https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.64.01.26.9508

Article in press

Modern Food Systems Challenged by Food Safety Culture

Mojca Jevšnik Podlesnik¹ and Peter Raspor^2*

¹Department of Sanitary Engineering Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

²Emeritus Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Copyright © 2024 This is a Diamond Open Access article published under CC-BY licence. Copyright remains with the authors, who grant third parties the unrestricted right to use, copy, distribute and reproduce the article as long as the original author(s) and source are acknowledged.

Article history:

Received: 30 November 2025

Accepted: 29 January 2026

Keywords:

food safety; human factor; food safety culture; human behaviour; food systems; good practices

Summary:

Despite decades of regulatory development, standardized food safety management systems, and technological advances, foodborne outbreaks, recalls, and food fraud continue to pose significant public health and societal challenges. These persistent failures increasingly reveal systemic vulnerabilities that cannot be explained by deficiencies in legislation or formal control mechanisms alone. Instead, they highlight the critical role of human behaviour, organizational culture, and socio-technical interactions within modern, complex agri-food networks. Food safety culture has therefore emerged as a key determinant of food safety performance, linking regulatory frameworks with everyday practices in food establishments. While HACCP-based systems clearly define procedures and responsibilities, their effectiveness remains limited when behavioural consistency, leadership commitment, communication, and resource availability are weak. Research consistently shows that even well-designed systems remain insufficiently monitored when organizational alignment and behavioural adherence are lacking, allowing deviations from safe practices to persist. Contemporary approaches move beyond compliance-driven models toward cultural transformation, emphasizing leadership engagement, effective risk communication, learning-oriented environments, and evidence-based behavioural interventions. Increasingly, digital tools and real-time monitoring systems support this transition by strengthening feedback, transparency, and adaptive risk management across food systems. Strengthening food safety culture therefore requires coordinated, multi-level action that integrates governance, technology, and human-oriented approaches. Such transformation is essential not only for improving food safety outcomes but also for protecting public health, maintaining consumer trust, and enhancing the long-term resilience and sustainability of modern food systems.