The Challenge of Food Safety for Head Start Personnel

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To determine food safety knowledge and attitudes of Head Start Personnel.The food safety knowledge and attitudes of Head Start personnel were surveyed at a regional nutrition conference. This study was unique because it surveyed a group of people responsible for providing meals to a highly susceptible population, preschool children in a child development program. Questionnaires were administered to all 74 conference participants from six states with 68 completing the survey, a response rate of 92%. Participants have good knowledge about food safety obtained from local health department course, formal class on the job, on the job training by supervisor, and college courses. Most of them correctly answered 20 of 31 questions on food safety knowledge and attitudes. Males (n=9) significantly scored higher (p<0.1) on food safety knowledge than female (n=58) participants. Scores on attitudes towards food safety were significantly higher (p⩽0.05) for those with college degrees. Participants who were trained on the job by supervisors or attended a local health department course had better attitudes toward food safety than those who did not revive either training. Those who had previous food production experience also had better attitude scores. The survey ascertained areas where further training on food safety is needed such as 1) hazard analysis and critical control points 2) emerging pathogens and 3) temperature control of food during delivery, storage, rethermalization, preparation, and service. In addition, emphasis on training regarding equipment sanitization, cooking end-points, and contrasting home versus institutional food handling practices is needed. Food safety should concern everyone involved in group feeding of highly susceptible populations. Additional research could perhaps include a pre- and post- test with concurrent observations of actual food handling practices in the food production areas.