Food Hygiene Training Research Articles

How Safe is your Curry? Food Allergy Awareness of Restaurant Staff

Background: Incidents of severe and fatal anaphylaxis to accidentally ingested food allergens are increasing. Individuals are more likely to encounter difficulties when eating away from home. In restaurants, front-of-house and kitchen staff may be called upon to provide information about ingredients or ensure certain food allergens are excluded from dishes. Following a series of reactions related to the accidental ingestion of peanuts in curries we assessed food allergy awareness and allergen avoidance practices amongst the staff of Asian-Indian restaurants. Methods: A questionnaire survey was administered by telephone to one member of staff in each restaurant. Results: Fifty percent (40/80) of restaurants participated. Responders included managers, owners, waiters and chefs. Most (90%) had received food hygiene training, but only 15% food allergy training. 25% could name three common food allergens. 3 in 4 listed nuts, but less than 1in 5 mentioned peanuts. Common misunderstandings included 60% of staff believing an individual experiencing an allergic reaction should drink water to dilute the allergen. A less prevalent, but perhaps more concerning, was the misunderstanding that cooking food would prevent it causing an allergic reaction (25%). Despite poor knowledge, all respondents were comfortable and 65% were “very comfortable” with providing a “safe” meal for a customer with a food allergy. 60% expressed interest in future food allergy training. Conclusions: Despite high confidence in their own understanding of allergy, many staff lacked the knowledge to provide “safe” meals for food allergic customers. Traditionally tree nuts are a common ingredient in Asian-Indian dishes cuisine and there was widespread, but not universal, awareness of tree nuts as a common allergen. Peanuts were less commonly recognised as a common allergen, an observation of extreme concern as peanuts are being substituted for tree nuts as they are cheaper and avoid having to inflate meal prices. Our data highlights the need for greater training of restaurant staff. In parallel, food allergic customers need to exercise vigilance when making meal choices and develop skills to order a safe meal. The management of allergy is multifaceted, and this study indicates the importance of health professionals working beyond the clinical setting to collaborate with colleagues in the hospitality industry, public health and environmental health in coordinated endeavours to improve patient safety.

Restaurant staff's knowledge of anaphylaxis and dietary care of people with allergies

Deaths caused by food-induced anaphylactic reactions are increasing, with most caused by food purchased outside the home. Primary prevention by allergen avoidance is desirable, but is easier in the home than when eating out, where the responsibility is shared with restaurant staff. To investigate restaurant staff's knowledge about food allergies. A structured telephone questionnaire was administered to a member of staff at 90 table-service restaurants in Brighton. Fifty-six percent (90/162) restaurants that were contacted agreed to participate. Responders included seven owners, 48 managers, 20 waiters and 15 chefs. Ninety per cent (81/90) reported food hygiene training; 33% (30/90) reported specific food allergy training. Fifty-six percent (50/90) could name three or more food allergens. Eighty-one percent reported confidence (very or somewhat) in providing a safe meal to a food-allergic customer. Answers to true-false questions indicated some frequent misunderstandings: 38% believed an individual experiencing a reaction should drink water to dilute the allergen; 23% thought consuming a small amount of an allergen is safe; 21% reported allergen removal from a finished meal would render it safe; 16% agreed cooking food prevents it causing allergy and 12% were unaware allergy could cause death. Forty-eight percent expressed interest in further training on food allergy. Despite a high confidence level, there are obvious gaps in restaurant staff's knowledge of allergy. Food-allergic patients need to be aware of this and adapt their behaviour accordingly. Our data challenge the impact of current food allergy training practice for restaurant staff, and support the need for more rigorous and accessible training.

Will capacity building training interventions given to street food vendors give us safer food?: A cross-sectional study from India

Successful food hygiene training and the consent of safe food handling practices learnt during training are critical elements in the control of food-borne illnesses throughout the world. It is true for food handlers and vendors belonging to all sectors. But, it is all the more urgent for street vendors because they are more exposed to environmental hazards and are predominantly from much weaker socio-economic backgrounds and yet cater to the general mass. Using a cross-sectional study design a sample of 80 street food vendors were selected and provided with training to evaluate the existing Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) regarding food safety and hygiene and the change of the same after training interventions. Responses regarding KAP on food safety and hygiene before and after training revealed that there was a significant change in their perception to food safety knowledge and also practices. The knowledge level of the food vendors increased from an average 24.35%–66.2% after training interventions. The overall performance rating of full adoption of good hygiene practices by the vendors ranged from 37.5% to 50.8% in post-training period.

Food contamination in fast food restaurants in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria: Implications for food hygiene and safety

To determine the prevalence of food contamination in the fast food restaurants operating in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Three hundred and fifty food handlers were selected by means of a systematic sampling method and interviewed using a semi-structured researcher-administered questionnaire. One hundred and sixty-eight samples of ready-to-eat food and 45 stool samples were collected and analysed in the laboratory for the presence of bacteria (excluding anaerobic bacteria). More than half of the respondents (n=184, 52.6%) had no training in food hygiene and safety. Only 149 (42.6%) respondents knew that micro-organisms can contaminate food. The prevalence of food contamination in the fast food restaurants was found to be 37.5%. Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were the most commonly isolated bacteria, while salad, meat pie and fried rice were the most commonly contaminated foods. There is need for the relevant local authorities to ensure that the food sold to consumers in fast food restaurants is safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption in order to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. Also, there should be regular training/retraining and health education of these food handlers in all aspects of food hygiene and safety.

Experiences and perceptions of secondary food hygiene training: A preliminary study of five larger catering companies in south east Wales

Aims: Food safety training has a high UK profile, although this is mainly concerned with initial training at levels 1—4. Regular secondary hygiene training (collectively refresher, remedial, update training or retraining) for food handlers is recommended by the Catering Industry Guide, although the subject is relatively understudied. The aim of the present work was to determine the beliefs, mode and experiences of secondary training, especially refresher training, in five larger south east Wales catering businesses. Methods: Construction, piloting and distribution of a questionnaire ( n = 100) followed by descriptive statistical analysis. Results: A 70% response rate was obtained covering five large catering operations. All had received secondary hygiene training. This training did not appear to be directly related to specific work performance. The duration of this training ranged from 20 minutes to six hours and the frequency from six months to every three years. The majority (94%) agreed that regular secondary training was beneficial and that it could be applied in their work (81%). The content of secondary training varied from a repeat of the initial hygiene course to selected topics deemed relevant to the needs of the employees and the businesses. The majority of refresher training was delivered by conventional classroom instruction but some businesses made use of more informal methods. Trainees estimated that they have only forgotten 10% of their initial training, 63% believed that the best way to refresh their knowledge was to repeat the course and 94% welcomed new information. Most (77%) felt that this training should be tested/examined. Reaction evaluations of secondary training were collected by most businesses and training records were maintained by all. Conclusions: Secondary training was valued by food handlers. The content and methods of delivering secondary training were more varied and were relatively conservative in format and approach.

Efficacy of the theory of planned behaviour model in predicting safe food handling practices

The majority of food-borne disease outbreaks result from malpractice during food preparation in small food businesses. Effective food safety management, including the adoption of safe food handling practices learnt during food safety training programmes, is thus an important strategy to limit incidences of food poisoning. This study explores the impact of basic or foundation level food hygiene training on the attitudes, and intentions of food handlers to conduct safe food handling practices at every occasion. The Theory of Planned Behaviour was used to evaluate the relative impact of different influences on the intentions and self-reported behaviours of 249 food handlers, in hospitality settings. Interviews were also conducted with food handlers, and their managers to seek further insight into the changes in attitude and intent to conduct safe food handling practices after basic or foundation level food hygiene training.

Perceptions of hygiene training amongst food handlers, managers and training providers – A qualitative study

An important element in the effectiveness of food hygiene training is the support given by managers, both pre and post training, to motivate food handlers to enact the safe food handling practices learnt during training. This study explores the personal views of food handlers, their managers, and accredited training providers towards the provision and evaluation of food hygiene training in the South-West London region, exploring the pre and post training support given to food handlers, and its effects on the attitude and behaviour of food handlers to enact safe food handling practices in the workplace. In total seventy telephone interviews were conducted. Findings demonstrate that most food industry managers are aware of their responsibilities to train food handlers, but often do not provide adequate support to promote the enactment of safe food handling practices, or evaluate its effectiveness. Thus, any positive effects gained from food hygiene training programmes, are ephemeral.

Hazards analysis critical control points (HACCP) and microbiology qualities of sea-foods as affected by handler's hygience in Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria.

This study reports the hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) and microbiological qualities of seafood products as affected by hygiene of handlers in Ibadan and Lagos, Nigeria. Seafood products were purchased at four different processing plants, two each from Ibadan and Lagos. This study consisted of observing the raw materials, water used, the utensils used and the environment, monitoring all steps of the processing and packaging, recording temperatures during preparation, storage and display and collecting samples of seafood products for total viable counts, coliforms, Salmonella and Shigella counts and fungi counts. A microbiological survey of seafood processors/handlers was also performed. Palms of processors/handlers were swabbed and analyzed for the presence of indicator organisms of sanitary quality. The total viable bacteria count decreased with time from raw to packaging and to when ready for consumption. Coliforms, B. cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp, and fungi were isolated and had count higher than 103 cells/ml before processing and after processing with few exceptions. A total of 186 organisms were isolated and identified. Almost all palms of the handlers sampled haboured Micrococcus sp. [36(21.1%)] and Enterobacter sp. [30(18.0%)], followed by Bacillus sp. [24 (14.0%)], Flavobacterium sp. [19 (11.1%)], Staphylococcus sp. [17(9.9%)],Escherichia coli [15(8.8%)], Proteus sp [8(4.7%)], Salmonella sp. [7(4.1%)],Citrobacter sp [3(1.8%)], Klebsiella sp [4(2.3%)], Pseudomonas sp. [3(1.8%)], Serratia sp. [3(1.8%)] and Achromobacterium sp [2(1.2%)], Aspergillus formigatus[3(20.0%)], Aspergillus niger [2(13.3%)], Fusarium sp [2(13.3%)], Mucor mucido[3(20.0%)], Neurospora crassa [2(13.3%)] and Rhizopus sp [3(20.0%)]. Seafood processors/handlers may be sources of microbial chance inoculation, microbial food poison, food intoxication and food spoilage hence, processors/handlers may be counter productive by being responsible for public health hazard and loss of revenue. The level of counts appears high for processed and unprocessed products; the presence of coliforms, S. aureus, B. Cereus, Salmonella and fungi showed that processing of these seafood products in a highly contaminated environment and holding at frozen temperature for sale could be risky. Using current WHO/FAO/NAFDAC guidelines and standards for foods and water, none of the food processors/handlers, the utensils and the products were within acceptable standards. There were significant correlations between bacteriological quality and food hygiene training, and waste product management polices. The findings of this study suggests that there is need to improve on hygienic practices as well as HACCP implementation in public food service outlets in order to obtain relatively safe processed seafood products for consumption. The new approach to supervision of food hygiene and sanitary quality, the HACCP system works rationally as it is based on analysis of systematically assembled data on the causes and conditions which evoked the illness of the consumers by food products or meals. Therefore, education of owners of seafood processing plants, processors/handlers on hazards, critical control points and the importance of hygienic environment is imperative. The control measures and monitoring procedures for seafood processing and packaging are thus advocated. Key words: Coliforms, contamination, frozen seafood, hazards, food hygiene, CCP, control measures,monitoring, microbiological quality, sanitary standards.

Knowledge and practice of food hygiene and safety among food handlers in fast food restaurants in Benin City, Edo State

To assess the knowledge and practice of food hygiene and safety among food handlers in fast food restaurants in Benin City, Edo State. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 350 respondents who were selected by means of a systematic sampling method and interviewed using a semi-structured researcher-administered questionnaire. An observational checklist was thereafter used to inspect their personal hygiene status. The mean age of the food handlers was 26.4 +/- 6.1 years. Two hundred and twenty eight (65.1%) were females while 34.9% were males. A majority (98%) of the respondents had formal education. There was good knowledge and practice of food hygiene and safety among the respondents. Knowledge was significantly influenced by previous training in food hygiene and safety (p = 0.002). Food handlers who had worked for longer years in the fast food restaurants had better practice of food hygiene and safety (p = 0.036). The level of education of respondents did not significantly influenced their practice of food hygiene and safety (p = 0.084). Although, 299 (85.4%) food handlers were generally clean, skin lesions was seen in 4 (7.3%) of them. This study showed good knowledge and practice of food hygiene and safety by food handlers in the fast food restaurants in Benin City, but there is need for improvement through training and retraining of food handlers by the management of the restaurants and the local government authorities.

Food hygiene training in small to medium-sized care settings

Adoption of safe food handling practices is essential to effectively manage food safety. This study explores the impact of basic or foundation level food hygiene training on the attitudes and intentions of food handlers in care settings, using questionnaires based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Interviews were also conducted with food handlers and their managers to ascertain beliefs about the efficacy of, perceived barriers to, and relevance of food hygiene training. Most food handlers had undertaken formal food hygiene training; however, many who had not yet received training were preparing food, including high risk foods. Appropriate pre-training support and on-going supervision appeared to be lacking, thus limiting the effectiveness of training. Findings showed Subjective Norm to be the most significant influence on food handlers' intention to perform safe food handling practices, irrespective of training status, emphasising the role of important others in determining desirable behaviours.

Food hygiene education in UK secondary schools: A nationwide survey of teachers' views

Objective A nationwide survey of teachers investigated the teaching of food hygiene in UK secondary schools. Previous studies have focused on effective strategies in consumer food hygiene training but there is little research focusing on school-based education. Design The questionnaire was developed based on the results of in-depth interviews with school teachers and included topics such as where teachers gained up-to-date food hygiene knowledge and how key food hygiene messages were reinforced. Setting Postal questionnaires were completed by those responsible for teaching food hygiene in secondary schools. Method Postal questionnaires were distributed to 1989 secondary schools throughout the UK (response rate 38 per cent). Results Overall, the results indicate that teachers use a combination of methods to teach food hygiene and to reinforce food safety messages. Respondents rated demonstrations of good practice and practical activities involving young people preparing food as most effective. Teachers cited their most preferred resources for teaching food hygiene, influences on the choice of these resources, and limitations on use. Conclusion In the UK, teachers cover food hygiene in D&T and home economics (or equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Topics such as cooking food properly, cleanliness, storing and chilling food safely, and cross-contamination are covered, reflecting the key FSA food hygiene messages. Steps to support the teaching of food hygiene in secondary schools such as guidelines on food hygiene legislation, key topics, resources, and ideas for practical activities could help to improve young people's knowledge of food hygiene and encourage young people to spread key messages to adults.

Perceptions of food hygiene risk in a group of Tamil food handlers living in the UK

AbstractIn this study, two groups of people were asked about their perceptions of the public health risks associated with poor food hygiene practices. One group consisted of commercial food handlers (n = 60) who had undergone food hygiene training; the other group consisted of people (n = 60) who only handled food at home. Data were gathered using a self‐completed questionnaire based upon those parameters commonly believed to determine public perceptions of risk. It was found that general awareness of the risk of food‐borne disease was elevated in the commercial food handlers and optimistic bias was reduced. These two factors might be expected to militate towards positive food hygiene behaviour. However, the respondents also reported a marked increase in their perception of the degree of control available concerning their vulnerability and the vulnerability of others to food‐borne disease. This increase in perceived control would be expected to reduce their overall perception of the importance of the risk of food‐borne disease. The relevance of the two potentially conflicting outcomes of training, described previously, is discussed.

Are Staff Management Practices and Inspection Risk Ratings Associated with Foodborne Disease Outbreaks in the Catering Industry in England and Wales?

Despite structured enforcement of food hygiene requirements known to prevent foodborne disease outbreaks, catering businesses continue to be the most common setting for outbreaks in the United Kingdom. In a matched case control study of catering businesses, 148 businesses associated with outbreaks were compared with 148 control businesses. Hazard analysis critical control point systems and/or formal food hygiene training qualifications were not protective. Food hygiene inspection scores were not useful in predicting which catering businesses were associated with outbreaks. Businesses associated with outbreaks were more likely to be larger small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or to serve Chinese cuisine and less likely to have the owner or manager working in the kitchen, but when size of the SME was taken into account these two differences were no longer significant. In larger businesses, case businesses were more likely to be hotels and were more commonly associated with viral foodborne outbreaks, but there was no explanation within the data for this association.

Survey of Salmonella Contamination of Raw Shell Eggs Used in Food Service Premises in the United Kingdom, 2005 through 2006

This survey was launched after an unusual number of Salmonella Enteritidis outbreaks associated with the use of eggs in food service premises in England and Wales. Between November 2005 and December 2006, 9,528 eggs (1,588 pooled samples of 6 eggs) were collected from 1,567 food service premises in the United Kingdom, most of which (89%) were produced in the United Kingdom. Salmonella was isolated from 6 (0.38%) pools of eggs. Of these, 5 (0.31%) were Salmonella Enteritidis, which were further characterized to phage types (PTs): PT 4 (0.19%), PT 8 (0.06%), and PT 12 (0.06%). Salmonella Mbandaka was also isolated (0.06%). Salmonella was detected from five and one of pooled eggs samples that were produced in the United Kingdom and Germany, respectively; these were from different producers. The study showed evidence of poor egg storage and handling practices in food service premises, in that 55% did not store eggs under refrigerated conditions; 20.7% of eggs had expired “best before” dates or were in use after 3 weeks of lay, indicating poor stock rotation; and 37.1% pooled eggs not intended for immediate service. Eggs are a commonly consumed food that may occasionally be contaminated with Salmonella at different rates, according to their country of origin. The food service sector needs to be aware of this continuing hazard, receive appropriate food safety and hygiene training on storage and usage of raw shell eggs, adopt appropriate control measures, and follow advice provided by national food agencies in order to reduce the risk of infection.

Food Science Education Publications and Websites

Many food science and nutrition departments at colleges and universities have developed tools for assessing student learning. Below are 2 web-accessible assessment resources found as a result of a simple Internet search. Iowa State Univ. Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Learner Outcomes Assessment Portfolio. http://www.fshn.hs.iastate.edu/outcomes/homepage.php (accessed 8/29/2007) Utah State Univ. Nutrition & Food Sciences. Assessment Plan. http://www.nfs.usu.edu/academics/assessment/assessment.html (accessed 8/29/2007) In future columns I would like to include web links to assessment tools created by academic food science and nutrition departments. If your department has an assessment tool available online, please e-mail me and I will include it in my next column. As always, we welcome your comments and resources. Material should be submitted to: Jim Bird, Science & Engineering Center, Fogler Library, Univ. of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 or e-mail to Jim.Bird@umit.maine.edu. If e-mailing, please put “JFSE submission” in the subject line. The authors note the need for trained nanotechnology professionals in the areas of food and agriculture research. During the second week of the course AGR 101- Introduction to the School of Agriculture and Purdue Univ., students were introduced to the field of nanotechnology in two 50- minute seminars. Students also took an online attendance quiz at the end of each seminar, each including 3 questions on nanotechnology. A small percentage of students took advantage of 2 “Nanotechnology in Action” tours that included hands-on demonstration stations. A pre- and post-survey was administered to students in the course. Of the 514 students taking the course, 335 student surveys were analyzed. The results showed that this exposure to nanotechnology information led to an increase in student awareness of the subject. A detailed analysis of the results is presented. The authors review 46 food safety and hygiene training studies, presenting study results in a series of 4 detailed tables. Summarized are food hygiene training evaluation studies using the following designs: Descriptive, audit, before-after, and comparative-experimentalist. This review is extensive, citing 101 references and with the recent publication date, readers will have an up-to-date literature review on this subject. Using the Delphi method the authors gathered food system education topics from nutrition educators. Using this information, a questionnaire was developed to assess attitudes of high school students on topics such as farmland protection, organic agriculture, hunger, and locally-produced foods. The reliability and validity of the attitude measures are discussed. The authors note that: “The challenge for nutrition educators who choose to engage in food system education is to first understand the complex interconnections among food production, processing, distribution, retail, and consumption, and then to devise creative ways to communicate about that complexity to a young audience.” (p. 95). The professional master of science degree program in food safety offered online for adult learners at Michigan State Univ. is described in detail including background on the establishment of the program, challenges, and curriculum. An overview of the first 3 years of the program, including student demographics, is presented. Information on the program can be found at: http://www.foodsafe.msu.edu/proms/ (accessed 8/22/2007). This paper describes the results of field testing of Baylor College of Medicine Food and Fitness unit, part of the series From Outer Space to Inner Space for middle school children. The unit tested had 6 activities: Energy for life, energy sources, your energy needs, do you fit? you are what you eat, and eating for life. The results of the field test showed “…the unit does…improve students' knowledge of concepts related to energy and nutrition, as measured by the pre/post student assessment.” (p. 789). Descriptions of the unit and the teacher's guide can be found at Baylor College of Medicine Center for Educational Outreach: http://www.ccitonline.org/ceo/content.cfm?menu_id=147 (assessed 8/22/2007). Based on the results of a survey sent to 8 Australian universities (7 respondents), the authors list 15 core elements that should be part of a university nutritional sciences program. Examples of core elements included food standards and regulation; assessment of nutritional status; and absorption, transport, storage, and excretion of nutrients. The benchmarking portion of the survey was responded to by 4 universities and identified good and outstanding practices in scholarly teaching of nutritional science. One indicator of outstanding practice found to be consistent among respondents was “...the integration of teaching with research.” (p. 7). The author describes a classroom demonstration on biochemistry principles of fruit and vegetable spoilage to teach scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. Catalase activity, proteases, and metabolic pathways are discussed in relation to the ripening of fruit and vegetables.

Microbiological study of cooked crustaceans and molluscan shellfish from UK production and retail establishments

A study of cooked crustaceans and molluscan shellfish from retail and production premises was undertaken in the UK during 2003 to determine the microbiological safety of these products. According to criteria in European Commission Recommendation 2003/10/EC, 96% of 682 batches were of satisfactory/acceptable microbiological status while 4% of batches were unsatisfactory due to the presence of high levels of Escherichia coli (3.3%; 102 to 106 cfu g−1), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (0.4%; 102 to 106 cfu g−1), and Staphylococcus aureus (0.3%; > 103 cfu g−1). Salmonella spp. were not detected in any of the batches examined. However, a higher proportion of cooked crustacean and molluscan shellfish would be considered to be unsatisfactory using the process hygiene criteria for E. coli according to previous (5%; 93/51/EEC) and new (7%; (EC) No 2073/2005) European legislation. Over twice as many molluscan shellfish batches were of unsatisfactory microbiological status (5%) compared to that of crustacean batches (2%). Cooked molluscan shellfish and crustaceans were more likely to be microbiologically contaminated if: they were unfrozen; a hazard analysis system was not in place; the manager had received no food hygiene training. Shellfish and crustaceans are exposed to a range of conditions during harvesting, production and distribution, and this may increase the potential for microbial contamination, highlighting the need for applying good hygiene practices throughout the food chain to prevent contamination and/or bacterial growth.

An evaluation of a nutrition intervention at childcare centres in South Australia

Research has shown that childcare menus in South Australia, Australia and overseas lack key nutrients recommended for children. This paper describes an incentive initiative that aimed to improve the nutrition provided to children attending childcare centres in the southern metropolitan area of South Australia between 2001 and 2003. To attain the 'Start Right Eat Right' award, aimed at childcare centres, directors and cooks from 50 centres were required to attend training, analyse a current menu for quality and quantity against various tools, review their food policy for essential criteria, have two site visits and have all staff trained in a recognised food safety and hygiene program. Forty-four (88%) of the centres completed training. Qualitative feedback from 10 awarded centres reported substantial changes and their food policy analysis showed an increase of essential points from an average score of 8.4 to 17.1 (max. score 18). More than 300 staff completed food hygiene training. Fifty per cent of the eligible centres had completed the award at program evaluation. This multi-strategic intervention was effective in improving the food provided and nutrition practices in childcare settings. Strategies attributed to its success were an inter-sectoral approach and the creation of supportive environments.

The Freedom of Information Act and hygiene inspection reports

PurposeThe purpose of this case study was to obtain information on the hygiene standards of food premises using the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000.Design/methodology/approachEight local authorities in South Wales were asked to provide the most recent food hygiene inspection of a named food premise in their area. The disclosed reports were assessed to determine whether they conformed to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Food Law Code of Practice and how useful they would be to the consumer seeking information on the hygiene standards of a food premise.FindingsFive of the eight authorities provided full information. Most authorities supplied a risk grading for the premises. Reports ranged from completed comprehensive inspection protocols with full post‐inspection letters to a hand written, barely legible report that failed to adequately differentiate between legal requirements and recommendations. Without some training in food law and food hygiene it would be difficult for most consumers to interpret some of the reports.Research implications/limitationsThe results of this case study have increased confidence that local authorities are now complying with the FOI Act. It raises concerns about the consistency, fairness and robustness of inspections.Practical implicationsIf there is to be greater transparency about hygiene standards in food premises, regulators will have to take account of the public in their communications. The public will need to be educated about the inspection and enforcement process and any systems used to disclose inspection results.Originality/valueThe paper shows how FOI can be used to inform the public about food hygiene standards.

A review of food safety and food hygiene training studies in the commercial sector

This review summarises the methods and results of studies conducted worldwide on the effectiveness of food safety and food hygiene training in the commercial sector of the food industry. In particular it focuses on those studies that have tried to evaluate the effectiveness of such training. Forty-six studies of food hygiene training are included which used some outcome measure to assess the effectiveness of training. The short-term nature and variety of measures used limited the majority of studies. The need for the development of evaluation criteria of effectiveness of food hygiene training is discussed.

Freedom of information: a case study

The purpose of this case study was to find out how easy it was to access information on the hygiene standards of eating places open to the public. Using the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000, four adjacent local authorities in South Wales were asked to provide the last food hygiene report of an eating place in their area. The disclosed reports were assessed to determine how useful they would be to an individual seeking more information on a food premise. It was relatively easy to obtain information from two authorities and difficult if not impossible with the others. One local authority refused to release information despite the intervention of the FOI Commissioner. The quality of the information released was variable. This ranged from a completed comprehensive inspection protocol to a hand-written, illegible, incomplete report that failed to adequately differentiate between requirements and recommendations. Without some training in food law and food hygiene it would be difficult to interpret the reports. There was no evidence from the information provided of inspection scoring. The case study raises concerns about the effectiveness of the Act for consumers who wish to obtain information about the hygiene standards of food premises. While the specialist information provided by hygiene inspection reports may be useful to businesses it is not helpful for the lay public. Consumers must be prepared to exercise patience and tenacity if they want this information. Concerns must be raised about the consistency of the inspection process and about the willingness of some local authorities to be transparent about the inspection and enforcement process.