Food safety is a board-level risk: to people first, then to the licence to operate, the brand, contracts and the balance sheet. This is the rationale a board can test and stand behind.
How a board governs food safety
The boardSets the risk appetite, approves the policy, and asks for evidence. Accountability stays here even when work is delegated.
Risk or audit committeeReviews the food safety report each quarter, and and repeat findings.
Accountable executiveOne named person, with the authority and budget to stop product.
Programme ownerKeeps the and programme, and sets . Has a direct line to the board if public safety is at stake.
Sites and shiftsRun the controls and record them. Stop food without needing permission.
Independent assurance audit and , reporting what it finds without filtering.
| The board decides | How often | Evidence to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Risk appetite and policy | Yearly, and after any serious incident | Signed policy; top risks from the |
| Resourcing | Yearly budget | Programme costs against the risk view |
| Assurance model | Yearly | , scope, certifier |
| Performance | Quarterly | Food safety report: see What to report |
| Crisis readiness | Yearly | result; who speaks, who decides |
| Serious incident response | As it happens | Timeline, , what changed |
Who is accountable?Is there one named person, and do they have authority and budget?
How do we know the controls work?Is someone independent of the work verifying them, or are we relying on people marking their own?
What's our most likely serious failure?Is there a current , and has the board seen its top risks?
What happened last time something went wrong?Was the food stopped? How quickly? What changed afterwards?
Could we recall a product within hours?When did we last test it?
What is our assurance actually worth?Who audited us, are they and independent, and what was in scope?
Are vulnerable people eating our food?Aged care, hospitals, children and airlines carry higher consequences.
Could we show all this tomorrow?If a regulator or journalist called, could we produce the records?