Food Handling Behaviors Research Articles

LOW LEVEL OF FOOD HANDLING PRACTICES AMONG FOOD-HANDLERS IN SELECTED RESTAURANTS IN GGABA KAMPALA, MAKINDYE DIVISION UGANDA: AN IMPLICATION FOR SAFTETY TRAINING AND REGULATION

Background: Food borne diseases remain a major global public health issue with increased morbidity and mortality associated with consuming contaminated food material mostly predicted by the food handlers level of hygiene during the course of food preparations.This study assessed the level of food-handling behaviors among food-handlers in selected Restaurants in Ggaba, Kampala and determined whether demographic characteristics predict the risk of food-borne diseases. Methodology: The study was a food vendor-based cross-sectional study employing a researcher administered questionnaire to capturepertinent data on the food handling practices among 286 randomly selected participants measured on a 4-point likert scale responses. The variable items were computed together using SPSS version 25 to assess the score levelreported using simple descriptive statistics and further binary categorization was done for all the variables to explore the demographic predictors of poor food-handling behaviors using logistic regression. Analysis of variance was used to test differences in the level of food-handling practices across demographic characteristics at a cut-off of (p≤0.05) level of significance. Results: It was found out that the level of safe food handling practices measured on 18-point reference scale reported a mean score of 6.62 (CI= 6.33±6.90)and SD of ±2.45, denoting 37% of the complete safe food-handling practices expected from the respondents. Categorically, the findings showed that less than half of the respondents (43.4%) displayed good safe food-handling behavior. Older respondents (≥ 61 years) and food-handlers with primary educational attainment among others insignificantly demonstrated the poorest scores for safe food-handling behaviors. It was further observed that male respondents displayed the lowest score for safe food-handling practices (F=4.039, p=0.045). Similarly, at bivariate level, male respondents are 1.8 times more likely to display poor food-handling practice compared to females (AOR=1.8, 95% CI=1.07±3.08) whereas at multivariate level, no significant demographic predictor was found out.The findings further showed that less than half of the respondents (41%)self-reported to initiate hand washing most of the timebefore handling food, while only 1 in every 3 respondentssometimes employ hand gloves during food-handling procedure, more than two-third of the respondents (71.7%) do not always put on a face mask while handling food. By gender, 71% of them were Females of 40 years of age or below and 4 out every 5 participants (89.5%) had primary educational attainment or below. Conclusions: The study indicated a poor and unsatisfactory low level of Food-Handling Practices among Food-Handlers in the region mainly predicted by the gender of the respondents, and raised the need for personalized health education and training on safe handling of food as well as improved sanitation and personal hygienein order to avert potential health threats to consumers.

Risk perceptions, on-farm handling, and food safety practices among egg producing farmers in Thailand

PurposeSafe food from animal origins rely on preventive measures adopted at the farm level. However, farmers' awareness on the food safety risk is limited, affecting their on-farm activities. Thus, this study was conducted to assess and compare the farmers' perceptions on food safety issues and risks caused by the management and practices at layer farms.Design/methodology/approachFarmers from 143 farms certified by National Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standard and 59 non-GAP farms were interviewed using a structured questionnaire for risk perception evaluation. Their level of perceived risk was compared using a scoring system.FindingsThe food safety hazards in eggs seem to be fairly recognized by both groups of farmers. GAP farmers demonstrated a higher risk of food safety incidences caused by inappropriate management and practices in farms than non-GAP farmers (p < 0.001). Although the results did not confirm the strong connection between risk perception and risk reduction behavior, these findings are beneficial to the food safety policy implementers to evaluate the critical issues for risk communication and for knowledge dissemination activities. The influence of other internal and external factors on farmers' food safety-related behavior should be further investigated.Research limitations/implicationsThe impact limitation was identified due to the restriction of scope on a specific population and region. The target respondents did not cover all scales, especially the backyard and smallholder farmers nor other rearing systems, such as free-range productions.Originality/valueThe knowledge regarding the food safety practices by egg producing farmers in Thailand is limited. Notably, this study contributes to the literature in elucidating the preventive behavior of food handlers and all stakeholders in the Thai food supply chain. The implementations of food safety preventive measures by two groups of farmers, GAP-certified and non-GAP-certified farmers, will guide policymakers to intervene more successfully regarding the appropriate changes needed.

Relationship of knowledge and attitude with food handling practices: A systematic review

Foodborne disease is still a public health problem in several countries. Food handler's knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) are factors that are risk factors for foodborne disease incidence. The research objective was to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of food handlers in maintaining food hygiene using a systematic review approach. The research method used is the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol approach. The article search process was accessed on PLOS ONE, Pro-Quest, and Google Scholar. A descriptive analysis was carried out on each research variable. The results obtained eight papers (100% sociodemography, 100% knowledge, 62.5% attitude, and 87.5% behavior). The mean of significant articles on sociodemographic variables was 18.5%, experience 59.38%, attitudes 13.33%, and 23.81%. There are 37.5% of the articles showed significant relationship between knowledge and attitude with food handling practice.

Evaluating the impact of a pilot safe food-handling media campaign among consumers in Western Australia: Implications for public health messaging

Over 4.1 million Australians are affected by food poisoning each year. Recent reports indicate that food poisoning is increasing, particularly in Queensland and Western Australia. Foodborne illness is preventable through simple household behaviours such as cleaning hands and surfaces when preparing food, separating raw and ready-to-eat foods, cooking food thoroughly, and keeping food at the correct temperature. Several interventions have been developed to raise awareness of these safe food-handling practices; however, the efficacy of large scale interventions has not been evaluated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a pilot safe food-handling media campaign that aimed to increase consumer safe food-handling knowledge and behaviour. Five-hundred and forty-six participants completed measures of safe food-handling knowledge and behaviour prior to and following a pilot safe food-handling media campaign that ran for four months in The City of Busselton, Western Australia. A generalised linear mixed model analysis revealed that the pilot media campaign had an effect on consumer engagement in half of the target safe food-handling behaviours. The pilot safe food-handling media campaign also had a statistically significant effect (albeit not clinically significant) on consumer safe food-handling knowledge in the opposite direction to that hypothesised. Findings are discussed in relation to the implications for the design and implementation of future public health messages related to safe food-handling.

Investigating the predictors of safe food handling among parents of young children in the USA

Foodborne illness, or food poisoning, is a global health issue, affecting over 600 million people each year. Contrary to lay beliefs, the majority of food poisoning occurs as a result of improperly handling food within the home. The past decade has seen an increase in research using theoretical frameworks to investigate predictors of safe food handling, however, this research has been hampered by a focus on motivational models of behaviour and the conceptualisation of safe food handling as a unitary behaviour. Additionally, little research has investigated safe food handling in relation to a particularly susceptible group: young children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use a dual process theory to explore the predictors of four safe food handling behaviours among parents of young children. One-hundred and thirty-six participants, recruited via CloudResearch, completed self-report measures of intention, habit, self-control, self-efficacy and safe food handling knowledge, and, one week later, completed self-report measures of their engagement in safe food handling behaviours. Results of logistic regression analyses revealed that intention, self-control and self-efficacy significantly predicted cleaning hands and surfaces before preparing food, and knowledge significantly predicted cooking food properly and storing raw and cooked food separately. These findings suggest that there is no one consistently significant predictor of all four safe food handling behaviours, however, knowledge did appear to be an important influence on safe food handling behaviours less familiar to consumers over and above other known predictors for safe food handling behaviours. Educational interventions should focus on increasing safe food handling knowledge for less familiar safe food handling behaviours whereas self-control interventions may be more beneficial for increasing more familiar behaviours such as cleaning hands and surfaces before preparing food.

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in food: which behaviour change strategies increase consumers’ risk awareness and preventive food-handling behaviour?

ABSTRACT Objectives We aimed to identify the potential of behaviour change strategies to effectively increase consumers’ risk awareness, behavioural intention, and preventive food-handling behaviour to reduce the transmission risk of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria through food. The applied strategies targeted knowledge and determinants of the health action process approach (HAPA). We tested techniques that are expected to increase knowledge, risk perception, and positive outcome expectancy (Study 1) as well as those that increase planning and coping self-efficacy (Study 2) in two randomised control trials. Methods In Study 1 (N = 328), a 2 × 2 between-subject design was employed to investigate the effects of an educational video about the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and a personalised risk message on knowledge, risk perception, outcome expectancy and consequently on intention regarding safe food-handling behaviour. In Study 2 (N = 129), we used a 2 × 2 design to examine to what extent goal setting (implemented vs. not implemented) and time (pre- vs. post-test) affected planning, coping self-efficacy, and preventive food-handling behaviour. Results In Study 1, we found that the video increased knowledge and the perceived susceptibility of risk compared to the control video. We found no increase on the dependent variables after receiving the personalised risk message. In Study 2, goal setting significantly improved safe food-handling behaviour compared to the control condition. Moreover, participants in the goal-setting condition showed more planning of safe food-handling measures and of dealing with emerging barriers than participants in the control condition. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that the delivery of an educational video on the spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria is a useful strategy to increase risk awareness, whereas goal setting presents a promising approach to improve food-handling behaviour. Following the HAPA, an additional effective behaviour change technique is required that decreases negative outcome expectancies and improves coping self-efficacy, thereby further improving intention and behaviour.

Plasticity of Foraging Strategies Adopted by the Painted Ghost Crab, Ocypode gaudichaudii, in Response to in situ Food Resource Manipulation Experiments.

The feeding strategies of Ocypode gaudichaudii at two sandy beaches, Culebra Beach (CB) and Playa Venao (PV) in Panama, were studied via three experiments. Two separate manipulative in situ experiments were conducted to determine how the densities of food resources and the size of the supplemented food offered to the crabs can affect their diet and food handling behavior. The third experiment, a transplantation study, was also conducted to determine the plasticity of the feeding behavior of the displaced crabs. In the first experiment, freshly-emerged crabs showed different feeding modes when washed-sediment was seeded with different densities of diatoms and rove beetles, which suggests that they are optimal foragers. Crabs hoarded food in the second experiment when food augmentation was performed, in which small and large food pellets were placed around the burrows at the beginning and end of the crabs' feeding cycle. All freshly-emerged crabs from both sites foraged on the small pellets outside their burrows and did not cache food; when pellets were provided at the end of the feeding cycle, crabs from CB fed on some of the small pellets and returned to their burrows with the uneaten pellets left on the surface, whereas crabs at PV picked up all the small food pellets and transferred them into their burrows over several trips before plugging their burrow entrances. Only the crabs from PV carried the large food pellets supplemented at the start and end of the feeding cycle into their burrows. In contrast, the crabs at CB often left behind the partially-eaten pellets on the sand surface, probably due to the increased risk of predation associated with the prolonged handling time of the large food pellets. Excavation of the burrows of the crabs that hoarded food showed that all the pellets were deposited at the bend of the burrows, indicating that they were not consumed immediately. Crabs that fed in droves at PV stopped droving and foraged around their burrows after being transplanted to CB. This is the first documentation of food hoarding in a sandy beach macroinvertebrate at a resource-impoverished habitat. The plasticity of feeding strategies adopted by the painted ghost crab in response to different densities of food resources in the habitat could be an adaptation to the dynamic sandy beach environment.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior of Street Food Vendors and Consumers in Dhaka City

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and street food suppliers and consumer behaviors of the capital city Dhaka were investigated. A cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires based on previous studies. Three main areas addressed in the surveys and statistical analysis are; 1) statistical data including gender, age, education, income, food safety training, and specific elements related to the work experience of suppliers, 2) knowledge of food safety such as the awareness of consumers and suppliers concerning pathogenic microbes that cause food poisoning, food and personal hygiene, proper cleaning procedures and high-risk groups, and 3) list of food handling attitude and behavior of subjects. Results showed food safety knowledge of street vendors in the High-tech Industries Development Zone was the lowest, where education levels are generally relatively low. Food safety attitudes of the youngest consumers were significantly better than those of older age groups. Street vendors were relatively poor in carrying out safe food handling, with only 27.6% using or being fully equipped with hand-washing facilities, although more than 50% of vendors were not wearing clean and tidy clothes and masks. Steps should be taken to improve street food stall operating conditions and facilities, including access of potable water, providing clean protected structures, and efficient waste collection and disposal systems that can promote the plans and strategies to improve street food safety of Dhaka city and Bangladesh as a whole.&#x0D; Bangladesh J Microbiol, Volume 37 Number 2 December 2020, pp 48-51

Does the Prevailing Awareness Reflect on Hygiene Practices for Handling Fish in Zanzibar?

Risky practices among food handlers are a major contributing factor to food contamination with resultant morbidities and mortalities among food consumers. This study aimed at investigating awareness on marine fish associated diseases and risk practices among marine fish value chain actors in Zanzibar (fishermen, vendors and consumers) and witness if they could contribute on marine food contamination. This was a cross-sectional research study conducted to asses awareness on marine fish associated diseases and risk practices between February and March 2019. The study utilized structured questionnaire that were administered to 256 respondents. Stratified random sampling was used to select 8 out of 207 fish landing sites from five Zanzibar regions followed by random selection of twenty-four villages, three from each fish landing sites. Pilot study yielded Cronbach’s alpha value of &gt; 0.755 for validity and reliability on questions of awareness and practices. Risk practices assessed were- handwashing after toilet, consumption of spoiled fish, health checkup as well as information sharing practice. Scores of respondents’ answers were summed up and cut off mean was calculated. The results were then used to calculate chi-square and p-values. Odds ratio was also calculated to asses likelihood of association between variables. Data was processed by SPSS version 6.0. Statistical significance was determined at a probability of p≤0.05. Majority (92%) of the population under study had access to mobile phones. 64.1% were aware and 35.8%) males were 1.6 times more aware than females (p&lt;0.05). 30-39 age group and Secondary school group were 3 times more aware than 20-29 group and Primary school group respectively. 74% of the population find it worth sharing information with others (p&lt;0.001). Only 50%) of fishermen had regular health checkup compared with 72% of fish vendors and 85% of fish restaurant workers. Majority (64.7%) of fishermen admitted washing hands overboard without soap or any washing facility and differed significantly with other ways of relieving themselves after toilet (p&lt;0.01). Restaurants are 10 times and 2.4 times more likely to AVOID sell of spoiled fish than fishermen and vendors respectively. Greed for money was pointed as reason for selling spoiled fish by 40% of respondents. 28% of fish consumers regularly consume spoiled fish. Malpractices investigated in this study may all contribute to health risks. High awareness and knowledge on marine fish associated diseases in Zanzibar community were not interpreted into appropriate food handling behavior. Factors that could contribute to the risky practice could include negligence, optimistic bias and illusion of control. Results of this study entail that it is critical for any food safety training conducted in Zanzibar to incorporate behavior based training that will improve food handling practices throughout the food value chain.

Consumer knowledge, risk perception and food-handling behaviors – A national survey in China

IntroductionFoodborne diseases have threatened human health and undermined food industries both domestically and globally, and improper food-handling behaviors have been considered as an important reason. Understanding the key drivers of consumer food-handling behaviors to develop effective mitigation strategies for foodborne diseases is urgently needed. MethodWe conducted the first national survey in China to investigate the consumers’ food-handling knowledge, risk perception (include two aspects: perceived severity and perceived susceptibility) and practices (leftover processing and raw meat thawing) across different subgroups of consumers. 3050 consumers were interviewed by stratified and random sampling and 1780 valid questionnaires were returned. ResultsThe results showed that Chinese consumers averagely had 54% correct rate of food-handling knowledge, only 14% of consumers can always implement normative leftover processing and 11% for raw meat thawing and consumers had lower perceived susceptibility compared to perceived severity. We found knowledge, perceived susceptibility and perceived severity had a significant positive relationship to normative food-handling behaviors and perceived severity had the lowest correlation with both normative leftover processing and raw meat thawing. There were significant differences in knowledge, risk perception and normative behaviors between gender, age, educational levels and income levels. In addition, there is no difference in knowledge, risk perception and behaviors for rural and urban residence. Practical applicationsThe practical implications and customized programs of food safety education for different subgroups of consumers have been provided to improve food-handling behaviors and mitigate foodborne diseases in China.

The implementation of the five keys to safer food in campus cafeterias and the effects on Escherichia coli contamination.

The World Health Organization developed five keys to safer food’s guidelines. This study aimed to determine the relationships between food handlers’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior to the guideline and Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination of food served at campus cafeterias. This cross-sectional study was carried out by interviewing 98 food handlers selling food and by testing samples for E. coli. The dependent variable was E. coli contamination, while the independent variables were the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of food handlers based on the guideline. Each independent variable had five sub-variables that corresponded to the guideline. The data were analyzed using chisquare and logistic regression tests. The results showed that food handlers’ knowledge of cooking food thoroughly was significantly related to E. coli contamination (P=0.54 [P<0.05]; OR=2.990;95%CI:1.093– 8.180). Furthermore, the food handlers’ attitudes toward cooking food thoroughly were related to E. coli contamination (P=0.58 [P<0.05]; OR=0.385;95%CI:0.157– 0.944). There were two factors related to E. coli contamination: the food handlers’ knowledge of and attitudes toward the third key of the five keys to food safety.

Pengaruh Poster Terhadap Perubahan Perilaku Penjamah Makanan Di Kantin Politeknik Negeri Jember

Hygiene sanitation of food in the canteen is important because of the existence of a canteen to ensure the health of canteen users. The behavior of food handlers determines the quality of food served. During this time there were still many cases of food handlers who lacked good behavior as food handlers. This study aims to improve the behavior of food handlers in the Jember State Polytechnic canteen using poster media without counseling. This research is a quasi-experimental study with the design of one group pretest posttest. Respondents from this study came from 10 food stands at the Jember State Polytechnic canteen. The first month was given a pretest and poster installation. Then the poster was left for 2 months and posttest. Data retrieval uses a behavior checklist form that has been validated. The results of statistical analysis show that the value of p = 0.9981 which means &gt; 0.05 (alpha). That is, there were no significant changes between before and after the poster was given. This means that giving posters without counseling was not effective in changing the behavior of food handlers for the better. Viewed from the poster media itself there are no problems. However, explanations such as short presentations or counseling are needed so that food handlers change their behavior.Keywords: Canteen, Counseling, Food Handler Behavior, Posters

Content analysis of food safety implications in online flour-handling recipes

PurposeNumerous food recalls and outbreaks were associated with wheat flour in recent years. Few consumers are cognizant of food safety risks associated with raw flour. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the food safety information and flour-handling behaviors presented in popular food blog recipes and in YouTube videos using cookie, cookie dough and egg noodle recipes as examples.Design/methodology/approachEighty-five blog recipes and 146 videos were evaluated. Blog author and video host food-handling experience was classified as professional or nonprofessional. Food safety information and food-handling behaviors were evaluated for adherence to government and scientific recommendations.FindingsBlog authors and video hosts demonstrated higher awareness of food safety risks associated with raw eggs compared to raw flour, which only translated into better adherence with recommended food-handling behaviors during ingredient addition steps. Cross-contamination from adding raw flour to the product was observed in 25% of videos, whereas cross-contamination from hosts adding raw shell eggs was observed 3% of videos. Blog authors and video hosts did not recommend or demonstrate handwashing after handling raw shell eggs nor raw flour, and fewer than 5% provided recommendations for cleaning work surfaces. Heat treatment methods to convert raw flour into ready-to-eat products were mentioned by 24% of blog authors and 18% of video hosts; however, the recommendations were not scientifically validated.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the need to develop educational interventions that increase blog authors' and video hosts' awareness of risks associated with raw flour and that translate this knowledge into practiced behaviors.

Effect of Observational Evaluation of Food Safety Curricula on High School Students' Behavior Change

High school students have limited food safety knowledge and lack safe food handling skills. However, youth of high school age are frequently employed in food service and will prepare food for themselves. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a food safety educational intervention for changing students' food handling behaviors, and the theory of planned behavior was used to construct factors that contribute to behavior change. A combination of stationary and wearable (GoPro) cameras was used to observe the food handling practices of high school students in key areas, including food thermometer use, hand washing and hand drying, glove changing, and environmental cleaning. The percentage of correct food handling techniques was measured categorically, and the number of groups who complied with thermometer use and environmental cleaning guidelines was recorded. The percentage of students using correct hand washing, hand drying, and glove changing techniques significantly increased in the postobservation cooking session. However, the percentage of correct hand washing and glove changing events remained <50% for certain subcategories: hand washing time (38%), hand washing after handling raw produce (36%) and touching skin (20%), changing gloves after gloves became contaminated or torn (47%), and washing hands between glove changes (15%). Students modified their behaviors to comply with subjective norms related to the study, including instructor expectations, but some students did not plan to change the behaviors they practiced at home. Students cited food handling behaviors they observed their parents using when making decisions about how to prepare food. This study highlights the need for the development of food safety educational interventions that encourage safe food handling skills and address influences from key subjective norm groups.

A Closer Look at Changes in High-Risk Food-Handling Behaviors and Perceptions of Primary Food Handlers at Home in South Korea across Time.

Food-handling behaviors and risk perceptions among primary food handlers were investigated by consumer surveys from different subjects in 2010 (N = 609; 1st survey will be called here “Year 2010”) and 2019 (N = 605; 2nd survey will be called here “Year 2019”). Year 2010 was characterized by consumers’ risk perception-behavior gap (i.e., consumers knew safe methods for food-handling, but responses regarding the behaviors did not support their confidence in food safety): they (1) did not wash/trim foods before storage, (2) thawed frozen foods at room temperature, and (3) exposed leftovers to danger zone temperatures. These trends were not improved and the gaps in Year 2010 remained in Year 2019. Year 2010 was also characterized by other common high-risk behaviors improved during 8 years for the following aspects: (1) 70.0% of consumers divided a large portion of food into smaller pieces for storage, but few consumers (12.5%) labeled divided foods with relevant information, and (2) they excessively reused kitchen utensils. Whereas in Year 2019, more consumers (25.7%) labeled food and usage periods for kitchen utensils were shortened. Consumers usually conformed to food safety rules in both Year 2010 and 2019: (1) separate storage of foods, (2) storage of foods in the proper places/periods, (3) washing fruits/vegetables before eating, (4) washing hands after handling potentially hazardous foods, and (5) cooking foods and reheating leftovers to eat. Our findings provided resources for understanding consumers’ high-risk behaviors/perceptions at home, highlighting the importance of behavioral control.

Condições higiênicossanitárias de restaurantes comerciais localizados na Zona Norte do Rio de Janeiro

Diversos fatores contribuíram para o aumento do consumo de alimentos fora do domicílio e impulsionaram o crescimento dos restaurantes comerciais, segmento que deve oferecer refeições com qualidade adequada. O estudo teve por objetivo avaliar as condições higienicossanitárias de restaurantes comerciais localizados na Zona Norte do município do Rio de Janeiro. Foram avaliados 19 estabelecimentos por meio de lista de verificação composta por 70 itens organizados em seis blocos temáticos baseada na legislação vigente. Os restaurantes foram classificados quanto ao risco sanitário de acordo com o grau de conformidade em satisfatório (76 a 100%), regular (51 a 75%) ou insatisfatório (0 a 50%). Apenas 42% dos restaurantes estudados foram classificados com risco sanitário satisfatório, enquanto que 47% foram classificados como regular e 11% como insatisfatório. As principais não conformidades encontradas foram infraestrutura irregular, comportamento inadequado dos manipuladores de alimentos, falta de monitoramento de temperatura, bem como ausência de manual de boas práticas e de procedimentos operacionais padronizados. Diante dos resultados, orienta-se que as boas práticas sejam revistas e implementadas para garantir a produção de alimentos seguros para a saúde do consumidor.

ANALISIS SANITASI LINGKUNGAN DAN PERILAKU PENJAMAH MAKANAN TERHADAP KEPADATAN KECOAK DI KANTIN PELABUHAN DUMAI

The research objective was to analyze the environmental sanitation and behavior of food handlers with the vector density of cockroaches in the Dumai Port canteen. It is an observational research with cross sectional method and quantitative data type. The research location was at the Port of Dumai canteen with the first population, namely 24 canteens, total sampling technique, the second 48 food handlers and the third population of 78 buyers with purposive sampling. Relationship analysis was performed using multiple linear regression. With the results of environmental sanitation that meet the health requirements of 20.83% and do not meet the health requirements of 79.17% and the behavior of food handlers as many as 8 (16.67%) have bad behavior, 17 (35.42%) have good enough behavior and 23 (47.91%) good behavior, 6 canteens in medium category and 18 high category canteens. The results of the analysis showed a strong (r = 0.799) and significant (p value = 0.000) relationship between environmental sanitation and cockroach density and a very weak correlation (r = 0.015) between food handler behavior and cockroach density in the Dumai Port canteen (pvalue = 0.946) greater than 0.05 means that there is no relationship between food handler behavior and cockroach density. The economic factor of the price and location purchasing decisions becomes the consumer decision-making process in buying at the Dumai Port Canteen. The suggestion in this research is the need to improve environmental sanitation and increase the supervision of port health workers to reduce the cockroach population in the Dumai Port Canteen.

Pet Ownership and Pet Type Influence Food Safety in the Home: Evidence from a National Survey

Physical contact between humans and their pets increases the potential for zoonotic disease transmission. This study used the 2016 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Survey to compare the food handling behaviors of pet owners and non-pet owners, because poor food handling and hygiene habits can increase the likelihood of disease transmission from animals to humans. Results show that both pet ownership and pet type were important in predicting food safety behaviors. After controlling for sociodemographic factors included in this study (gender, age, household income, household size, and race or ethnicity), pet ownership was significantly associated with overall food safety practices and, more specifically, with better hand washing behaviors, kitchen cleaning, and ownership and use of a food thermometer, as well as a greater awareness of foodborne pathogens. Cat owners and cat-dog owners had better overall food safety practices and better hand washing behaviors compared with those of dog owners. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, there were no significant associations between pet ownership and perception of risks associated with unsafe food handling practices.

Evaluation of food safety curriculum effectiveness: A longitudinal study of high-school-aged youths’ knowledge retention, risk-perception, and perceived behavioral control

Societal changes have prompted the elimination of Family and Consumer Science courses from many schools and the reduction of food-handler role models at home. Declining opportunities for youth to acquire food-handling knowledge and skills increases their risk of contracting a foodborne illness. Many youths are employed in food service and could perpetuate the spread of foodborne illness. In this study, two food safety curricula were evaluated for effectiveness in changing the food safety knowledge, risk-perception, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) of high school students enrolled in microbiology and agriculture courses, immediately following and one year after an educational intervention. One curriculum utilized the Positive Deviance (PD) model, while the other utilized Experiential Learning (EL) methods. Survey questions related to risk-perception and PCB were measured on a five-point Likert scale. Twenty-four knowledge questions were assigned one point for each correct answer and zero points for incorrect answers. Risk-perception and PBC continued to increase from the post-survey to the follow-up survey among the PD and EL Groups. After the educational intervention, the EL Group perceived themselves to be at a greater risk for contracting a foodborne illness and became significantly more confident in their abilities to clean food-contact surfaces, store food safely, and prepare food that is safe to eat. Knowledge scores also significantly increased among the PD (16.88–18.78) and EL (16.66–18.81) Groups. After one year, only the EL Group scored significantly higher on the follow-up survey (18.87) than on the pre-survey (16.66). Microbiology students achieved the highest knowledge scores (20.47) after the educational intervention; however, their knowledge gain significantly attenuated (19.39) after one year. Students reported sharing food safety information with family to improve food-handling behaviors. This study demonstrates the need for continued food safety education to retain knowledge and highlights the study's curricula continued influence on students' risk-perception and PBC.

Using the theory of planned behavior to predict food safety behavioral intention: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Approximately 61% of foodborne outbreaks in the United States are traced to food handler behavior. The literature suggests that food safety knowledge does not always translate into improved behaviors. Thus, multiple researchers have recommended an examination of the gap between knowledge and behavioral intentions. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the ability of the Theory of Planned Behavior to predict food safety intentions. A total of 1550 studies were screened against the inclusion criteria, leaving 46 study records. The overall random effect size (r) was 0.282 (p