Beyond the Checklist: How to Verify Your Food Safety Culture for SQF 10

The safety of a food company’s products, its reputation, and its very survival, rest on its culture.

For years, food safety culture has been seen as a theoretical concept that’s hard to pin down. With the release of SQF Edition 10 in March, it is clearer than ever before: food safety culture is quantifiable, measurable, and mandatory.

At Food Safety Magazine’s Food Safety Summit on Wednesday, Rootwurks Consulting expert instructor and CEO of Peak Advisors, Jeff Chilton, gave a presentation that dived into what SQF Edition 10 requires for food safety culture - and what it takes to show your culture meets the challenge.

What Does SQF 10 Require?

In his presentation, “Beyond the Checklist: Proving Food Safety Culture for SQF Edition 10,” Chilton highlighted how SQF 10 auditors are adopting a new approach that focuses on the mindset of the workplace more than methodology. He also highlighted two crucial SQF 10 clauses that deal directly with food safety culture:

• Clause 2.1.1.2: “Site management shall build a positive food safety culture”

Management must ensure employees understand their food safety obligations, feel empowered to notify management of actual or potential food safety issues, and demonstrate commitment to the safe production and handling of food.

• Clause 2.1.1.3: “A food safety culture assessment plan to drive continuous improvement shall be documented, implemented, and maintained”

You must develop, implement, and maintain a plan that includes two-way communication, comprehensive training for all personnel including management, a well-defined feedback mechanism, and regular measurement and evaluation of food safety-related activities. —

How do you measure food safety culture?

One of the biggest shifts in the food industry in recent years is that culture is no longer seen as just an idea, but as a way of operating that can be measured and quantified with a multi-faceted approach.

• Employee Feedback: Employee feedback helps determine if they “get it” when it comes to food safety and the hazards of the workplace, and if they’re properly engaged and trained to uphold safety standards. It can also indicate if the food safety expectations are clear and if there are signs of improvement over the past 6 to 12 months.
  
• Internal Verification: Workplaces should implement internal audits and environmental monitoring to verify and monitor food safety culture, and continuously assess the effectiveness of their operational controls and corrective actions. Chilton also promoted the use of post-training knowledge assessments, observation-based assessments, and monthly food safety reviews by company leadership.

Two-Way Communication is Key

Top-down communication is a recipe for failure, and companies must solicit and respond to employee concerns and suggestions.

• Feedback Tools: Chilton advocated the use of forms and suggestion cards for employee feedback, as well as surveys, apps, and smartsheets.
• Positive Reinforcement: Chilton said a very effective way to encourage employee feedback is through positive reinforcement, and that companies should highlight team members who are excelling at safety regulations.

What Happens When Nobody is Watching?

“Food safety culture and the new SQF guidelines demand clear documentation, but a robust culture is much more than a checklist or a binder of instructions,” Rootwurks CEO Chase Eastman said.

“Food safety culture isn’t defined by what’s written in a handbook. It’s defined by the decisions employees make every day when nobody is watching.”

Eastman added, “The companies that succeed under SQF Edition 10 won’t be the ones with the thickest binders. They’ll be the ones that can demonstrate engaged employees, effective training, and continuous improvement in real time.”

Eastman praised the way that SQF 10 “is making food culture measurable,” adding that culture “is reflected in daily behaviors, employee engagement, and how teams respond when challenges arise. SQF Edition 10 is challenging organizations to prove their food safety culture through consistent behaviors and measurable outcomes.”

The Countdown to January 2027

The first audits under SQF 10 won’t begin until January 2027, but building a robust food safety culture doesn’t happen overnight.

To see how Rootwurks helps companies build verifiable, custom food safety training that integrates safety into the daily culture - even when no one is watching - take a look at our tools for SQF 10 compliance and start prepping your team for January 2027.