{"id":13674,"date":"2026-10-13T06:12:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T06:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/food-safety-and-culture-has-there-been-a-misunderstanding\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T05:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T05:12:16","slug":"food-safety-and-culture-has-there-been-a-misunderstanding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/en\/food-safety-and-culture-has-there-been-a-misunderstanding\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Safety and Culture: Has There Been a Misunderstanding?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"13674\" class=\"elementor elementor-13674 elementor-13661\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9d53dbb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9d53dbb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9d545f6\" data-id=\"9d545f6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d056047 elementor-widget elementor-widget-vc_custom_heading\" data-id=\"d056047\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"vc_custom_heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\" vc_custom_heading no_stripe consulting_heading_font  text_align_left\" ><h1 style=\"text-align: left;font-weight:700\" class=\"consulting-custom-title\">Food Safety and Culture: Has There Been a Misunderstanding?<\/h1><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-94a0418 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"94a0418\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong><em>From HACCP misconceptions<\/em> <em>to cultural <\/em><em>maturity as an investment<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d54bbc elementor-widget elementor-widget-stm_post_details\" data-id=\"9d54bbc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"stm_post_details.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_details_wr  consulting_elementor_post_details\">\n    \n<div class=\"stm_post_info\">\n\t<div class=\"stm_post_details clearfix\">\n\t\t<ul class=\"clearfix\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"post_date\">\n\t\t\t\t<i class=\"fa fa fa-clock-o\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\tOctober 13, 2026\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<li class=\"post_by\">Posted by:\t\t\t\t<span>Thanasis Stathopoulos<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<li class=\"post_cat\">Category:\t\t\t\t<span>Industrial<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<div class=\"comments_num\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/en\/food-safety-and-culture-has-there-been-a-misunderstanding\/#respond\"><i class=\"fa fa-comment-o\"><\/i>No Comments <\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e6c54df elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e6c54df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">A Few Introductory Remarks <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d54cd6 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9d54cd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the social sciences, there is a field known as <strong>Food <\/strong><strong>Culture<\/strong>. It examines societies\u2019 food-related customs, habits, traditions, and the broader cultural heritage surrounding food: whether as a social process and an outcome of agricultural production, as a meeting point for members of a society, or, ultimately, as an element of the way people grow and mature within a community.<\/p>\n<p>In a completely different corner of life, within Food Safety Management Systems, we encounter a closely related term: <strong>Food <\/strong><strong>Safety <\/strong><strong>Culture<\/strong>. Put simply, the term describes the surrounding atmosphere in which Food Safety is designed, followed, verified, and reviewed. It describes how we approach both formal and informal requirements, the foresight with which we plan, our beliefs, the way we frame problems, and, ultimately, our practical applications on the factory floor.<\/p>\n<p>Although a significant proportion of professionals confuse these two concepts, this article does not aspire to play the role of the classroom nerd correcting everyone else\u2019s spelling and grammar. Still, that confusion tells us something. <\/p>\n<p>Misconceptions surrounding Food Safety are not confined to technical matters. They are connected to the way organisations understand risk, responsibility, and the functioning of the system itself. Food Safety does not operate outside a social and organisational context: perceptions, customs, and established practices influence both employee behaviour and the way products are accepted by the market.   <strong>In this sense, Food Safety is not only a technical matter; it is also a social construction.<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31c64e9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31c64e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Organisational Misconceptions <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3719ee4 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3719ee4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Within this living construction, misconceptions are reproduced that undermine the functioning of systems: that the Quality Department exists to \u201cpolice\u201d people, that HACCP is something done once, and that it is exclusively the responsibility of Quality Assurance. The logic of compliance often takes precedence over continuous improvement. Time for collecting, analysing, and reflecting on data remains limited, teams operate within a \u201csafe zone\u201d, and attention is directed towards confirming a loss of control rather than recognising indications and early signals.  <\/p>\n<p>Added to this are limited staff participation and the absence of meaningful cross-functional collaboration. Communication moves mainly from the top down, conflicting priorities and expectations are neither discussed openly nor designed jointly, and instructions often function as a \u201cblack box\u201d for those expected to apply them. At the same time, disproportionate emphasis is placed on deviations, sanctions, and negative consequences, while positive examples, the recognition of desired behaviours, and tools from the social sciences that could support more effective training often remain underused.  <\/p>\n<p>Wallace, Mortimore and Motarjemi (2023) provide a useful bridge from current FSC misconceptions to the earlier misconceptions surrounding HACCP. The issue is not simply that \u201cwe do not know the definition properly\u201d, but that we can understand the theory and still fail to make the conceptual leap towards a different way of organising and operating. <\/p>\n<p>In the chapter \u201cHACCP Misconceptions and Shortcomings\u201d in <em>Food <\/em><em>Safety <\/em><em>Management<\/em>: <em>A <\/em><em>Practical <\/em><em>Guide <\/em><em>for <\/em><em>the <\/em><em>Food <\/em><em>Industry<\/em>, the authors begin with a familiar but still relevant paradox: although HACCP has been established internationally as a fundamental tool for Food Safety management, serious incidents, recalls, and foodborne outbreaks continue to occur. Their explanation is not that HACCP \u201cdoesn\u2019t work\u201d, but that it is very often neither understood nor applied as it was actually designed. <strong>The misconceptions they examine <\/strong><strong>share a common core: they transform HACCP <\/strong><strong>from a dynamic decision-making tool into a static administrative obligation<\/strong>. It may therefore be treated as something carried out for authorities or certification purposes, as a documentation exercise, as the responsibility of a single individual or an external consultant without any meaningful transfer of ownership to the business, as a stand-alone system disconnected from GMP, suppliers, audits, and other FSMS functions, or as <strong>a task that is completed once and then \u201cfinished\u201d<\/strong>. The authors reverse this picture: HACCP is a continuous, multidisciplinary process of risk assessment and management that requires scientific and technical evidence, genuine knowledge of factory operations, and review whenever conditions change. <\/p>\n<p><strong>The same pattern can be seen in systematic implementation errors.<\/strong> Studies are carried out without the necessary scientific and technical knowledge; HACCP teams do not always have the competence to critically review the system; incident history and new knowledge are not systematically used; and analysis often stops at the factory gates, leaving out suppliers, transport, distribution, and the actual use of the product. In applying the principles, hazards are described vaguely; CCPs, PRPs, significant hazards, and control measures are confused; monitoring does not always cover all critical parameters; and corrective actions, validation, and verification may remain at a purely formal level, <strong>with validation <\/strong>and verification <strong>in particular<\/strong> <strong>often<\/strong> <strong>underestimated<\/strong>. Even HACCP maintenance is frequently reduced to a routine change-management exercise, whereas in reality every change in raw material, supplier, recipe, equipment, process, or market should trigger a documented consideration of its food-safety implications and the preventive measures required. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-88314eb elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"88314eb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-English-Medium-1024x576.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-13664\" alt=\"General Misconceptions and HACCP mistakes\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-English-Medium-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-English-Medium-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-English-Medium-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-English-Medium-900x506.png 900w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1-English-Medium.png 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><strong>Key HACCP Misconceptions and Systematic Implementation Errors<\/strong><br \/><em> Schematic rendering based on Wallace, Mortimore &amp; Motarjemi (2023), \u201cHACCP Misconceptions and Shortcomings\u201d.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52bbaec elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"52bbaec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>It is precisely at this point that the contemporary discussion of Food Safety Culture becomes particularly interesting. Lues and colleagues (2026) open their review with the well-known phrase attributed to Peter Drucker: \u201c<strong>Culture <\/strong><strong>Eats <\/strong><strong>Strategy <\/strong><strong>for <\/strong><strong>Breakfast<\/strong>\u201d. The choice is not accidental. For years, the human and behavioural dimension was treated as a secondary determinant of quality and safety compared with systems, standards, and audits. Today it has emerged as a fundamental factor in Food Safety, precisely because serious incidents have occurred even in environments regarded as fully compliant. In other words, a factory that passes every audit is not necessarily safe. An external audit itself is only a \u201csnapshot in time\u201d, as highlighted by the research of Powell et al. (2023), among its other limitations. Compliance alone is not enough when the values, beliefs, and behaviours of the people applying the system do not support it in practice. Food Safety Culture matters precisely because it forces us to look at how systems function in the real life of the organisation: who speaks, who is heard, who decides, who accepts risk, when a deviation becomes considered \u201cacceptable\u201d, how much time managers have to analyse data, and how easily production pressure becomes the new normal.      <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46c368e elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"46c368e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Relationship Between Protection, Production Pressure and Economic Performance: Safety VS Profit?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0d70305 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0d70305\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The relationship between safety (protection) and profit (production) is illustrated particularly well in James Reason\u2019s (1997) model, as also presented by Andersen et al. (2023). The organisation moves between two extreme zones: excessive emphasis on protection at the expense of production may lead to economic suffocation, while excessive emphasis on production at the expense of protection may lead to catastrophe. Following an incident, management tends to move towards more conservative decisions and strengthen safety. Over time, however, the absence of further incidents and pressure for efficiency shift decisions back towards production, until another incident occurs, potentially more serious, as illustrated in the figure below by the progressively larger \u201cbursts\u201d. If this upwardly escalating trajectory continues, it may eventually end in a catastrophic condition.    <\/p>\n<p><strong>The paradox is that success in Food Safety can easily become invisible.<\/strong> When no incidents occur, the impression may arise that the resources allocated to prevention are no longer quite so necessary. Yet the absence of incidents does not prove that risk has disappeared. It may simply mean that the system, the people, and the preventive safeguards are doing exactly the job for which they were put in place.  <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-09e9da9 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"09e9da9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English-1024x576.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-13666\" alt=\"\u039f\u03c1\u03b3\u03b1\u03bd\u03c9\u03c3\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae \u0399\u03c3\u03bf\u03c1\u03c1\u03bf\u03c0\u03af\u03b1_ \u03a0\u03c1\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03af\u03b1 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u03a0\u03b1\u03c1\u03b1\u03b3\u03c9\u03b3\u03ae\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English-900x507.png 900w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/2-English.png 1672w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><strong>Organisational Oscillation Between Protection and Production<\/strong><br \/><em> Adaptation of Reason\u2019s (1997) Protection\u2013Production model, as presented in Andersen et al. (2023).<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5cf4190 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5cf4190\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Is Food Safety Culture Maturity an Investment? <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-14699f1 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"14699f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The argument for investing in the maturation of Food Safety Culture has already appeared in the research literature and is linked to Cost of Quality theory. In Quality Is Free, Philip Crosby linked the maturity stages of an organisation\u2019s quality culture to the cost of quality: from approximately 20% of sales at the least mature stage to around 2.5% at the most mature. The logic is simple: immaturity costs money; much of that cost simply appears later as rework, scrap, failures, complaints, recalls, lost time, and crisis management \u2014 after the problem has already occurred.  <\/p>\n<p>Lone Jespersen and her colleagues (2019) transferred this logic to Food Safety. They assessed FSC maturity across five multinational food companies and 21 of their plants, using questionnaires, analysis of 379 documents, and 42 interviews, and mapped the maturity stages onto Crosby\u2019s percentages. On this basis, the five companies were estimated to be losing a total of approximately USD 1.14 billion annually in Cost of Poor Quality. Moving up one maturity stage would correspond to savings of approximately USD 0.43 billion, while dropping one stage would correspond to approximately USD 0.38 billion in additional cost. The authors themselves are, of course, cautious: these percentages function as an estimate of the scale at stake rather than as a ready-made ROI calculator.<\/p>\n<p>The most important point in their approach is that FSC is not treated as a single intervention. It is a dynamic system linking organisational effectiveness, organisational norms, shared beliefs and group behaviour, as well as individual behaviour and intentions. Economic performance, therefore, is not expected to result from a single intervention, a training course, a campaign, or a new poster, but from the integration of these levels and the way they interact through an ongoing process of maturation. Maturity may mean better decision-making, greater adaptability, broader participation, stronger prevention and, ultimately, lower exposure to the cost of failure.   <\/p>\n<p>The first empirical step towards testing this hypothesis was taken by the Ghent University team (Spagnoli et al., 2024). The researchers measured FSC maturity and compared it with Cost of Quality data in five Belgian food manufacturing companies. Businesses with a more mature culture \u2014 and therefore fewer gaps across its dimensions (GFSI, 2026) \u2014 spent more on prevention and appraisal: training, validation, supplier evaluation, maintenance, controls, and inspections. This finding is consistent with contemporary Cost of Quality models, in which greater investment in prevention and appraisal is theoretically associated with lower failure costs and a lower overall cost of quality.   <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5e103bd elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"5e103bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3-English-Medium-1024x576.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-13668\" alt=\"\u0394\u03b9\u03ac\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03bc\u03b1 \u03a9\u03c1\u03b9\u03bc\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2 FSC \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u039a\u03cc\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03a0\u03bf\u03b9\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3-English-Medium-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3-English-Medium-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3-English-Medium-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3-English-Medium-900x506.png 900w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/3-English-Medium.png 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><strong>FSC maturity and Cost of Quality<\/strong><br \/><em> Adapted from Jespersen et al. (2019), based on the mapping of maturity stages to Crosby\u2019s (1979) Cost of Quality.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-39873bd elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"39873bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The value of the study lies in showing that FSC maturity can be interpreted economically as a change in how resources are allocated. Instead of paying mainly after failure has occurred, the business shifts resources earlier, towards prevention, appraisal, learning, and control. This changes the way the issue is understood: FSC ceases to be merely another resource-demanding obligation and begins to be viewed as a potential route towards greater economic resilience.  <\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the two-way nature of this relationship, we could say that the connection between cultural maturity and investment is somewhat reminiscent of Schr\u00f6dinger\u2019s problem. <strong>It is not always clear whether a company invests more because it already has a mature culture or whether, conversely, the investment itself acts as a mechanism that gradually matures the culture. <\/strong>Most likely, both processes occur at the same time, in a cycle of mutual reinforcement. This is precisely one more reason not to search for the \u201cone programme\u201d that will fix culture, but instead to observe how resources, decisions, behaviours, and outcomes change together. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c0cc647 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c0cc647\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"wp-caption\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4-English-Medium-1024x576.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-13670\" alt=\"\u0394\u03b9\u03ac\u03b3\u03c1\u03b1\u03bc\u03bc\u03b1 \u03a9\u03c1\u03b9\u03bc\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2 FSC \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u039a\u03cc\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5\u03c2 \u03a0\u03bf\u03b9\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1\u03c2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4-English-Medium-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4-English-Medium-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4-English-Medium-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4-English-Medium-900x506.png 900w, https:\/\/socialfood.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4-English-Medium.png 1365w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"widget-image-caption wp-caption-text\"><strong>Cost of Quality: Prevention\u2013Appraisal\u2013Failure and Food Safety Culture Maturity<\/strong><br \/> <em>Schematic rendering of the findings of Spagnoli et al. (2024) regarding the relationship between FSC maturity and Prevention\u2013Appraisal\u2013Failure costs.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1a7d34b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1a7d34b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Closing the Misunderstanding<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-dc215a7 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"dc215a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The same organisational logics that historically weakened HACCP (<em>assigning responsibility to a few people, equating compliance with safety, treating data as evidence rather than as an opportunity for learning, and increasing production pressure when \u201ceverything is going well\u201d<\/em>) can very easily reappear today under the banner of Food Safety Culture. If that happens, we will simply have added one more programme to the system. If, instead, we view maturity as an investment in spreading throughout the organisation the capacity to notice earlier, discuss better, learn faster, and decide with greater foresight, then the economic question changes. \u201cHow much does culture cost us?\u201d becomes \u201cHow much does it cost us not to mature it?\u201d The real shift in resources is from failure to prevention, from reaction to learning, and from managing consequences to making better decisions before those consequences appear.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a8e054e elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a8e054e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">References<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d9e15e1 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d9e15e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul>\n<li><strong>Powell, D. A., Erdozain, S., Dodd, C., Costa, R., Morley, K., &amp; Chapman, B. J. (2013).<\/strong> Audits and inspections are never enough: A critique to enhance food safety. <em>Food Control, 30<\/em>(2), 686\u2013691. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.foodcont.2012.07.044\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.foodcont.2012.07.044<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Jespersen, L., Butts, J., Holler, G., Taylor, J., Harlan, D., Griffiths, M., &amp; Wallace, C. A. (2019). <\/strong>The impact of maturing food safety culture and a pathway to economic gain. <em>Food Control<\/em>, 98, 367\u2013379. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.foodcont.2018.11.041<\/li>\n<li><strong>Andersen, V., Lelieveld, H., &amp; Motarjemi, Y. (Eds.). (2023). <\/strong><em>Food safety management: A practical guide for the food industry<\/em> (2nd ed.). Academic Press. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Wallace, C. A., Mortimore, S., &amp; Motarjemi, Y. (2023).<\/strong> HACCP misconceptions and shortcomings. In V. Andersen, H. Lelieveld, &amp; Y. Motarjemi (Eds.), <em>Food safety management: A practical guide for the food industry<\/em> (2nd ed., pp. 819\u2013832). Academic Press. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/B978-0-12-820013-1.00051-6\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/B978-0-12-820013-1.00051-6<\/a>  <\/li>\n<li><strong>Spagnoli, P., Defalchidu, L., Vlerick, P., &amp; Jacxsens, L. (2024).<\/strong> The relationship between food safety culture maturity and cost of quality: An empirical pilot study in the food industry. <em>Foods<\/em>, 13(4), 571. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods13040571\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods13040571<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Global Food Safety Initiative. (2026).<\/strong> <em>A culture of food safety: Position paper from the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)<\/em> (Version 2.0). The Consumer Goods Forum. <\/li>\n<li><strong>Lues, R., Jonker, J., Visser, M., &amp; Skweyiya, N. (2026).<\/strong> Turn-key protocols for food safety culture improvement: A narrative on theory and best practice. <em>Foods<\/em>, 15, 2540. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods15142540<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7383e1b elementor-widget elementor-widget-stm_post_about_author\" data-id=\"7383e1b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"stm_post_about_author.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"about_author_wr  consulting_elementor_post_about_author\">\n    \t<div class=\"about_author\">\n\t\t<div class=\"author_image\">\n\t\t\t<img alt='' src='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c72596568fa15e5d78c514cdb3c66c4323dfb5269ba0d36f78395852a3656f57?s=174&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g' srcset='https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c72596568fa15e5d78c514cdb3c66c4323dfb5269ba0d36f78395852a3656f57?s=348&#038;d=mm&#038;r=g 2x' class='avatar avatar-174 photo' height='174' width='174' \/>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"author_info\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"author_name\">\n\t\t\t\t<span>Author:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Thanasis Stathopoulos<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"author_content\">Thanasis Stathopoulos is an experienced Food Safety Manager with a proven track record in the food industry for almost 15 years, specializing in the design\/ implementation of Food Safety Management Systems and FSMS Education and Training. He holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Quality Assurance - Food Technology and has broadened expertise through interdisciplinary studies with an MSc in Science-Technology-Society (STS). Currently pursuing a PhD in the History of Technology, with research focusing on the history of food packaging, Thanasis has also spent the past six years studying and applying global best practices in Food Safety Culture. Through Social Food, he works with food production organizations on Food Safety Culture.<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d56954 elementor-widget elementor-widget-stm_post_bottom\" data-id=\"9d56954\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"stm_post_bottom.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"post_bottom_wr  consulting_elementor_post_bottom_info\">\n    <div class=\"post_bottom media\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share_buttons media-right\">\n\t\t\t<label>Share<\/label>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_20 addtoany_list\"><a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/add_to\/facebook?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialfood.gr%2Fen%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F13674&amp;linkname=Social%20Food\" title=\"Facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/add_to\/twitter?linkurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsocialfood.gr%2Fen%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F13674&amp;linkname=Social%20Food\" title=\"Twitter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a><a class=\"a2a_dd addtoany_share_save addtoany_share\" href=\"https:\/\/www.addtoany.com\/share\"><\/a><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9d56b31 elementor-widget elementor-widget-stm_post_comments\" data-id=\"9d56b31\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"stm_post_comments.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t    <div class=\"stm_post_comments consulting_elementor_post_comments\">\n            <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-12fa1f3 elementor-section-content-middle elementor-section-stretched elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"12fa1f3\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;stretch_section&quot;:&quot;section-stretched&quot;,&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d5a3028\" data-id=\"d5a3028\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bb57f7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7bb57f7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Are you ready to implement it in your organization?<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-35cf953\" data-id=\"35cf953\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ef85ec elementor-align-right elementor-tablet-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"2ef85ec\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"\/contact-us-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\" stm-right-arrow\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Request a Discussion<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Food Safety Culture Beyond Compliance: HACCP misconceptions, the importance of prevention, and the economic value of organizational maturity.   <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[114],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-industrial"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Food Safety and Culture: Has There Been a Misunderstanding? 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