At present, food safety culture (FSC) is a strategic dimension of food management systems,as established by EU Regulation 2021/382. Understanding how individual and organi-zational factors influence the safety climate is essential for designing effective traininginterventions. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Southern Italyfrom March to September 2025 among 216 workers from 52 food businesses located in theprovinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani, using a questionnaire based on a validatedscale, which is structured into five dimensions of leadership, communication, commitment,risk awareness, and resources. Descriptive analyses, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic re-gressions were conducted to identify predictors of positive perceptions. The overall climatewas positive for 82.9% of the sample. The strongest dimensions were leadership (88.4%),communication (86.1%), and risk awareness (84.7%), while resources were identified asa critical area (41.2% of respondents perceived deficiencies, especially in personnel andinfrastructure). Overall, the results confirm that FSC is significantly influenced by ongoingtraining, cultural awareness and job stability. Resource-related challenges indicate a needfor greater management investment to concretely support food safety practices. (PDF) Food Safety Culture and Education: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Italy. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398078820_Food_Safety_Culture_and_Education_A_Cross-Sectional_Study_in_Southern_Italy [accessed Dec 01 2025].
Food Safety Culture and Education: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Italy / Marzocca, Piersaverio; Cerabona, Vito; Marcotrigiano, Vincenzo; Farina, Umberto; Tarricone, Teresa; Tatoli, Ylenia; Lampedecchia, Michele; Domenico Stingi, Giacomo; Spinelli, Caterina; Grazia Forte, Maria; Rizzi, Roberto; Dalena, Annamaria; Cinquetti, Sandro; Normanno, Giovanni; Teresa Montagna, Maria; Napoli, Christian; De Giglio, Osvalda; Giuseppina Caggiano, And. - In: FOODS. - ISSN 2304-8158. - 14:(2025). [10.3390/foods14234095]
Food Safety Culture and Education: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Italy
Vito CerabonaSecondo
Formal Analysis
;Vincenzo Marcotrigiano
;Christian Napoli;
2025
Abstract
At present, food safety culture (FSC) is a strategic dimension of food management systems,as established by EU Regulation 2021/382. Understanding how individual and organi-zational factors influence the safety climate is essential for designing effective traininginterventions. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in Southern Italyfrom March to September 2025 among 216 workers from 52 food businesses located in theprovinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani, using a questionnaire based on a validatedscale, which is structured into five dimensions of leadership, communication, commitment,risk awareness, and resources. Descriptive analyses, χ2 tests, and multivariate logistic re-gressions were conducted to identify predictors of positive perceptions. The overall climatewas positive for 82.9% of the sample. The strongest dimensions were leadership (88.4%),communication (86.1%), and risk awareness (84.7%), while resources were identified asa critical area (41.2% of respondents perceived deficiencies, especially in personnel andinfrastructure). Overall, the results confirm that FSC is significantly influenced by ongoingtraining, cultural awareness and job stability. Resource-related challenges indicate a needfor greater management investment to concretely support food safety practices. (PDF) Food Safety Culture and Education: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Italy. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398078820_Food_Safety_Culture_and_Education_A_Cross-Sectional_Study_in_Southern_Italy [accessed Dec 01 2025].I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
