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Food Science 2019
November 11-12, 2019
Food Science and Technology
November 11-12, 2019 | London, UK
3
rd
International Conference on
Volume 3
Applied Food Science Journal
Appl Food Sci J. | Volume 3
The Psychology of Food safety culture, including quick check tool
Erica Colson
British Standards Institution, UK
F
ood safety management systems (FSMS) have developed to become more advanced over the last 20+ years,
however food incidents and recalls are still prevalent, and we still see lapses in basic food safety and HACCP
(hazard analysis and critical control points) failures. Modern thinking in the food and beverage production industry
is that although we may have more advanced FSMS and monitoring equipment, human error and behaviour is
having a negative impact on the safety of our consumables. Standards such as the BRCGS Global Standard for
Food Safety have attempted to address this through ‘add on audit modules’ focused on food safety culture, but
there is no agreed framework across industry that has a clear methodology proven to improve food safety culture.
Presenting key behavioural science learnings combined with business leadership techniques, we will present an
approach to food safety culture that focuses on positive reinforcement and top down leadership. We will explore
how organizations can tailor their approach after identifying what type of organizational culture they currently
work in, and how to best approach positive change in industry, playing into instinctual motivations and identifying
‘mob leaders’ to insight a snowball effect on improving food safety culture and reducing lapses in basic food safety
management. Attendees of the session will also be given the opportunity to complete a short food safety culture
assessment to benchmark their current status with recommendations for improvement.
Biography
Erica Colson has featured on the agenda of many industry events including the International Food and Drink Exhibition (IFE), The
Food and Drink Quality and Safety Summit and The Food and Drink IT Summit, The Farm Shop and Deli Show. After graduating the
University of Birmingham with a BSc, (Hons) in psychology Erica led the implementation GMP (good manufacturing practice) program
at a medical devices company, before moving into the food manufacturing assessment sector. Applying psychological principles to
business problems and providing insight on and the psychology of food safety and quality culture, she will share a new assessment tool
that food and beverage leaders and compliance teams can use to gain insight into their own business culture.
erica.colson@bsigroup.com