Food Protection Program Research Articles

Systemic effects of an open government program on data quality: the case of the New York State’s Food Protection program area

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the open government data initiative in the Food Protection program area within the New York State’s Department of Health to assess the impacts of opening data in terms of data quality and public value. An ecosystem lens is used to explore the dynamics of actors and their interactions, the processes involved in the program and the consequences such interplay brought forth to data quality.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through 15 semistructured interviews with multiple stakeholders from different sectors, such as county officials, administrators and technicians, food sanitarians, data journalists and restaurant owners. At the analysis stage, the ecosystem perspective helped to capture the big picture of the open data actor interrelationships within this community regarding the food service inspections datasets.FindingsPrior research suggests that open data initiatives enhance data quality. However, this study shows how opening data can adversely affect the quality of data. Results are explained by competing dynamics and conflicting interests among open data actors, undermining the expected public value from open data initiatives.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are in contrast with the mainstream open data literature and helps open data scholars to anticipate some currently unexpected results of open data initiatives. Limitations include potential biases associated to interpretation of interview data and that the results are based on a single case study.Practical implicationsThis study makes governments and policymakers alert about the possibility of similar open data byproducts and unwanted outcomes and helps them to design more effective open data policies, hence gaining higher economic advantage while lowering costs of open data initiatives.Originality/valueDetailed open data and open data case studies through the ecosystem perspective are still scarce and can enrich discussions about open data policy design and refinement in the public sector. The data used for this research are not used in any prior papers, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to identify such adverse effects of data quality that have been reported.

Estimate of the annual burden of foodborne illness in nondeployed active duty US Army Service Members: five major pathogens, 2010-2015.

In this study, we estimate the burden of foodborne illness (FBI) caused by five major pathogens among nondeployed US Army service members. The US Army is a unique population that is globally distributed, has its own food procurement system and a food protection system dedicated to the prevention of both unintentional and intentional contamination of food. To our knowledge, the burden of FBI caused by specific pathogens among the US Army population has not been determined. We used data from a 2015 US Army population survey, a 2015 US Army laboratory survey and data from FoodNet to create inputs for two model structures. Model type 1 scaled up case counts of Campylobacter jejuni, Shigella spp., Salmonella enterica non-typhoidal and STEC non-O157 ascertained from the Disease Reporting System internet database from 2010 to 2015. Model type 2 scaled down cases of self-reported acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) to estimate the annual burden of Norovirus illness. We estimate that these five pathogens caused 45 600 (5%-95% range, 30 300-64 000) annual illnesses among nondeployed active duty US Army Service members. Of these pathogens, Norovirus, Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella enterica non-typhoidal were responsible for the most illness. There is a tremendous burden of AGI and FBI caused by five major pathogens among US Army Soldiers, which can have a tremendous impact on readiness of the force. The US Army has a robust food protection program in place, but without a specific active FBI surveillance system across the Department of Defence, we will never have the ability to measure the effectiveness of modern, targeted, interventions aimed at the reduction of specific foodborne pathogens.

Knowledge sharing in the retail food protection program: perceived importance and actual implementation

This study empirically examines the critical success factors affecting the success of knowledge sharing in food inspection agencies. The study population included health inspectors from all 58 counties of California, USA, and the total number of responses was 119. The degree of importance for 21 knowledge sharing attributes ranged from 3.89 to 4.73 with a group mean rating of 4.28 (5 = very important, 1 = not important) while the degree of implementation of knowledge sharing ranged from 2.72 to 3.75 with a group mean rating of 3.20 (5 = extensively implemented, 1 = not implemented). There were significant differences between the degree of importance and the degree of implementation for all attributes. The five factors were labelled as systematic support for knowledge sharing, knowledge sharing framework, knowledge sharing training, information system capabilities and administrative culture on knowledge sharing. The 'knowledge sharing training' was positively associated with the success of knowledge sharing.

Knowledge sharing in the retail food protection program: perceived importance and actual implementation

Knowledge sharing in the retail food protection program: perceived importance and actual implementation

An Integrated System for Enteric Disease Surveillance and Outbreak Detection

In Connecticut, foodborne disease surveillance and response is a collaborative effort requiring real-time data sharing between key stakeholders including: DPH Epidemiology, DPH Laboratory, DPH Food Protection Program, Yale EIP, and local health department staff. Since 2011 a centralized electronic surveillance system has been used for routine enteric disease surveillance, cluster detection and monitioring, information sharing among key stakeholders, and documentation.

Local Food Protection and Safety Infrastructure and Capacity

In Maryland, county Food Protection Programs (FPP), housed within Environmental Public Health (EPH) Divisions, maintain responsibility for regular inspection of all food service facilities (FSF). With growing concerns about how our food supply is protected, it is important to determine the state and effectiveness of our food safety systems. This research elucidates the roles, responsibilities, strengths, and weaknesses of Food Safety and Protection Programs in Maryland. A 16-question survey tool, which addressed facets of the local food protection infrastructure, including FSF inspections, staffing, budget, and foodborne illness surveillance, was distributed to all 24 county FPP. The number of FSF in Maryland increased 97% from 2001 to 2006 and counties had an average inspection completion rate of 73%, with a 4% increase over the time period. Statewide, there were 4.1 EPH full-time employees (FTE) per 10 000 population and 1.6 FPP FTE per 10 000 population. EPH Division budgets increased 63% statewide, from $19.5 million in 2000 to $31.9 million in 2007. FPP budgets also increased 59% over the period, from $6.2 million in 2000 to $9.8 million in 2007. This study offers new quantitative measures of the demands, capacities, and performance of Food Protection and Safety Programs in Maryland. This assessment of local EPH and FPP capacity also offers insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the local food protection and safety infrastructure. Importantly, it reveals an infrastructure and dedicated food protection workforce that inspects the food supply and responds to foodborne illness outbreaks. Yet, resources vary substantially from county to county, impacting which services can be provided and how well they can be performed. This can, in turn, impact the potential risk of foodborne illness and the public's overall health.

The Impact of Local Environmental Health Capacity on Foodborne Illness Morbidity in Maryland

We evaluated the relationship between local food protection capacity and service provision in Maryland's 24 local food protection programs (FPPs) and incidence of foodborne illness at the county level. We conducted regression analyses to determine the relationship between foodborne illness and local FPP characteristics. We used the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's FoodNet and Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene outbreak data set, along with data on Maryland's local FPP capacity (workforce size and experience levels, budget) and service provision (food service facility inspections, public notification programs). Counties with higher capacity, such as larger workforce, higher budget, and greater employee experience, had fewer foodborne illnesses. Counties with better performance and county-level regulations, such as high food service facility inspection rates and requiring certified food manager programs, respectively, had lower rates of illness. Counties with strong local food protection capacity and services can protect the public from foodborne illness. Research on public health services can enhance our understanding of the food protection infrastructure, and the effectiveness of food protection programs in preventing foodborne illness.

Food Defense in an Aquaculture Setting

Developing an overall food protection program for aquaculture and its related food processing operations includes biosecurity and good aquaculture practices for husbandry operations, and good manufacturing practices, food safety (sanitation standard operating procedures, and hazard analysis critical control point) programs for processing. Because of recent intentional contamination incidents of food and feed, developing and implementing a food defense as part of an overall food safety and quality management system have become more critical. Recent developments in food defense, suitable preventive measures, mitigation strategies, and model implementation plans for an aquaculture operation are presented here.

Risks of Practices, Procedures and Processes that Lead to Outbreaks of Foodborne Diseases

Factors that contributed to outbreaks of foodborne diseases reported in the U.S. from 1977–1982 are identified and classified by disease and place where implicated foods were mishandled. Data for these years are tabulated and combined with data from the years 1961–1976. Inadequate cooling - either leaving foods at room or warm outside temperatures or storing them in large containers while being refrigerated - was associated with most of the outbreaks. Ranking of all factors has changed little over four periods of review, but during the last period numerous outbreaks primarily due to ingestion of raw clams and raw oysters caused an increase in the factors: contaminated raw foods and obtaining foods from unsafe sources. This has been primarily due to raw clam-, oyster- and milk-associated outbreaks. The three most frequently identified factors that contributed to salmonellosis were improper cooling, contaminated raw products, and inadequate heating; to staphylococcal food poisoning were colonized persons handling cooked foods, lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating, and improper cooling; to botulism were inadequate heat processing, improper fermentations, improper room temperature holding; to C. perfringens enteritis were improper cooling, lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating, and inadequate reheating (followed closely by improper hot holding); to shigellosis were colonized persons handling implicated foods, improper cooling, and lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating; to V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis were contaminated raw ingredients, improper cooling, and cross contamination; to typhoid fever were colonized persons handling implicated foods, lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating, and several time-temperature factors tied for third; to B. cereus gastroenteritis were improper cooling, lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating, and improper hot holding. The principal factors associated with outbreaks stemming from foods prepared in foodservice establishments were improper cooling, lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating, colonized persons handling implicated foods, inadequate reheating and improper hot holding. Important factors that contributed to outbreaks in homes were contaminated raw foods, inadequate cooking, unsafe source, improper cooling, and lapse of 12 or more hours between preparing and eating. Major contributing factors associated with operations in food processing plants were inadequate heat processing, contaminated raw ingredient, improper cooling, colonized persons handling implicated foods, improper cleaning of equipment, and improper fermentation. Those factors cited above for each category are the vital few items to stress in food safety programs. The many other items that are a part of food protection programs are of lesser importance or trivial.

Rapid technique for thiobencarb residue determination in rice samples.

Thiobencarb S-(4-Chlorobenzyl-N,N-diethylthiocarbamate) (Ishikawa et. al. 1973; Kimura et. al 1971; Nakamura et. al 1974; Richard Jr. et. al. 1981) a newly introduced, excellent herbicide for barnyardgrass, sprangletop, dayflower and aquatic weeds, is used extensively by the California rice growing industry. Hence, it has been selected as one of the pesticides to be monitored in the California food protection program.

Accuracy of Menus in Foodservice Establishments

Safety, nutritional quality and honest representation are primary expectations of consumers with respect to their food supply. While food safety and nutrition have received much attention by public health agencies, the honest representation of food has not been among the priorities of food sanitation programs of local governments. This report summarizes findings of a survey of food representation in public eating establishments in the District of Columbia. It also outlines a three-phase program of education, consultation and enforcement to insure that the integrity of the food supply is as much a part of our food protection program as are safety and nutritional quality.

Planning for Food Protection During the Bicentennial Celebration in the Nation's Capital

The potential for foodborne disease outbreaks is increased during mass feeding activities and periods in which food services are overtaxed; this is a major concern of health agencies throughout the United States as they prepare for the Bicentennial celebration. As the District of Columbia government has had some experience in planning food protection services for intense activities generated by large influxes of people, it has developed a comprehensive food protection program in preparation for the Bicentennial activities. Included in the District government's plans is the implementation of a “self-inspection” program to be conducted by trained and certified food service workers in selected food service establishments throughout the city. While the District government cannot guarantee that no food borne diseases will occur during the Bicentennial celebration, the food protection program will maximize its efforts to ensure that consumers are protected against food-borne health hazards.

VOLUNTARY FOOD PROTECTION PROGRAMS DO WORK

Many “consumer protectionists” are publicly stating that food protection programs will work only if conducted solely and exclusively by the Federal Government. The National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) has disproved this view with its industry — state regulatory — Federal agency cooperative voluntary milk control program.The NCIMS was born on June I, 1950, in St. Louis, Missouri, and adopted as its theme, “The Best Possible Milk Supply for All Our People.” The nation's milk drinkers — as consumers — have reaped the benefits of its voluntary program and activities. The Interstate Milk Shipments Program has provided them with the safest dairy products in the world. It also has encouraged free competition in the market place, and has, in some instances, helped prevent tax-draining multiple inspection programs through reciprocity endeavours.

CURRENT STATUS OF FOOD HANDLER EXAMINATIONS IN STATE AND LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS

A national questionnaire survey concerning the rationale and efficiency of food handlers examinations was completed by the public health personnel in charge of communicable disease control or food protection programs from each of the 50 states, and from 180 local health units in metropolitan areas which serve a population of over 100,000. The majority of states do not have a food handler examination law or regulation requiring medical surveillance. The responsibility is left to the county or city health departments. The respondents agreed with the position taken by the U. S. Public Health Service that such tests are very costly, give limited information, and cannot substitute for inspection and surveillance of sanitation and food handling practices. The detection rate of actual disease conditions through medical surveillance is small. There is, however, an appreciable reluctance to give up the requirement. Many respondents felt that the education and training of food service personnel would have more benefit and impact on the health of the public than the annual repetition of medical and laboratory tests. The requirement for food handler examinations is still at the state of the late 1930's and early 1940's. The epidemiologists and food protection authorities are aware of the inconsistencies in requiring food handler examinations, but there is little impetus to change.

Canned Foods in the Food Protection Program

Canned Foods in the Food Protection Program