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Certified Food Safety Management Systems Assessed through the Lenses of Food Safety Culture and Locus of Control: A Pilot Study

Authors :
Giada Forte
Simona Tornielli
Daniela Parini
Vera Lavelli
Source :
Foods, Vol 13, Iss 17, p 2759 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

The approach to ensure food safety (FS) has evolved, including the concept of FS culture, which has been shaped by both the legislation and the scientific literature. In this study, two companies that produce foods associated with potential risks of cross-contamination (gluten-free foods and frozen pastry, respectively) and are certified according to international voluntary FS standards, such as the British Retail Council Global Standard (BRC) and the International Featured Standards Food Version (IFS), were investigated to assess: (a) if the assessment of FS culture’s pillars can uncover unexpected critical areas; (b) if the scores of the FS culture’s pillars are related to personal traits, namely, age, seniority in the company and locus of control orientation, i.e., the beliefs that an event is the result of external factors (luck, destiny or superior beings), or the result of internal factors (human behavior). Questionnaires for the survey and the scoring system applied were selected from the literature. Results showed that all food handlers had an optimistic bias, which paradoxically could be the consequence of the rigorous application of hygienic procedures. The younger food handlers had significantly (p < 0.05) lower commitment than the older ones. Moreover, the segment of food handlers having an external locus orientation demonstrated weaker normative beliefs than those having an internal locus of control orientation. Results showed that the FS culture survey, which is related to the shared FS culture, could disclose unknown weakness in third-party certified companies, even if the well implemented principles of voluntary FS standards are aligned with the FS-culture pillars. Moreover, the segmentation of food handlers according to their age and the locus of control assessment could provide additional information on the individual orientation toward FS behavior. Hence these tools could assist the leaders in the management of the dynamic nature of human capital.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
23048158
Volume :
13
Issue :
17
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Foods
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.93ce6561902436ca4f80eb35513ce09
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13172759