Document Type

Dissertation

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

Public and environmental health

Publication Details

Successfully submitted for the award of Master of Science in Food Safety Management to the Technological University Dublin, 2020

Abstract

ood safety culture has become a prominent topic, with food safety management systems (FSMS), food safety regulations, training and auditing being challenged due to the reoccurrence of foodborne outbreaks. Due to its link with food safety performance, food organisations must have the ability to accurately measure their food safety culture to ensure it is an integral part of the company’s culture. The food safety culture of a dairy processing facility in Ireland was measured quantitatively using a questionnaire which was an adaptation of a food safety climate self-assessment tool. The questionnaire assessed the human dimension of food safety culture such as employee ownership, peer involvement, message credibility and leadership emphasis through 15 indicator statements. The respondents rated the statements using a five-point Likert scale. The indicators and answer scale were constructed so that a higher score on the scale would relate to a stronger food safety culture. Semi-structures interviews were conducted with members of the senior management team to establish their perception of the organisation’s food safety culture. Based on the overall mean score obtained from the questionnaires, the organisation’s food safety culture was found to have a mean score of 4.21 and standard deviation of 0.52, indicating a good or improving food safety culture. Employees and senior managements perception of food safety culture was compared and examined. No significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between the different departments and their perception of the organisation’s food safety culture nor between employees and senior managements perceptions as based on results from non-parametric statistical analysis methods.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21427/JAM7-7173

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