Food safety culture in ISO 22000 – how to build and measure it?

The ISO 22000:2018 standard defines food safety culture as a shared understanding and commitment among all staff to ensuring product safety. It is not just about procedures on paper, but about everyday attitudes, behaviours and decisions at every level of the organisation. This requirement (clause 7.2 of the standard) is one of the most challenging during audits, as auditors look for evidence of genuine implementation, not just declarations. Companies often lose marks here because culture is not as measurable as hygiene processes. How can this be changed?

Key areas of verification by auditors

ISO 22000 auditors assess the food safety culture through interviews with staff, observation of processes and a review of performance indicators. The main elements of the assessment are:

• Management commitment: Confirmation via meeting minutes and linking safety objectives to business results.
• Communication and understanding: Assessing whether production line staff are familiar with and apply HACCP and PRP principles (e.g. through knowledge tests or practical examples).
• Monitoring systems: Analysis of tools tracking compliance with policies, including internal audit reports and behavioural metrics.
• Continuous improvement: Evidence of adaptation of practices, e.g. analysis of incident reports and corrective action plans.

According to data from certification bodies’ reports (2024), these areas account for approximately 40% of observations in ISO 22000 certifications, highlighting their importance to success. You can find information on the most common mistakes made when implementing ISO 22000 and how to avoid them in our separate article.

Building a food safety culture – a step-by-step approach

Creating a strong food safety culture takes time and the full commitment of the entire organisation. A practical roadmap:

• Leadership as the foundation: Senior management promotes food safety through regular briefings and related KPIs (e.g. a target of zero critical hygiene non-conformities) linked to the bonus scheme.
• Engagement-based education: Instead of traditional training – workshops, crisis simulations, infographics and internal communication based on real-life case studies.
• Transparent incentives: Digital dashboards displaying incident metrics and a reward system for risk identification and employee initiatives.
• Integration with day-to-day processes: Incorporating a safety culture into recruitment, performance reviews and digital tools (e.g. hazard reporting apps).

An example from Poland:

A meat processing plant in Greater Poland has implemented the ‘Safe Challenges’ programme – quarterly competitions using VR simulations of hazards. As a result, the number of audit findings (GMP/GHP) fell by 55% over the course of a year.

How to measure safety culture? Key indicators

Culture must be measurable for auditors to accept it. Use a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods:

Tools: Google Forms for surveys, software such as the SafetyCulture app. Audit quarterly and report on trends.

Summary and advice for the audit

The safety culture in ISO 22000 is not an afterthought, but a cornerstone – build it systematically, measure it and make adjustments. For the audit, prepare a portfolio of evidence: questionnaires, training recordings, KPI charts. You will avoid most non-conformities and gain a competitive edge.

If you implement these steps, your company will not only pass the audit but become a leader in food safety.