Implementation of a dialogue-based food safety education program for low-income families

Abstract

Foodborne illnesses can commonly happen in consumers' home kitchens because of improper food handling practices. Consumers from low-income families have higher risk of contracting foodborne illnesses due to their limited food safety knowledge, insufficient kitchen tools for safe food handling, a lack of access to safe foods, and some risky culturally unique behaviors. Thus, there is a continuing need to develop food safety education programs to improve the food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices of low-income consumers. Traditionally, pre- and post-surveys are used to evaluate the effectiveness of an education program. Participants' reflections on the content throughout the programs are rarely reviewed. The objectives of this study are to showcase the implementation of a dialogue-based food safety education program that was developed for low-income consumers and explore participants' reflections through the lens of class discussion and take-home tasks. The food safety education program was designed to serve both English- and Spanish-speaking audiences. It included two 1-h virtual course sessions (one session per week for two weeks) and two take-home tasks. All course materials were developed based on the core four food safety practices of the Fight BAC! campaign. A total of 60 primary home food handlers (30 per language group) participated in this study. The implementation of the program was described. Participants’ reflections on produce washing, meat washing, use of a cooking thermometer, food storage, and use of a refrigerator thermometer were presented. This study offers insights for researchers, educators, and government agencies in the implementation of a dialogue-based education program and provides guidance for the development of next-generation food safety education programs.