When BSI began its journey in 1901, it did so to make life safer. The first standard for steel created consistency and trust across Britain’s railways. More than a century later, that same purpose continues to guide how BSI helps shape a world where people can have confidence in what they use, consume, and depend on every day.
Nowhere is that more vital than in food. From farm to fork, food connects people across borders and generations. It sustains lives, supports livelihoods, and defines cultures. And yet, in a changing climate and an increasingly complex global economy, the challenge of keeping food safe, secure, sustainable, and socially responsible has never been greater.
For over 125 years, BSI has helped organizations raise those very standards, strengthening trust, protecting consumers, and accelerating progress toward a future where food is not only safe and high-quality, but also sustainable, digitally trusted, and ethically produced.
From basic hygiene to system-level resilience
Food safety has evolved dramatically. What began as guidance on hygiene and cleanliness has become a sophisticated system-level approach, enabled by digital data, risk assessment, and sustainability insight. Modern food organizations now manage microbiological, chemical, physical, and allergen risks within structured frameworks that also track environmental and social performance.
Standards like ISO 22000 and ISO 26000 give organizations the tools to operate responsibly, balancing food safety with resource protection, ethical labour practices, and long-term resilience. This integration of safety, sustainability, and responsibility is one of the greatest lessons of the last century: protecting consumers also means protecting ecosystems and communities.
Culture and accountability at every level
While systems and technology matter, people lie at the centre of progress. BSI’s work on food safety and sustainability culture reveals that human behaviour often determines success or failure, not only in preventing contamination or recalls, but in improving energy efficiency, reducing packaging waste, and managing surplus.
Organizations that nurture a strong culture of accountability empower their teams to speak up, identify risks, and innovate for positive change. This transformation moves the sector beyond “dispose to be safe” toward designing processes that extend shelf life, recover surplus food, and minimise avoidable waste, without compromising consumer protection or brand trust.
The rise of digital trust and transparent supply networks
The future of food safety is inherently digital. As supply chains become more interconnected, trust in digital systems becomes as important as trust in physical products. Through traceability, blockchain, and data analytics, organizations are now achieving visibility from farm to retail shelf, identifying hazards, resource inefficiencies, and waste hotspots before they become problems.
BSI’s work in digital trust ensures that data used to make these critical decisions is reliable, secure, and verifiable. By combining strong governance, transparent reporting, and robust assurance frameworks, food businesses can translate information into confidence, for consumers, regulators, and stakeholders alike.
Building sustainability through standards
The next decade will be pivotal. Future Food 2025: Critical Decade insights show that food safety, sustainability, and social responsibility are now inseparable, and essential to long-term food security.
Climate change, water stress, and biodiversity loss all place pressure on production, while consumers and regulators alike demand tangible action. Leading organizations are responding by scaling regenerative agriculture, embracing safe and traceable alternative proteins, and investing in circular resource use, where byproducts and surplus are transformed into new materials, foods, or feeds.
Reducing food loss and waste stands out as one of the most powerful levers for both safety and sustainability: it prevents contamination risks, reduces emissions, and improves food access, affordability, and resilience.
Lessons from 125 years of raising standards
- Over 125 years, BSI’s journey has shown that the future of food depends on four interconnected pillars:
- Safety and quality: strong systems and continual improvement prevent harm and protect consumers.
- Digital trust: secure, transparent data is the new foundation for supply chain confidence.
- Sustainability: responsible production and resource efficiency enabling lasting resilience, ethical practices, and positive culture to drive trust and shared value.
- Health, safety and wellbeing: to support organisations keep people safe, well and productive, managing risk and building resilient workplaces.
Together, these form a framework for the next era of food, one where technology, trust, and transparency come together to safeguard both people and the planet.
As the world enters this critical decade, BSI remains committed to helping organizations move from compliance to confidence, raising standards that make the global food system safer, more secure, sustainable, and socially responsible for generations to come.
