Thursday, 09 October 2025
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) today published a new Guidance Note on Food Safety Culture, which aims to support food businesses in meeting their legal requirements to establish and maintain an appropriate food safety culture in their business. This new resource will assist food businesses in embedding food safety into their everyday practices and will also provide a framework for inspectors to assess food safety culture during inspections.
To produce safe food, behaviour and awareness must align with safe food practices. Food safety culture encompasses how everyone, including managers and employees, think and act in their job on a consistent basis. It reflects the commitment to food safety at every step and within every role. The Guidance Note contains practical tools such as a self-assessment checklist and questionnaires to help businesses evaluate their own culture and prepare for inspections.
By increasing awareness and adopting safe food behaviours, an appropriate food safety culture can:
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Maintain high food safety and hygiene standards and regulatory compliance
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Aid in keeping consumers safe from foodborne illness
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Increase transparency and improve communication among all employees
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Help prevent problems that results from unsafe food
Mr Greg Dempsey, Chief Executive, FSAI, said:
“Having the right food safety knowledge and skills is not just a regulatory requirement; it is essential for building and sustaining an appropriate food safety culture within a food business. This reduces food safety incidents, protects public health and also strengthens consumer trust and brand reputation. Our new Guidance Note is designed to support businesses in meeting their legal obligations while embedding best practices that safeguard consumers and support a stronger, safer food system. We encourage all food business operators to make full use of this new resource and commit to promoting a positive food safety culture.”
The FSAI’s Learning Portal also has a training module on food safety culture to assist food businesses that can be used in tandem with the Guidance Note.
Guidance Note on Food Safety Culture
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Notes to Editor: Under an amendment to EU Regulation 852/2004, all food businesses with the exception of primary producers are now required to establish, maintain, and provide evidence of an appropriate food safety culture, taking in account the size and nature of the food business.
