To strengthen global food safety, researchers are turning their attention to food safety culture, a newer yet crucial strategy for ensuring that food businesses adhere to stringent safety protocols. As food safety culture gains traction, various tools have been developed to assess the safety culture within food businesses. However, the reliability and validity of these tools have often been questioned, as many lack a standardized method of evaluation. A recent study led by Dr. Lone Jespersen and Dr. Shingai Nyarugwe from the University of Central Lancashire, UK, addresses this issue by proposing a new methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of these tools. The research, published in the journal Heliyon, offers a much-needed framework for assessing the trustworthiness of food safety culture assessment tools, ultimately aiming to ensure that food safety practices are upheld to the highest standards.
Dr. Jespersen and Dr. Nyarugwe, in their significant research, developed an evaluation method that considers eleven critical factors essential for validating these tools. The study assessed eight existing food safety culture assessment tools—both commercial and scientific—against this newly developed framework. The results reveal significant variations in the depth of validation across the tools, with only one tool (referred to as CT2) meeting all the key validation elements. This disparity raises concerns about the reliability of findings generated by many of these tools.
Food safety culture is becoming increasingly integrated into global food safety legislation and third-party standards, reflecting its growing importance in the food industry. Yet, despite the evolution of food safety culture research, the study highlights a significant gap in the development and validation of tools designed to assess it. The research emphasizes the necessity for rigorous validation processes to ensure these tools can consistently produce reliable and accurate results, which are crucial for making informed decisions within food businesses.
The researchers discovered that while tools often undergo some level of face and content validation—usually through expert review and pilot testing—other aspects, such as ecological validity, cultural validity, and social desirability bias, are often overlooked. The lack of comprehensive validation raises concerns about the applicability and generalizability of these tools across different cultural and operational contexts. Dr. Jespersen and Dr. Nyarugwe argue that without a unified approach to validation, it is challenging to ascertain the robustness of these tools, which could lead to inconsistent or misleading assessments of food safety culture.
“Our study shows that most tools are not validated comprehensively, which can lead to inaccuracies in the assessment of food safety culture,” said Dr. Jespersen. “This underscores the need for a science-based approach to validation to ensure these tools are fit for purpose and can be trusted by food businesses and regulators alike.”
The research also highlights the importance of cultural validity, pointing out that assessment tools must be contextually adapted to reflect the cultural and operational environments in which they are used. This is particularly critical in the global food industry, where cultural differences can significantly influence food safety practices. The study suggests that tools must be thoroughly tested and validated across different cultural contexts to ensure their effectiveness and reliability.
Moreover, the study found that none of the tools evaluated had been tested for postdictive validity—an essential factor in determining whether a tool can accurately reflect past events, which is crucial for learning from past food safety incidents. The absence of such validations further limits the ability of these tools to provide a comprehensive understanding of a food business’s safety culture.
The findings of this study have important implications for the food industry, regulators, and researchers. For the food industry, it highlights the need for careful selection and use of food safety culture assessment tools. For regulators, it suggests the necessity of standardized validation processes to ensure that the tools used for compliance and assessment are reliable and valid. Finally, for researchers, it provides a foundation for further development of assessment methodologies that can withstand the scrutiny of rigorous scientific validation.
In conclusion, the study by Dr. Jespersen and Dr. Nyarugwe provides a critical step forward in the assessment of food safety culture. By establishing a science-based methodology for evaluating the validity and reliability of these tools, the research offers a path toward more trustworthy and accurate assessments, which are essential for safeguarding food safety on a global scale.
Journal Reference
Nyarugwe, S. P., & Jespersen, L. (2024). “Assessing reliability and validity of food safety culture assessment tools.” Heliyon, 10, e32226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32226
About the Authors
Dr. Lone Jespersen is a globally recognised expert in food safety with nearly two decades of experience improving how organisations approach safety through culture. She holds a Ph.D. in Culture-Enabled Food Safety from the University of Guelph, Canada, and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from SydDansk University in Denmark. Jespersen is the founder and principal of Cultivate SA, a Switzerland-based organisation focused on eradicating foodborne illness by strengthening organisational culture. Since 2004, including during her time at Maple Leaf Foods, she has led major initiatives to embed food safety practices across sectors. As a visiting professor at the University of Central Lancashire, she works closely with academic and industry partners through the UCLan-Cultivate programme to develop real-time culture assessment tools and behaviour-based interventions. She also serves in several leadership roles on international boards and was technical author on internationally used guidance such as BSI PAS320.
Dr. Shingai Nyarugwe is a Lecturer in Food Safety Management at the University of Central Lancashire and a Project Lead at Cultivate SA. She earned her Ph.D. in Food Safety Culture from Wageningen University and Research, following an M.Sc. in Food Quality Management. Before entering academia, she gained hands-on food industry experience in roles spanning quality assurance, production line management, packaging, and research across several sectors including dairy, bakery, meat, and beverages. In her academic role she teaches on the MSc Food Safety Management Systems programme, leads multiple modules, supervises postgraduate researchers, and contributes to research in food safety culture, policy & regulation, behavioural approaches, and food fraud. Her work has a strong international dimension, involving collaborations and data collection in multiple countries, and she serves in editorial and advisory roles related to food safety scholarship.
