Is design thinking a support decision approach in different food safety contexts?

Abstract

BackgroundNovel approaches have been discussed as useful for improving food safety. Design thinking (DT) is an approach to solving human problems and seems to provide better results than traditional methods of solving complex problems. In food safety, DT has been used in the food donation process and transformative change in food safety (FS) culture, although its precise applicability as a valuable approach remains an area of ongoing exploration. Scope and approachThis commentary highlighted DT use and its applicability evaluation in different food safety contexts. We compared two studies that used DT in food safety: 1) a regulatory impact assessment of insecurity in the food donation process from a food safety standpoint, and 2) the evolvement of FS-culture in food services. Key findings and conclusionsDT delivered positive results in developing a prototype, e.g., when conducting a regulatory impact assessment in the field of food safety. However, when it comes to complex phenomena, such as proactively improving the FS-culture in food service, DT does not seem to be as effective.