Sponsor A Food Safety Culture Summer Research Student

Food safety culture – the shared attitudes, behaviours and values that shape how safety is actually practised on the ground – is one of the most powerful levers your business has for reducing risk. This summer, your organisation can co-fund a 10-week research scholarship exploring a food safety culture question that matters to you, supervised by NZ’s leading academic team in the field.

What you get

• A dedicated summer student working on a food safety culture project relevant to your business and you help shape the topic.
• Full supervision from the Food Safety Culture Lab team at the University of Otago, so the work is credible and well-executed.
• Practical outputs (posters, videos, resources) you can apply directly, plus a low-risk way to trial working with the University.
• Early access to emerging food safety talent; a great pipeline for future recruitment.

How it works

• You sponsor half the scholarship ($3,500); NZFSSRC matches it dollar-for-dollar.
• The scholarship runs for 10 weeks, scheduled sometime between early November and the end of February – exact dates fit around your business and the student's availability.
• The topic is flexible – within the food safety culture space – and shaped around a question that's useful to your business.
• The student is supervised by the Food Safety Culture Lab team and can be based onsite with your company (ideal) or hosted by the Lab in Dunedin with remote check-ins as needed.
• You receive the student's findings/outputs at the end of the project.

Example project ideas
Projects are practical, scoped to 10 weeks, and grounded in behaviour change theory and ‘culture hacking’ techniques – small, evidence-informed tweaks to how staff notice and act on food safety information. For example:

• Turning dense SOPs into simple, visually-led posters, infographics or quick-reference cards – using cue-based design to boost recall at point of use.
• Short micro-learning videos on procedures like allergens, temperature control or cleaning – built on evidence-based micro-learning principles to improve retention.
• A redesigned, more visual induction booklet, quiz-style knowledge check, or clearer critical-control-point signage – designed to strengthen habit formation from day one.
• Turning real (anonymised) near-misses and good catches into short, memorable narrative posters or videos – behavioural science shows stories stick better than rules.

If you are interested in hosting a student, register your interest with NZFSSRC by 30 September.

Published on: 24 August 2026