Food safety culture

Food safety culture is the shared attitudes and habits of the people in a business. It shows in what they do when the kitchen is busy and nobody is watching.

Leaders shape it, for better or worse. Staff copy what you do, not what the poster says. If a manager walks into the kitchen and picks up food without washing their hands, the rule has gone. If a head chef says 'skip the probe, we are behind', staff learn that speed matters more than safety.

A positive culture has clear standards that everyone understands. Leaders set the example and provide what people need: time, working equipment, enough staff and training. Good practice is noticed and thanked. Food safety comes up in daily conversations, not only before an inspection.

Staff must feel safe to speak up. If people fear blame, they hide problems. A commis who drops a tray of cooked chicken in a dirty area, or who forgets to record a temperature, should be able to say so. Treat honest mistakes as a chance to find out what went wrong. Do this even when it is inconvenient. Reckless behaviour, such as falsifying records, is different and needs a firmer response.

Thank staff who raise a concern, and tell them what you did about it. If nothing changes, they will stop reporting.

Look for evidence of your culture. Do staff follow the rules on your busiest shift? Do they stop a colleague who forgets to wash their hands? Do people report near misses? Are the same problems repeated in your 4-weekly review? Do agency staff get the same briefing as everyone else? Ask staff what gets in the way of doing the job safely, and act on what they tell you.

Think about the people on your team. Many food businesses have staff who speak different first languages, work part time or are very young. Use short words, photos and demonstrations. Check understanding by watching people work, not just by asking if they understood.