Food Safety Inservice Educational Needs of Agriculture Teachers

Abstract

The purpose of this census study was to determine the food safety inservice educational needs of agriculture teachers in Iowa. The population for this study was all of the 211 agriculture teachers in the state out of which 161 were accessible. The response rate was 54.03% of the accessible population and 41.23% of the total population. Eleven food safety topics were identified with input from experts in agricultural education, food science and human nutrition, and animal science, as well as some input from the agriculture teachers themselves. The teachers were asked to rate the extent of their perceived need for inservice education on each topic on a six–point Likert–type scale. The findings indicated that these teachers needed more inservice education on all of these topics. Teachers indicated a greater need for inservice education focusing on foodborne illnesses, food safety, bacterial contamination, food irradiation, food processing, and pesticide pollution. Hence, these topics were identified as the critical professional development areas in food safety. It was recommended that all of the topics be included in the food safety inservice programs for agriculture teachers, with priority given to the identified critical professional development areas.