Evidence Review on Regulation Culture and Behaviours

The Food Standards Agency commissioned an evidence review to investigate the culture and behaviours in businesses and enforcement bodies, and the communication between individuals in these two groups, to understand what works best to secure regulatory compliance particularly, though not exclusively, in relation to food safety.

It forms part of the Agency’s response to the recommendations made in the Public Inquiry Report (2009) that documents the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of E.coli O157 in South Wales in 2005.

Prepared by the Institute for Employment Studies and Cardiff Work Environment Research Centre for the Food Standards Agency, the review addresses a number of specific questions:

• Who does or does not comply and why?
• What approaches or communications are more or less effective in securing regulatory compliance?
• What encourages sustained compliance?
• What deterrents and incentives have been shown to achieve and maintain compliant behaviour, and what more can business bodies and enforcement agencies do to increase compliance?

The review was carried out following the principles of a rapid evidence assessment (REA).