’ve put together a series of guides and support modules for you to download free of charge. Value-added resources to help you understand the voluntary ISO 22000 standard, communicate internally and, more broadly, help you build a relevant and effective food safety management system.
