Food Safety Behaviors Research Articles

Development and Evaluation of Educational Web-Based Food Safety Game, Potluck Panic!

Food safety education is necessary for development of individual life skills, public health, and fulfillment of societal workforce needs for scientists dedicated to safe food production. An interactive Web-based game, Potluck Panic!, was developed whereby players prevent foodborne illness by mitigating risky practices throughout food systems. Post-secondary students (261) enrolled in food science courses anonymously completed pre- and post-gameplay surveys on gameplay, food safety perceptions, behaviors, and knowledge. Subjects enjoyed the game (84%) with consequent increased awareness of (89%) and interest in food safety (75%), the food science major (57%), and intent to learn more (79%). A significant shift (P < 0.05) in attitudes among students enrolled in an introductory course included decreased trust in families’ food preparation practices, increased confidence in the food supply, recognized need for scientific knowledge to produce safe food, and recognition that companies employ people responsible for food safety. Significant improvement on knowledge-based questions was observed for students enrolled in introductory courses who scored in the lower pregameplay quartiles. Seventy percent (70%) of secondary school educators rated the game favorably for enjoyment, educational value, and willingness to recommend it to a colleague. These data support game use to increase student interest in the science of food safety.

A roadmap for developing educational actions using food safety culture assessment – A case of an institutional food service

Food safety (FS) culture has been recognised as a phenomenon that can shape food safety behaviour. Specific educational actions can improve food safety behaviour. This study aimed to build a roadmap to guide the development of educational actions based on the assessment of the prevailing FS-culture. The study was conducted in an institutional food service in the Brazilian air force. A previously-developed mixed-methods and data triangulation approach was used to assess the FS-culture based on eight elements (leadership, communication, knowledge, commitment, risk perception, work pressure and normative beliefs, work environment, and management systems, styles, and process). The roadmap was designed based on a combination of the FS-culture element score (1-reactive, 2-active, and 3-proactive) and priority levels (highest, moderate, lowest, and no priority) of proposed topics to be included in educational actions. Such topics were based on specific literature about food safety culture and the behaviour of food handlers. The FS-culture diagnosis in the air force food service demonstrated an “active to proactive” FS-culture; the element “work pressure and normative beliefs” showed the highest score (3 – proactive), whereas “risk perception” and “management systems, styles, and process” indicated the lowest scores (1–2 – reactive to active). Based on the weaknesses and strengths in the prevailing FS-culture, the roadmap revealed that the topics showing the lowest scores, “risk perception” and “management systems, styles, and process,” had the highest priority to be included in the educational actions. The designed roadmap may support food services in making decisions about food safety education towards a proactive FS-culture.

Consumers’ Food Safety Knowledge and Practices During COVID-19 in Jordan: Web-based Survey

Background In Western countries, several studies have reported changes in consumers’ behaviors regarding food safety in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shared responsibility of food safety, between governments, food businesses, and consumers, has been well recognized and calls for extra preventive measures and recommendations to be introduced for food handlers, producers, and consumers. Little, however, is known about food safety in developing countries, including Jordan. Objective This study assessed the food safety knowledge and behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic era in Jordan. Methods A web-based, self-administered questionnaire, published via the Jordan Food and Drug Administration website and social media platforms (March-July 2021), was utilized. The questionnaire assessed COVID-19 preventive measures (11 questions), food safety knowledge, (13 questions), and food safety practices (12 questions). Descriptive statistics were presented. Results In total, 969 respondents gave valid responses, of which 588 (60.7%) were females, 325 (33.5%) were 38-49 years old, 628 (64.8%) were married, 623 (64.3%) had college or bachelor degrees, 376 (38.8%) were from the central region, 809 (83.5%) were living in urban settings, and 313 (32.3%) had a medical background. The mean (SD) food safety knowledge score was 8.34 (2.33; range 0-13). Mean food safety knowledge scores were significantly different (P<.05) by age, marital status, education, field of study, training in food safety, employment status, monthly family income, and area of residence but not by gender and number of family members. Statistically significant correlations between mean knowledge scores and COVID-19 practice scores (P<.001, r=0.183) and food safety practice scores (P<.001, r=0.346) were detected. Conclusions Consumers seem to have adequate food safety knowledge and follow COVID-19-related preventive measures, which may transfer to better food practices and prevention of diseases, such as foodborne illnesses and COVID-19. Further studies and interventions in this regard are needed in Jordan.

An Evaluation of a Virtual Food Safety Program for Low-Income Families: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Low-income families are reported to have a limited knowledge of food safety and resources to follow food safety practices compared with the rest of the population. This paper evaluated a virtual food safety educational program targeting food handlers in low-income families. Trained native speakers of English and Spanish delivered course materials in both languages. A total of 60 individuals participated in the program, with 30 participants in each language group. Most were female, and most had fewer than three children. After the program, participants’ food safety knowledge and self-reported safe food practice behavior scores increased significantly from 5.32 to 7.43 (out of 8.00) and from 24.78 to 29.30 (out of 35.00), respectively. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used to understand individuals’ behavior change intention of food safety practices. All the TPB constructs’ scores, including attitudes toward the behavior, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, and behavior change intentions, were improved significantly; however, only the subjective norms and perceived behavioral control were significantly correlated with the behavior change intentions. This virtual educational program improved low-income individuals’ food safety knowledge and changed their food safety attitudes and behaviors, giving a path to develop and evaluate more virtual food safety educational programs in the future.

Cultural Sensitivity: A Requirement When Developing Food Safety Interventions

Extension materials that are sensitive to changing demographics and culture increase relevance and compliance with food safety practices. Produce safety extension materials were developed for U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) produce growers to help with compliance with a new food safety rule. We developed employee training materials based on a needs assessment and behavioral change was evaluated six months after dissemination. The original materials were not seen as culturally appropriate but after modifications, improvements in food safety practices and behavior changes were observed. These results suggest that extension educators should seek feedback from target populations about potential interventions before implementation.

Food Safety Knowledge, Beliefs and Behaviour among Health Sciences-related Field Undergraduate Students at a Local University

Foodborne disease is among the primary illness that causes morbidity and mortality in the world. Several studies show that most students do not have adequate food safety knowledge to protect themselves against foodborne diseases. This study aimed to determine the food safety knowledge, behaviour, and beliefs among undergraduate students at a local university in Malaysia. This cross-sectional study involves 121 respondents from three health science-related faculties at the studied institution. The questionnaire was distributed via an online platform. This study used multiple-choiceformat questions for Food Safety Knowledge and a Likert type scale for Food Safety Behaviour and Belief question statements. Most of the respondents were female (78%). About 16% of the respondents have experience working / volunteering in food services, and half of them are involved in food handling during their services. This study recorded a moderate score in all sections (knowledge, behaviour, beliefs) with a total percentage score of 60.3%, 60.3%, and 66.1%, respectively. A strong but not significant correlation between food safety knowledge and beliefs (r = 0.69 p > 0.05) and between food safety knowledge and behaviour (r = 0.83 p > 0.05) were observed. This study is useful as a basis to develop a targeted food safety education program among undergraduate students. Students with high knowledge of food safety will increase food safety beliefs and behaviour, thus preventing them from getting any foodborne illness.

Evaluation of Self-Efficacy-Based Intervention: Improving School Food Handlers’ Selected Food Safety Behavior

Food safety training of food handlers is commonly used to reduce the incidence of foodborne disease worldwide. Nevertheless, studies have shown that the provision of knowledge alone may not necessarily result in a positive behavior change. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of a multiple-component intervention approach, comprising training and a self-efficacy building program, to improve hand washing and contamination prevention behavior among food handlers at public school canteens in Malaysia. Two groups were compared: treatment (n = 31) and control (n = 30). The treatment group received a 2-h on-site interactive training and a self-efficacy building program that incorporated verbal persuasion, role modeling, and practice time. Both groups were measured using a survey and the direct observation method, before and after a 14-day intervention period. Results show that the intervention package produced a significant increase (P < 0.001) in the behavioral compliance, knowledge, and self-efficacy scores for both behaviors. An increase in the overall frequency of soap use and adherence to the correct hand washing technique for the treatment group was recorded, although there is room for improvement in the post intervention hand washing compliance score. Findings from this study provide valuable information on possible ways to improve food safety behavior among school food handlers.

Food safety knowledge, attitudes, and eating behavior in the advent of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships of food safety knowledge, attitude and eating behavior of consumers during national lockdowns in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 157 respondents completed the online survey using a structured questionnaire worldwide. Overall, the respondents exhibited good attitude and good knowledge towards public health including food safety especially on the importance of social distancing, mask wearing, well-balanced diet, physical exercise and personal hygiene, such as hand washing during the pandemic lockdowns. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the relationships among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior under the pandemic conditions. Results showed that attitude towards food safety under the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns positively affected the eating behavior of the respondents, which exhibited a high β (0.686) among the variables tested (p<0.05). Food safety knowledge was apparently not affected by the food safety behavior of the respondents.

Food safety knowledge and behaviour among food handlers in catering establishments: a case study

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to find out how food handlers in catering establishments perceive ensuring food safety and which problems they meet along the way.Design/methodology/approachUsing a qualitative approach, ten food handlers in Slovenian catering facilities were included in the case study. A semi-structured approach was applied to provide a deeper insight into food safety barriers perceived by respondents. Participants first read short fictitious newspaper news about a foodborne disease at a tourist farm, which served as a starting point.FindingsThe results demonstrate barriers which most often originate in a lack of knowledge (e.g. improper food safety training, incorrect food safety knowledge testing, knowledge and maintaining of CCPs), shortage of food hygiene skills (e.g. handwashing, food defrosting) and weak work satisfaction (e.g. insufficient payment, poor interpersonal relationships and weak motivation). Food safety knowledge and consequently training methods were found to be the biggest barrier for the efficiency of the HACCP system in practice.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the small sample, the results cannot be generalised to the entire population of food handlers in Slovenia.Practical implicationsThe results indicate weaknesses in food safety knowledge among professional food handlers.Originality/valueThe study provides a deeper insight into implicit opinions of ten food handlers in catering facilities regarding barriers in providing food safety, their knowledge and behaviour in their work with food.

Improving safe food-handling practices by increasing self-efficacy

Worldwide, approximately one in ten people acquire a foodborne disease due to eating contaminated food. This often occurs at home and young adults in particular often lack knowledge of and adherence to safe food-handling recommendations. Using an experimental design, we compared two groups to investigate whether increasing knowledge and self-efficacy would improve food safety behaviour in young adults in comparison to increasing knowledge alone. All participants ( N = 221) completed questionnaires assessing safe food-handling knowledge, self-efficacy, and behaviour, and watched an educational safe food-handling campaign consisting of four short videos providing information on how to safely cook, clean, prepare, and chill food. The experimental group ( N = 121) created an action plan, set a safe food-handling related goal, and made a commitment to change their safe food-handling behaviour. The control group ( N = 100) completed a similar task not specific to safe food-handling. One week later, the questionnaires were repeated. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that self-efficacy and behaviour increased in both groups but there was a significantly greater increase in the experimental group. Knowledge increased significantly in the experimental group, but did not in the control group. No mediation of self-efficacy on safe food-handling behaviour in the experimental group was found. The intervention was successful in improving the impact of the educational materials and further, self-efficacy increased significantly even when applied to a non-related topic. This has important implications for improvements in safe food-handling media campaigns. • This study found improvements in self-efficacy and safe food-handling behaviour. • Increases in self-efficacy and behaviour were greatest in the experimental group. • Food safety knowledge significantly increased in the experimental group.

Food safety behaviour and handling practices among Saudi women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although it is commonly known that viruses cannot multiply in food as they need a living host for growth, adenoviruses and corona viruses can reportedly survive on surfaces and food packages for several days. Therefore, food item mishandling could increase the risk of infection. In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the changes in the food purchasing habits, food safety behavior, and food handling practices among Saudi women during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study included 1356 women who were randomly approached via convenience sampling using an anonymous questionnaire distributed through various social media platforms. The variables were described in terms of frequency and percentage, and the Chi-square test was applied to assess the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Approximately 62.5% of the participants were aware that SARS-CoV-2 is not transmitted via food. Most participants (90%) reported a shift from outdoor to indoor meal preparation, along with avoidance of visits to grocery stores for food purchase (55%) and increased usage of online grocery delivery services (27%). Most participants obtained good overall scores for food safety behavior during grocery shopping (mean score: 10.83±1.62/12 points, 90.25%), grocery unpacking at home (10.60±2.65/13 points, 81.55%), and personal hygiene (28.84±3.16/36 points, 80%). However, a moderate overall score was obtained for food preparation practices (7.77 ±1.91/12 points, 77.7%). Older and/or retired individuals, patients with chronic diseases, and/or individuals living with children showed better food safety behavior and handling practices compared to their counterparts. This study reported good overall food safety behavior and handling practice scores among participants under most categories studied. However, our results highlight the need for more customized public education programs for Saudi women, who are the primary food handlers in most households, particularly during food preparation, to further improve food safety practices and prevent potential food mishandling, which will eventually help preventing the spread of COVID-19.

“I Walk around Like My Hands are Covered in Mud”: Food Safety and Hand Hygiene Behaviors of Canadians during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“I Walk around Like My Hands are Covered in Mud”: Food Safety and Hand Hygiene Behaviors of Canadians during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Examination of Australian backyard poultry for Salmonella, Campylobacter and Shigella spp., and related risk factors.

Worldwide, foodborne illness is a significant public health issue in both developed and developing countries. Salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis and shigellosis are common foodborne gastrointestinal illnesses caused by the bacteria Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Shigella spp. respectively. These zoonotic diseases are frequently linked to eggs and poultry products. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of these pathogens in Australian backyard poultry flocks and to determine risk factors for these pathogens. Poultry faeces samples were collected from 82 backyards and screened for Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Shigella spp. using qPCR. A questionnaire was administered to the backyard poultry owners to assess their knowledge regarding management of poultry and eggs and to identify potential risk factors that may contribute to the presence of zoonotic pathogens in the flocks. One composite faecal sample was collected from each backyard (82 samples). Composite sampling here means taking one or more grab samples from a backyard to make up approximately 10 grams. Four per cent of samples, that is 4% backyards tested, were positive for Salmonella spp., 10% were positive for Campylobacter spp. and none were positive for Shigella spp. A higher infection rate was seen in multi-aged flocks (24%) compared with the single-aged flocks (3%). The survey found that many participants were engaging in risky food safety behaviours with 46% of participants responding that they washed their eggs with running water or still water instead of wiping the dirt off with a damp cloth to clean the eggs and 19% stored their eggs at room temperature. This study demonstrated that backyard poultry may pose a potential risk for salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis. Additionally, Australian public health and food safety regulations should be modified and effectively implemented to address the risks associated with backyard poultry husbandry.

Assessing Short- and Long-term Food Safety Attitude and Behavior of Home-based Food Operators

Assessing Short- and Long-term Food Safety Attitude and Behavior of Home-based Food Operators

P22 COVID-19 Impacts on Self-Reported Food Safety Behaviors in Florida Youth

BackgroundMeasures to protect against the spread of COVID-19 include guidance on personal and environmental hygiene. Some guidelines related to COVID-19 directly align with or have similarity to evidence-based food safety practices (FSP) taught in nutrition education classes, including handwashing and washing produce before eating.ObjectiveTo understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth handwashing and washing produce before eating behaviors.Study Design, Setting, ParticipantsData were collected from youth (N = 1,098) in grades 3-5 who participated in SNAP-Education (SNAP-Ed) and the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) in Florida. Utilizing common self-report survey measures, baseline measures from 3 years prior to the pandemic and 3 months during the pandemic were compared for handwashing before eating and washing produce before eating. Due to incomplete data collection during the first 8 months of the pandemic, only behaviors from October 20-January 31 intervals (October 2018- January 2021) were compared to control for seasonal differences.Measurable Outcomes/AnalysisBehavioral measures are based on a frequency scale from 1 to 4 (4 being the most frequent). An independent samples t test was used to compare baseline FSP scores from intervals before and during the pandemic.ResultsNo significant difference was found in the frequency of handwashing before and during COVID-19 (3.16 vs 3.18, respectively; P = 0.76). A significant increase was found in the frequency of washing produce before eating before and during COVID-19 (3.14 vs 3.31, respectively; P = 0.008).ConclusionThis study did not find any significant changes in handwashing frequency during COVID-19, however, a significant increase in washing produce prior to eating was found. Handwashing prior to eating is a current CDC guideline for COVID-19 mitigation while washing produce prior to eating is not (CDC 2021). Changes in lifestyle and/or eating arrangements during the pandemic might explain these findings.

Effect of training program on food safety knowledge, behaviour and practices among female students of Qassim University, KSA

The study aimed to assess the effect of the training program in the level of concerns knowledge and various practices related to food safety among female students of the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The number of participants in the study is 265 female students, with a response rate of 94.35% and an average age of 21 years. The questionnaire used in this study was divided into five sections: 1: demographic information, sections 2 to 5 measuring the students ’concerns about: the risks affecting food safety, the correct behaviours of food preparation and their relationship to food poisoning, the methods of food circulation and the practices during the preparation of foods, respectively. The main concerns of the participants were: food taste, food temperature, methods of foods are served and the cooking degree of food. They also focused on the cleanliness of the area of preparation and the overall appearance of food handlers. The participants showed good knowledge regarding food safety, and they were more familiar with the cleanliness of kitchen surfaces and utensils, ways to prevent contamination and the importance of hand hygiene, but they showed weak knowledge about the appropriate temperatures of cooking and holding food after it is cooked. According to the results of this study, it was noticed that there is a significant effect of the training program on food safety knowledge and practices among students. As it was noticed that after the training program, the student's behaviour and knowledge of the principles and factors affecting food safety increased, including the method of handling, preparing and serving food, especially the cleanliness of food working surfaces and food cooking temperatures. As well as the personal hygiene of food handlers and its impact on the safety of the food product provided for consumption. At the same time, it could be recommended that there is a need for educational programs aimed at encouraging students to adhere to the practice of food safety measures, and not only to enhance their knowledge.

Young People’s Views on Food Hygiene and Food Safety: A Multicentre Qualitative Study

Foodborne diseases are a global burden, are preventable, and young people are a key population for behaviour change as they gain autonomy. This study aimed to explore young people’s needs across several European countries in relation to learning about and implementing food hygiene and food safety. Qualitative focus groups and interviews were conducted in rural and city regions across England, France, Hungary and Portugal. Data were collected to attain data saturation, transcribed, thematically analysed, and mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework. Twenty-five out of 84 schools approached (29.8%) participated, with data collected from 156 11–18-year-old students. Students had good knowledge of personal hygiene but did not always follow hygiene rules due to forgetfulness, lack of facilities or lack of concern for consequences. Students had limited understanding of foodborne microbes, underestimated the risks and consequences of foodborne illness and perceived the “home” environment as the safest. Young people preferred interactive educational methods. Addressing gaps in young people’s food safety knowledge is essential to improve their lack of concern towards foodborne illness and motivate them to follow food hygiene and safety behaviours consistently. Findings have been used to develop educational resources to address gaps in knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.

Food Supply, Consumption, and Food Safety Behavior Among a Group of Sri Lankans During Early COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.

Food Supply, Consumption, and Food Safety Behavior Among a Group of Sri Lankans During Early COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020.

Determinants of food safety behaviour among food vendors: the case of Nigeria

PurposeTo investigate the relationship between food safety knowledge, food safety attitudes, the accessibility of sanitation facilities, perceived economic and social constraints and food safety practices among food vendors of higher institutions of learning in Bauchi State, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachA purposive sampling method was used to select 6 out of 13 public higher institutions of learning in the state and a random sampling method was used in selecting 181 food vendors from the list of 342 food vendors in the 6 institutions. Face-to-face survey interviews were carried out between June–September 2018 completing a structured questionnaire.FindingsThe result of the structural equation model revealed that food safety knowledge, food safety attitudes and economic and social control affected the food safety behaviour of the food vendors. Inaccessibility to sanitation facilities affected food safety behaviour negatively.Practical implicationsAppropriate measures to improve the food safety behaviour of food vendors in higher institutions of learning could include, for example, food safety training that could increase food safety knowledge and awareness, as well as improved access to sanitation facilities at vending sites.Originality/valueThere is no previous study that investigates the relationship between food safety knowledge, food safety attitudes, social and economic constraints, access to sanitation facilities and the food safety behaviour of food vendors in higher educational institutions in Nigeria.

Food safety at home: Serbian students

PurposeStrengthening awareness and education to address food safety problem is of importance. The purpose of this study is to investigate food safety knowledge and opinion among Serbian students and the efficiency of education on their self-reported behaviour as consumers.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire on the attitudes and self-reported behaviour of students was completed by 414 students at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Serbia. The questions covered hand hygiene; cross-contamination; conditions of food cooling; and knowledge of risky food. Students were divided into two groups: students in their first and second year of study (1–2 YoS) who had not attended any subjects related to food safety during their education; students in the third and fourth years of the Food Technology Program (3–4 YoS) who had completed one or more courses concerning food safety during their education.FindingsOverall, there were significant differences in the opinions of 1–2 YoS students and 3–4 YoS students on most issues. It was noted that male students are at higher risk when it comes to food handling. Considering the significant impact of education as evidenced by the opinions of 3–4 YoS students, it can be concluded that education is effective in raising awareness and changing behaviour among young people.Originality/valueThe study identified how education affects students' opinion and food handling. Moreover, it highlighted the areas of deficiency in students' food safety behaviour, knowledge and attitudes. Limited research has been conducted on food safety knowledge among students.