Manufacturing Solutions

Enhancing Food Safety Culture in Manufacturing

In the dynamic world of food manufacturing, ensuring the highest standards of food safety is not just a responsibility—it’s a necessity. With increasing global demand, complex supply chains and changing production processes, manufacturers face rising challenges to maintain compliance, protect public health, and build consumer trust. 

At Cultivate SA, we understand that a strong food safety culture is the cornerstone of effective operations. We work with you to build an understanding of your organizational culture and how it influences food safety. By use of our validated assessment methods and tools to change culture, we are with you every step of the way to develop and implement the best change plan for your organization, embedding food safety as a shared value for all.

Our tailored approach addresses your unique challenges, fostering proactive engagement, enhanced accountability, and sustained compliance. Together, we’ll empower your teams to go beyond meeting standards—leading the industry with integrity and excellence. Discover how we can transform your approach to food safety culture and position your business for long-term success.

Cultivate SA’s Manufacturing Food Safety Culture Maturity Model defines measurable continuous improvement stages in your organization’s food safety culture. The model is one of Cultivate’s validated tools to help identify where your organization currently resides on the maturity continuum. It also identifies the characteristics of maturity levels to aspire to in order to improve food safety risk management and cost of quality, mapping the most effective opportunities for sustained improvement.

These are not just handouts and slide presentations – they are proven tools and methods which, when used with our proprietary process, will lead to measurable and meaningful success.

Click here to download the full version of the Manufacturing Maturity Model.

Cow standing beside a carton of Maola half & half, a mug, and orange flowers on a rustic table in a field.

“At Maola, we’re leading the charge in elevating our food safety culture. Partnering with Cultivate SA and Dr. Lone Jespersen has been a game-changer in our journey. Through engaging interviews and workshops, the team at Cultivate SA has empowered our leadership to fully grasp the significance of food safety culture and make it a non-negotiable priority. Thanks to their expertise, we’ve embedded food safety culture growth into our 5-year plan, positioning it as a critical pillar for both consumer safety and the long-term success of our business.”

Jon Cowell, CEO, Maola

Team Members

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Cultivate has assessed food safety culture in over 160 companies and more than 4,500 sites globally since 2014. The findings reveal that 63% of these organizations had reactive- or knowledge-based social norms, indicating relatively immature cultures. Such weaknesses can lead to significant harm and financial losses, with companies spending an estimated 12.5% of revenue on cost of quality. Improving your organization's food safety culture is not only a moral obligation but also a smart business decision.

    Explore more of the reasons to measure and strengthening your organizational food safety culture in these resources:

  • Cultivate uses proven tools to measure and strengthen all layers of an organization's food safety culture. Our assessments combine qualitative and quantitative research methods, including interviews, focus groups, and observations, to provide actionable maturity scores through Cultivate Maturity Models. These scores guide tailored strategies to build a stronger food safety culture across an entire organisation, not just those in the food safety or quality teams.

     For more information and examples of how Cultivate works with you to develop practical insights and strategies across your team, explore these resources: