Food Safety Culture NOT Alive And Kicking

Despite technological and medical advances, in 2025, there are still 600 million foodborne contaminations each year, resulting in 420,000 deaths, year on year. Children under 5 years of age are at particularly high risk, with 125 000 children dying from foodborne diseases every year. Such failures in food safety compliance are not confined to evolving economies but it is very much evidenced in western societies. Despite investing in quality assurance systems, an alarming number of food sector businesses are struggling daily in winning the war against food contamination. Product recalls from high street supermarkets reflect a food sector which is struggling to factor out breaches in food safety resulting in further contaminations and ultimately deaths. This paper captures the author’s front-line exposure into food safety culture over the past 9 years from Panama to Inner Mongolia. Having developed the Enlighten Food Safety Cultural Compliance Model, the author highlights core factors undermining food safety cultural and provides validated solutions to a problematic food supply chain.