By using the Food Safety Culture Excellence (FSCE) assessment, you are taking part in an
innovative and exciting program to measure what has previously been unmeasurable. More
importantly, you will be gaining new insights into areas for improvement, helping you to create,
maintain and demonstrate a food safety Culture of Excellence. This document provides step-bystep advice and guidance on how to implement the module in your site(s) and get the best
possible results from it
BEFORE THE SURVEY : PLANNING
The typical duration is two – four weeks. But it is your choice as to the
duration (there is no technical deadline). There fore With regards to how the survey is completed.
o Senior employees typically take the survey on their own computer / device.
o Other employees (e.g. those on the factory floor) typically use shared computers
or devices: the survey is set up by an IT representative, then employees take the
survey one-by-one.
Employees should be given sufficient time (15 – 20 minutes) during their working day. It
is not recommended that employees be requested to complete the survey during their
normal break times or outside their working hours because this will normally mean
they rush.
In addition, anonymity should be a consideration. Ideally employees should have
privacy to complete the survey, to ensure they feel that they can answer honestly
without being observed.
Note: The survey must be completed in one sitting, it cannot be saved and completed
later.
BEFORE THE SURVEY : COMMUNICATION
It is important to communicate the assessment well to employees.
To maximise the impact and credibility of communications, consider the following:
o Source: communications should originate from senior representatives and
should be propagated via respected peers.
o Method: this varies per client, but generally includes briefings and emails.
o Message: the intent of the assessment must be made clear, specifically:
▪ it is not just about a total score.
▪ it gives insight into relative strengths and weaknesses.
▪ honesty is paramount, and will dictate the value of the process.
▪ the assessment will enable action planning and improvement.
▪ answers are anonymous; no personal information is collected, and the
reporting will not allow individual responses to be viewed.
o Follow-up: this reinforces the message and drives uptake (e.g. countdowns,
progress updates).
BEFORE THE SURVEY : TARGET RESPONSE NUMBERS
During your application for the FSCE Module food safety, you
provided the total number of employees at your Site at the following hierarchy levels:
MANAGER / SENIOR MANAGER: A member of staff whose work is not typically on the
‘shop floor’ and who plans and manages the work of others.
SUPERVISOR / TEAM LEADER: A member of staff who typically works on the ‘shop floor’
and has the responsibility to supervise or manage others within their area or team.
OPERATOR / OPERATIVE: A member of staff who typically has a line role and is not
responsible for managing or supervising others. The best scenario is that everyone at the
Site completes the survey, which will provide the most data to analyse. However, the
larger the number of people at a site, the harder this can be. We therefore set minimum
targets based on the numbers you provided, using the percentages shown below to
achieve a representative sample:
| SITE SIZE (NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES) | MINIMUM TARGET PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS |
| Less than 30 | 90% |
| 30 – 49 | 80% |
| 50 – 69 | 70% |
| 70 – 99 | 60% |
| 100 – 139 | 50% |
| 140 – 199 | 40% |
| More than 200 | 30% |
Based on these percentages, we calculate the minimum targets and communicate
them to you in the survey welcome email.
For example: If a site has 100 employees, the minimum target is 50%. Therefore, if the
100 employees include 10 managers, 20 supervisors and 70 operators, they would need
a minimum of 5 managers, 10 supervisors and 35 operators to complete the survey
(50% of each hierarchy level).
The minimum targets from the above example would be communicated in the survey
registration email in the following format:
- Manager / Senior Manager: 5 (50% of Site total)
- Supervisor / Team Leader: 10 (50% of Site total)
- Operator: 35 (50% of Site total
Conclusion
Creating a food safety culture of excellence isn’t just a process—it’s second nature.
Invest in culture alongside training, system implementation, and auditing to ensure
effective product safety management systems
