To mark World Food Safety Day, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition held a conference titled “Food Safety Culture: From Theory to Practice.”

World Food Safety Day, celebrated every year on 7 June since 2019, serves as a key date to reflect on the importance of ensuring the availability of safe food for all consumers, and what better way to commemorate this day than by talking about a fundamental concept: food safety culture?

The conference highlighted the importance of taking a collective approach to respond to the challenges and demands of consumers, who are increasingly aware of the importance of food safety. Food safety culture allows us to have a shared mindset that helps us go beyond regulation and engage in dialogue with all stakeholders through more efficient communication.

Topics addressed at the conference included the regulatory framework, the European Commission's guidelines in this regard, the progress made by the working group on Food Safety Culture of the heads of European Food Safety Agencies, and the experience of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

In this context, it has become essential to rethink the traditional approach and recognize food safety culture as a strategic pillar for companies in the food sector. By integrating this human dimension and understanding how people perceive, apply, and reinforce these measures in their work environment, we can guarantee public health, strengthen consumer confidence, and contribute effectively to resource sustainability. Food safety is not only a technical responsibility, but a collective commitment.

This issue has been addressed from the point of view of public administrations and of companies that have shared the challenges for implementation by the sector and for verification by official controls. The importance of committing to changes in people's thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours as a fundamental step toward improving food safety has also been emphasized, providing a space for reflection, learning, and collaboration to continue building a solid and sustainable food safety culture together.

Read more

World Food Safety Day 2025 news