From shopping to eating: food safety practices among Chinese immigrants in Canada

Lichun Willa Liu

doi:10.1186/s41257-017-0007-6

Abstract

This section explores the changes in food safety practices among recent Chinese immigrants in Canada. Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) (2009-2010), this section focuses on food safety practices in grocery shopping, food preparation/cooking, food storage, and eating in restaurants. Based on data from a small-scale survey and two focus groups with recent Chinese immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as individual interviews with a community worker and two public health professionals, this section highlights the challenges and educational needs of newcomers along with the knowledge gaps among the newcomers and public health professionals, community health educators and workers.

Highlights

Food safety is defined as the degree of confidence that food will not cause sickness or harm to people when it is prepared, served and eaten according to its intended use (FAO/WHO 2003).Food can be mishandled at any number of stages during food preparation, handling and storage.Contaminated raw foods, inadequate cooking, and consumption of food from an unsafe source were the factors most commonly associated with reported outbreaks of food-borne illness in homes (Medeiros et al 2001)
This study explores the knowledge and practices relevant to food safety among Chinese immigrant newcomers in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada
Two focus groups and a small-scale survey were conducted with Chinese immigrants, who had been in Canada for 10 years or less and who were residing in the Greater Toronto Area at the time of participation in our research

Summary

Introduction

Food safety is defined as the degree of confidence that food will not cause sickness or harm to people when it is prepared, served and eaten according to its intended use (FAO/WHO 2003).Food can be mishandled at any number of stages during food preparation, handling and storage.Contaminated raw foods, inadequate cooking, and consumption of food from an unsafe source were the factors most commonly associated with reported outbreaks of food-borne illness in homes (Medeiros et al 2001). Food safety is defined as the degree of confidence that food will not cause sickness or harm to people when it is prepared, served and eaten according to its intended use (FAO/WHO 2003). Food can be mishandled at any number of stages during food preparation, handling and storage. Contaminated raw foods, inadequate cooking, and consumption of food from an unsafe source were the factors most commonly associated with reported outbreaks of food-borne illness in homes (Medeiros et al 2001). Food contamination creates an enormous social and economic burden on communities and their health system. Study shows that between 50% and 87% of reported food-borne disease outbreaks have been associated with the home (Redmond and Griffith 2003)

Methods

Results

Conclusion