Food Hygiene Training Research Articles

Food hygiene training in the UK: time for a radical re-think?

Training food handlers in the hospitality industry has been recommended by various organisations as a means of improving food handling practices and thus the safety of food for consumers. It is nearly 20 years since the first examinations for basic level food hygiene certificates were made available to food handlers in the UK. Since then little has changed in the syllabuses and in the way the questions are worded. However, the range of languages spoken by food handlers working in the UK has increased substantially since more employers are recruiting those who speak English as a second language. Training can be an unwelcome expense for managers where there is a high turnover of employees, especially amongst those for whom English is not a first language. To improve practical implementation of food hygiene theory it is time to develop a radical strategy concerning the way training is targeted and delivered in the UK, and perhaps Europe.

A national survey of food hygiene training and qualification levels in the UK food industry

The food hygiene training received and qualifications held by four different grades of food handlers were compared by means of a postal survey of 1650 businesses in the manufacturing, retail and catering sectors of the UK food industry. Significant differences ( p < 0.05) were identified between the methods of training delivery to, and qualifications held by different grades of food handlers across the three industry sectors. Business status, personnel characteristics and risk perceptions of managers all had significant effects on the methods of training used and qualification levels achieved within each industry sector. Positive attitudes towards training were expressed by most managers although follow-up face-to-face interviews revealed their concerns about the cost, time and relevancy of the training their staff received. Whilst both the uptake of training and level of food hygiene qualifications may have improved in recent years, this study highlighted the need to develop training methods that are proven to change workplace behaviour as well as imparting knowledge. This may be best achieved by consolidating food hygiene training as a fundamental part of a wider approach to food safety control based on HACCP.

Microbiological examination of cold ready-to-eat sliced meats from catering establishments in the United Kingdom.

A microbiological study of cold, ready-to-eat sliced meats from 2579 catering establishments (public houses, hotels, cafés, restaurants, residential homes and other catering premises) found that 2587 of 3494 samples (74%) were of acceptable quality, 892 (26%) were of unsatisfactory quality and 15 (<1%) were of unacceptable quality. Unacceptable results were due to high levels of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria species and/or Clostridium perfringens. Unsatisfactory results were mostly due to high Aerobic Plate Counts. The microbiological quality of cold, ready-to-eat meats was associated with meat type, premises type, management training, hygienic practices, meat supplier and length of storage. The relationship between food hygiene training and microbiological quality is discussed.

The use of epidemiological data to direct resources in food safety control.

In the United States, food-borne disease results in financial losses estimated at $2.9 to $6.7 billion annually as a result of illness that is due to six specific food-borne pathogens. A model is proposed that analyzes epidemiological data and highlights areas in food safety control that have the greatest impact on food-borne disease. The model identifies Critical Control Points for use by the food industry, prioritizes criteria for inspection of food processes by regulatory authorities, and provides a focus for food hygiene training programs and campaigns. The model also provides a cost-benefit analysis that can be used to direct resources that are used in food safety control in a cost-effective manner.

The microbiological examination of butchery products and butchers' premises in the United Kingdom.

In a study of 1400 manufacturing butchers' premises, 2330 raw prepared meats, 2192 cooked meats and 4635 environmental samples were examined. Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (O157 VTEC) was isolated from five of 1400 (0.4%) premises. Three raw meat products contained O157 VTEC, and two raw meat preparation areas and two items of equipment used exclusively for cooked meats were contaminated with O157 VTEC. Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. were detected in 84 of 2330 (4%) and 15 of 2330 (0.6%) raw meat products, respectively. Of the cooked meats examined, seven of 2192 (0.3%) samples were of unacceptable microbiological quality and a further 352 (16%) were of unsatisfactory quality. Of the unacceptable samples, two contained Salmonella spp. (Salm. typhimurium DT193, Salm. typhimurium PT104), three contained Staphylococcus aureus in excess of 10(4) cfu g-1, and two contained E. coli in excess of 10(4) cfu g-1. Neither Campylobacter spp. nor O157 VTEC were detected in cooked meats. In the majority of premises, raw and unwrapped cooked meat products were physically separated in displays (94%) and refrigerators (81%), and dedicated equipment/utensils (69-89%) were used for raw meat and unwrapped cooked meat products and other ready-to-eat foods. In approximately half (48%), there were separate serving counters and in 13%, separate staff for raw and cooked meats. Most managers (75%) had received some food hygiene training. However, in 29% of premises, one or more members of staff handled raw and then cooked or ready-to-eat foods without washing their hands, and in 11%, one or more staff members handled raw and cooked meats directly with bare hands. A documented hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system was present in 17% of premises and in a further 31%, an undocumented HACCP system was in place. The low incidence of food-borne pathogens in cooked meat products and in the environmental areas examined, together with a high level of physical separation of raw and cooked meats, indicate that most manufacturing butchers' premises have appropriate physical control measures in place. However, HACCP and hygienic practice are areas that require improvement to reduce the risk of cross-contamination with food-borne pathogens from raw to cooked meats.

Teaching HACCP — theory and practice from the trainer's point of view

This paper will explain the important correlation between food hygiene and HACCP training. It will briefly touch on the attitude of the adult learner, and the importance of ‘practice’ rather than ‘theory’. It will describe the basic contents of a typical HACCP workshop including training media, point out some typical target groups and describe the history of the International Principles of the HACCP Course.

The effectiveness of hygiene training for food handlers

The effectiveness of Food Hygiene training for food handlers was examined in a project carried out in the West Midlands during 1991-93. The study, which was part of an MSc dissertation for the University of Birmingham, assessed the effectiveness of Health Education in changing food handler behaviour. A sample of 20 food premises were assessed before and after staff had completed the Institution of Environmental Health Officers (now the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health) Basic Certificate in Food Hygiene. A control group whose staff had received no food hygiene training were assessed concurrently. The assessment procedure used an audit proforma designed to identify changes in behaviour as a result of the improvement in knowledge gained from the IEHO Basic Food Hygiene Course. The procedure resulted in a numerical score which related to the hygiene of the premises. This was used comparatively to determine any changes in standard within the study or between the study group and the control group. The results show no significant difference in the scores of the study group between the first visit (pre-training) and the second visit (post-training) (p >0.05). There was a significant difference between the scores of the study group (first visit) and those of the control group, suggesting a strong volunteer effect ( p.

Evaluation of a food hygiene training course in Scotland

This paper reports the findings of a study which investigated the effectiveness of a food hygiene training course in Scotland, and discusses the implications these may have for food safety control in the UK and elsewhere. One hundred and eighty-eight individuals who undertook the elementary food hygiene training course of the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS), and a comparison group comprising two hundred and four employees of a City Council were surveyed by means of a structured self-completion questionnaire. Food hygiene knowledge, attitudes and opinions of the course participants were assessed before and after training, and compared with those of the comparison group. The training course evaluated by the study is typical of many certificated training courses applied in the food industry. After training, no significant improvements were observed in course participants' pre-course knowledge of a number of crucial aspects of food safety, including food storage, cross contamination, temperature control, and high risk foods. The findings highlight problems likely to arise from reliance on training designs which primarily emphasise the provision of information that seldom translates into positive attitudes and behaviours. This suggests a need for the adoption of approaches which take account of social and environmental influences on food safety, thus, ensuring that food hygiene training is seen, not as an isolated domain which sole purpose is to produce certificated personnel, but as part of an overall infrastructure for effective food safety control.

Training caterers for the new hygiene regulations

New European legal requirements require the proprietors of food businesses to supervise and train all food handlers commensurate with work activity and to establish hazard analysis systems. Considers the training implications for operational and managerial staff in the catering industry. Gives recommended levels of food hygiene training for different categories of staff and discusses the suitability and availability of training courses. Reviews sources of guidance on developing effective hazard analysis systems.

Essential food hygiene on CD-ROM. A new dimension in food hygiene training.

Essential food hygiene on CD-ROM. A new dimension in food hygiene training.

Evaluation of Food Hygiene Education

Education of food industry personnel in hygiene matters has been recommended as a means of improving food handling practices and thus the safety of food. Provision has been made within the Food Safety Act 1990 for the making of regulations to specify the nature and extent of such training. There is, however, a lack of documentary evidence of improvements in food hygiene standards which can be directly related to education or training. Evaluations of formal food hygiene education courses have identified increased knowledge levels of course participants, and improvements in the relationship between food industry and enforcement personnel by the development of common understanding. Reported evaluations of food hygiene training programmes indicate that formal courses operated in settings divorced from the food handling environment are limited in effectiveness. While course participants have increased knowledge, evidence of consequential improved food handling behaviour is not clearly demonstrated. Training programmes more closely associated with the work site are potentially more effective especially if supported by practical reinforcement of hygiene messages.

Food Hygiene Training: The Chance to Create a Coherent Policy

In September this year, the Government issued its draft Regulations on Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) 1995, which acknowledges for the first time the importance of a programme to make food handlers, their supervisors and managers, properly aware of the importance of food hygiene for the protection of the consumer and what they can do to prepare food safely. However, the regulation is specific neither about how training should best be implemented nor on the most important aspect of the policy, its end result. The standards of food hygiene awareness to be achieved through training have not been specified. The Department of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) cannot delegate their responsibility to protect the public health. Therefore, levels of food hygiene awareness, regardless of industrial sector, should be their prime concern. If the departments could set their minimum required standard of food hygiene awareness, the national framework of training which has evolved could naturally regulate the quality of training itself.

The Provision of Food Hygiene Training for People with Learning Difficulties

The Provision of Food Hygiene Training for People with Learning Difficulties

Food hygiene training: the next step.

Food hygiene training: the next step.

An evaluation of various working practices in shops selling raw and cooked meats.

Three groups of premises (butchers' shops, supermarkets and general dealers) which sell raw and cooked meats were compared. Salmonellas were not detected, but Escherichia coli, and to a lesser degree Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus faecalis, were widely distributed in all three groups of premises. Contamination of hands, towels and nail brushes was related to poor working practices. The presence of E. coli or Str. faecalis on slicing machines was associated with contamination of meat samples. A number of wiping cloths were heavily contaminated with E. coli, and many also contained Clostridium perfringens. Fewer premises provided written cleaning plans, and in many cases staff did not receive an adequate training in food hygiene. The use of disinfectants as part of the cleaning process did not necessarily reduce the level of bacterial contamination. In general there was poor correlation between microbiological results and a visual inspection made by an environmental health officer. The possible reasons for this finding are discussed.

The Effect of food hygiene training among street food vendors in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Background: The training of food handlers with regard to the hazards associated with their products, its safe handling, and the preparation of food following good hygienic practices, as practicable under local street-vending conditions, is an essential part of any strategy to improve the safety and quality of street-vended food. People are becoming increasingly concerned about the health risks posed by microbial pathogens and potentially hazardous chemicals in food, especially those that may enter food during its preparation or while serving. This study assessed the effect of health education training on food hygiene habits among street food vendors in Sabon Gari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study consisting of pre- and postintervention components was conducted among 109 adult street food vendors who sell cooked food or other food items by the roadside or open spaces in Sabon Gari LGA. Multistage sampling technique was used for selecting the respondents. Training intervention was conducted for the study group over a period of 6 weeks, and data were collected using observation checklist and pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions before and after intervention. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 software (IBM-SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Results: There was significant improvement in the knowledge and the practice of food hygiene, from 46.7 to 53.3%, among the street food vendors in the study area after the training intervention. However, change with regard to knowledge and the practice of food hygiene seen in the street food vendors belonging to the control LGA at the end of the study was from 50.4 to 49.6%. In the intervention arm of the study, there were changes in food hygiene (30.9–69.1%) and environmental sanitation (23.1–76.9%) practices. In addition, it was also determined whether the changes were statistically significant or not. However, changes seen in the control LGA were not as remarkable, with food hygiene and environmental sanitation practices improving from 49.0 to 51.0% and 46.8 to 53.2%, respectively. Conclusion: There was improvement in the knowledge and the practice of food hygiene among street food vendors in the study area after the training intervention. Hence, appropriate authorities should ensure a periodic training of street food vendors on food hygiene.