Food Safety Training Research Articles

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of College Students, Ethiopia, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Since the dawn of human history, foodborne diseases have been a problem for all societies, and it is an increasing public health issue worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine knowledge, practice, and attitude in food safety among college students in the city Gondar, northwest Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 430 randomly selected college students in Gondar City, northwest Ethiopia, from October 8 to November 30, 2019. The data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were checked for completeness, coded manually, and entered into Epi Info version 7, then exported to SPSS version 26 for more data checking, cleaning, and analysis. One-way ANOVA was done for examining sociodemographic variable association with KAP, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to measure the association among food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. The p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for both tests. Results The number of females was higher among the study participants (65.5%). The mean age of participates was 21.1 ± 9.14 (SD) years. The higher percentage (45.7%) of the participants were students in the second year. The overall scores of the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices of the respondents were 35.7% (good), 38.0% (good), and 29.1% (positive), respectively. Participants with differences in gender, year of study, and food safety training had a substantial variation in overall food safety knowledge (p value < 0.05). The findings have clearly shown that knowledge of food safety does not directly affect the attitude towards food safety (p value > 0.05). On the other hand, overall food safety practice differed in terms of sex, year of schooling, and knowledge of food safety (p value < 0.05) among participants. Training and knowledge score had significant correlation among respondents (p value < 0.05). Conclusion This study revealed that the overall knowledge, practices, and attitude towards food safety among college students were very low. There was a significant association between knowledge and practice while food safety practices were independent with an attitude among the students. Such results indicated that there could be problems with foodborne diseases. Therefore, the findings of this study proposed that strength should be done to improve the existing food safety knowledge, practice, and attitude in college students in addition to their normal education.

Pengembangan Kewirausahaan Produk Pangan Asal Pertanian dan Peternakan di Desa Cileles Kecamatan Jatinangor Kabupaten Sumedang

Cileles Village has enormous potential, both from human resources and natural resources. The entrepreneurial atmosphere in Cileles Village has been formed with the emergence of home industry entrepreneurs such as banana chips, cassava chips, catering, resin sculpture, furniture business, farming / livestock business, bag convection business, and groceries business. Entrepreneurial activities carried out by the community in Cileles Village have various obstacles that can hinder the running of the business, including marketing, regeneration, knowledge of how to produce good processed food, use of labels, raw materials, and licensing. The marketing area carried out by entrepreneurs in Cileles Village is only around Jatinangor, so that their business is underdeveloped. Increasing knowledge of entrepreneurs in Cileles is needed, assistance to PKK members is one of them. The method used in this extension is through entrepreneurship training. The target is PKK members as many as 30 people. The training materials include simple bookkeeping with Google sheets, food safety training on good food processing, repairing packaging, repairing labels, choose an alternative product if raw material is difficult and assistance in preparing permits.

Food Safety Education for Elementary School Students Worldwide

Context: Foodborne disease is one of the leading causes of early childhood death and childhood diarrhea worldwide. Providing food safety education is believed to be of necessity to prevent foodborne diseases among school-aged students; however, limited studies have addressed food safety education worldwide, particularly for elementary school students. Hence, we conducted this comprehensive review to examine the availability and impact of food safety education for elementary school students worldwide and identify areas that are still needed for future research. Evidence Acquisition: Our inclusion criteria comprised all the studies on elementary school students (aged 5-12) and food safety components that have been published in English between 2010 and 2020, without geographic restriction. In this review project, we utilized nine major data sources, including PubMed, Science Direct, MEDLINE, and CINAHL. Results: Food safety guidelines and educational resources have been established worldwide; however, limited food safety education has been targeted to elementary school students, particularly in developing countries. There is a lack of additional findings concerning food safety behaviors among elementary school students, and insufficient food safety training for teachers. Conclusion: There is an urgent need to provide effective food safety education to elementary school students, which specifically focuses on improving their behaviors. Furthermore, sufficient food safety training and professional development needs to be provided for school teachers.

Assessment of Food Hygienic and Vending Practices among Street Food Vendors in Buea and Kumba City Council (South-West Region Cameroon)

Street food vending is one of the major activities in the large informal food sector of most developing countries especially in urban centers. It has become an omnipresent activity especially influenced by urbanization and globalization. Street foods play an important role in meeting the food demands of urban duellers, especially the urban poor though their hygiene is very doubtful. While this development is positive in many ways, it also presents new public health challenges for the urban population. This work aimed to evaluate the basic characteristics of street food services and hygienic condition of the processing and distribution of street food. A cross sectional study approach was adopted focusing on some vending sectors in Buea and Kumba. Random samplings of 80 vendors were used and questionnaires were administered to vendors. The results showed that women dominate street food vending amongst all age groups. Most of street vendors have a low educational level and do not have any formal food safety training which contributed to the unsafe conditions under which the foods were prepared and vended. There were several poor personal hygienic practices amongst the vendors. Only 28.8 % always used aprons; 22.5 % always covered their hair and 18.8% always kept away from food preparation and vending when sick or having a wound. Street foods are good sources of diseases as the government pays in less attention to the sector. The study recommends the creation of food centers, regulation of vending activities by the government and development of training programs to enrich vendors on food safety and hygiene.

What changed between 2008-2020 about Employees' perception of hygiene in the catering industry in Ankara (Turkey)?

Food safety is a public health concern because foodborne diseases have been increasing in recent years due to several factors such as urbanization, globalization and changes in consumer habits. Many countries in the world, including Turkey have upgraded their laws about food and personnel hygiene in the catering industry and undertaken changes to the organizational structure of their regulatory institutions to protect consumers' health. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the perceptions of food processors on food safety and to determine whether there has been a change in this matter over the last 12 years. The data has been collected by conducting face to face interviews and having 500 employees from the sector fill in a questionnaire constructed for this purpose. The responses to the questionnaire have been measured by assigning ‘hygiene perception points’ to each respondent according to their replies. These hygiene perception points have been analysed in terms of gender, age, educational level and work experience of the employees involved. The results have revealed that employees between the ages of 26–34, women, university graduates have a higher level of perception of hygiene than other age groups, men, those with lower education levels, respectively. Hygiene perception points were found to be higher compared to the results obtained 12 years ago. The positive changes observed in the hygiene perception points are thought to result from the differences in the legislation of the years in which both studies were conducted. It is thought that the obligatory of providing hygiene and food safety training to individuals working in the catering sector with law changes leads to positive changes in the employees. Legally compulsory training activities can overcome many sanitation and safety problems that result from misinformed or uninformed employees.

Farm Food Safety Training for Amish Produce Growers Covered under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

Commercial production of fruits and vegetables on Amish farms provides significant amounts of fresh produce that are regionally distributed through wholesale markets. In response to several multi-state foodborne disease outbreaks linked to contamination of fresh produce, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated farm food safety standards that most commercial produce growers must implement. Although there have been no foodborne disease outbreaks attributed to fresh produce grown on Amish farms, this regulation poses regulatory challenges for those who sell produce at wholesale produce auctions, cooperatives, and distribution warehouses. This article describes recent farm food safety standards issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that require most harvesters and handlers of commercially grown fresh produce to attend workshops on the elements of the regulation and best practices to prevent on-farm contamination. We describe the current FDA-approved computer-based Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) national farm food safety curriculum and how Penn State Extension, working with PSA and a regional Amish food safety advisory group, created an alternative printed version of the curriculum that would be acceptable to all Amish growers regardless of restrictions on the use of learning technologies to present materials. We also present data that suggests the two curriculum delivery methods are equivalent in terms of knowledge gained by comparing pre- and post-workshop survey results. [Abstract by authors.]

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

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

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE AMONG STREET FOOD VENDORS IN TAUNGGYI TOWNSHIP, MYANMAR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Food safety is a growing public health concern worldwide. Street foods are an integral part of many cultures and offer at affordable prices. However, it is associated with food safety issues, especially in developing countries. Therefore, it is essential that street food vendors understand and implement food safety practices to prevent outbreaks of food-borne illnesses. This cross-sectional study investigated the food safety knowledge and practices as well as their associated factors among street food vendors in Taunggyi Township, Myanmar. Validated structured questionnaires were used to interview 158 street food vendors, and a set of observational checklists was used to inspect the sanitary conditions of vending sites and vendors’ food hygiene practices. The association between food safety knowledge and practices was assessed using a chi-squared test. Our results revealed that most vendors had a high level of food safety knowledge and that 58.9% scored equal to or lower than the median value in food safety practices, whereas 41.1% scored higher than the median value (median=15). Sex and education level were significantly associated with participants’ food safety knowledge (p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, education, race and monthly income were significantly associated with their food safety practices (p &lt; 0.001), whereas food safety training attendance had no association. Additionally, participants with better knowledge scores were more likely to have better practice scores. Food safety training given to vendors should be more detailed and comply with standard guidelines, especially with regard to street food safety practices.

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

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

Effect of Food Safety Training on Achieving Good Hygiene Practices in Restaurants in the Emirates of Dubai

Effect of Food Safety Training on Achieving Good Hygiene Practices in Restaurants in the Emirates of Dubai

Retraction

The online ahead of print article titled “Assessing Food Safety Practices Among Texas Small Growers” by Zahra H. Mohammad, Isabelle do Prado, Rene Nieto, Richard De Los Santos, and Sujata A. Sirsat has been retracted by the authors and the Scientific Editors. The retraction is necessary because the study and its survey were conducted prior to Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.

Finding the Missing Pieces of Food Safety Training Puzzle on Nile Cruises: a Delphi Approach

Finding the Missing Pieces of Food Safety Training Puzzle on Nile Cruises: a Delphi Approach

Characterization of risk management practices among strawberry growers in the southeastern United States and the factors associated with implementation

Strawberries, the fifth most preferred fresh fruit in the United Sates, are one of several fresh produce commodities in the U.S. linked to outbreaks of foodborne disease. However, the industry is not well characterized. Additionally, in the southeastern U.S. (SEUS), very small strawberry-growing operations are particularly common, presenting unique challenges to implementation of risk management practices (RMP). A 45-item survey was developed to collect data regarding each strawberry grower's location, farm characteristics, and RMP. The majority of SEUS growers in this study harvested strawberries on less than 5 acres with 2.00–4.99 acres being most common (41%) and reported a revenue based on strawberry production of US$25,001–250,000 (63%). Implementation of a pre-harvest policy and animal intrusion monitoring were both highly prevalent whereas testing of pre-harvest agricultural water was least common. Growers also reported using RMP but were less likely to document them. For example, 76.6% of growers reported their employees had attended food safety training; meanwhile, only 38.9% had documented training. The frequency of use and documentation of RMP were also found to be impacted by certain farm characteristics, most notably acreage, revenue, presence of third-party audit, and presence of a written food safety plan. Based on these results, strawberry growers, particularly in the SEUS, may benefit from additional education tailored to align with farm scale that includes instruction on documentation.

FoodSimplex as a Mean to Improve Portuguese Restaurants’ Goods Manufacturing Practices - Audit and Microbial Assessment

Background: The consumption of meals at resturants has increased mass catering establishments. Such food services may present several risk factors for foodborne diseases, which have a substantial negative impact on public health. The smallest business with no technical or financial support struggles to comply with food safety European Regulation. The aim of this four years study was to assess Good Manufacture Practices (GMP) in Portuguese restaurants applying a designed food safety methodology, FoodSimplex, through audit data to determine good manufacture practices, and microbiological sampling of the meals before and after its implementation, by food groups according to their risk. Methods: FoodSimplex is a combination of four stages methodology, based on Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), combined with technical-functional and food safety audits, with pretested checklist, training and microbial analysis (Mesophylic bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, E. coli, Coagulase-positive staphylococci and Salmonella spp) of the meals served. Results: Results of the food safety audit for GMP parameters showed a general improvement with 80% compliance with the checklist subitems. The ready-to-eat food samples presented, regarding the total mesophilic aerobes count, a statistical significant change to acceptable and satisfactory condition (p-value= 0.029). 100% compliance, with acceptable and satisfactory results was observed for Listeria monocytogenes (p-value= 0.180) and for E. coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococci and Salmonella spp., all the food samples presented satisfactory results in the study (100%). Conclusion: At the end of the investigation period, a decrease in bacterial populations in food samples was observed with an improvement of the GMP audit data which indicated that the FoodSimplex methodology improved the food safety status of these establishments.

Isolation of enteric bacteria from asymptomatic food handlers

The study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of enteric bacteria isolated from food handlers within Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State. Stool samples from thirty-five food handlers were collected. The samples were cultured on agar and MacConkey agar and growth was observed in all samples. The organisms isolated were species (8.6%), (8.6%), (51.4%), (8.6%), (8.6%), sp. (2.9%), and sp. (17.1%). The most prevalent of these organisms is and the least prevalent of these organisms is sp. Antibiotic sensitivity test showed that majority of the isolates in this study were sensitive to ofloxacin, augmentin, nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime and gentamicin, and showed various degree of sensitivity to cefuroxime. While most of the isolates were resistant to cefixime. Based on the result antibiotics such as gentamicin, augmentin, and ofloxacin are most efficient for the diseases that can be caused by these isolated enteric bacteria while previously use antibiotic such as cefixime was poorly effective against majority of the isolates in this study. Health education along with continuous food safety training should be given to food handlers so as to adhere to effective hygienic practices which can help in preventing transmission of these enteric bacteria to the consumers.

Exploring Food Truck Food Safety Training and Practices in the United States: A Qualitative Study

Exploring Food Truck Food Safety Training and Practices in the United States: A Qualitative Study

Health Risks of Intestinal Parasitism in a Military Dinning Hall Food Handlers

BackgroundSeveral studies assessed health risks of intestinal parasitic infections of food handlers in the home, community and institutional settings in different parts of the world including Ethiopia. However, there is a paucity of research in the military food service setting in general and particularly in Ethiopia. This study aimed to investigate intestinal parasitic infections of food handlers and possible health risks in defense north command center food service milieu of Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of all food handlers (N=57) was carried out from October-December, 2018. Standardized and structured questionnaires were used to gather data on socio-demographic and potential risk factors. Intestinal parasitic infections were assessed following standard parasitological methods. Data entry and analysis were done using SPSS-20 and frequency of various parameters was determined..ResultsOf all examined 70.2% had one or two intestinal parasite infections. Out of total positive 75% had single infection. The leading parasite detected was Entamoeba histolytica (27.5%) followed by Giardia lamblia (12.5%) and Schistosoma mansoni (7.5%). The survey identified several possible risk factors for intestinal parasite infections transmissiom. These included lack of food safety training and medical checkup; poor finger nail status and hand washing practice after toilet; preparing food when suffering from diseases, inadequate kitchen facilities, unsanitary use of cutting boards, inefficient sanitizing of utensils and food contact surfaces, and using common knife for cutting raw and cooked foods were the most frequent indications for possible transmissionConclusionsRoutine parasitological tests and treatment of cases, and hygiene and environmental sanitation improvement are recommended to control possible infection transmission to the military force and others.

Investigating the effects of explanatory-based food safety training: A model of domain knowledge theory perspective

Abstract Food safety training is essential to reducing foodborne illness; however, limited research has investigated the effects of food safety training content on training effectiveness. Therefore, drawing on the model of domain learning theory, the current study examined the influence of explanatory-based training (EBT; i.e., microbiology and epidemiology knowledge introduction) on the effectiveness of food handlers’ training. Adopting a longitudinal between-subject experimental design and multilevel linear modeling, the study showed that food handlers attending EBT demonstrated significant progress in food safety knowledge acquisition and reported high generalization ability, while only food handlers with high levels of mastery goal-orientation showed increased motivation to learn food safety after attending EBT. Additionally, food safety domain knowledge mediates the relationship between EBT and food handlers’ training effectiveness. This study provides theoretical and practical contributions to food safety training literature by explaining the underlying mechanism that operates between domain knowledge and food safety training effectiveness.

Retail Deli Characteristics Associated with Sanitizing Solution Concentrations

Listeria monocytogenes is commonly found in retail delicatessen environments. Proper types and concentrations of sanitizers must be used to eliminate this pathogen from surfaces and reduce the consumer's risk for infection. In 2012, the Environmental Health Specialists Network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention completed a study on practices in retail delis that can help prevent cross-contamination and growth of L. monocytogenes. The present study focuses on the sanitizing solution used in delis, given its importance to cleaning and reducing pathogen contamination in retail food environments. We identified deli, manager, and worker characteristics associated with use of improper concentrations of sanitizing solution to wipe down food contact surfaces; 22.8% of sanitizing solutions used for wiping food contact surfaces were at improper concentrations. Independent delis were more likely to use improper concentrations of sanitizing solution, as were delis that sold fewer chubs (plastic tubes of meat) per week. Use of improper sanitizing solution concentrations was associated with required food safety training for managers; additional analyses suggest that this relationship is significant for independent but not chain delis. Cleaning and sanitizing must be emphasized in food safety efforts focused on independent and smaller delis.

The effect of food safety education on food safety knowledge, attitudes, behaviors of individuals who work in food and beverage departments in Turkey

The current study was conducted to compare the effects of the training models implemented to enhance food safety knowledge, attitude, and habits of food handlers operating in food, and beverage departments in the tourism industry in Turkey. The staff working in food and beverage departments in hotels and restaurants was selected as a sample to determine how food safety and hygiene training provided at different periods through different techniques have impacts on knowledge, attitude and, behavior.The target group is composed of the staff working in the food and beverage departments of hotels and restaurants in the tourism industry. Between the period September 2018 and December 2019, long-term and short-term training was given to 1150 personnel and the memorability of the training content was checked during controls. Research data were collected by the researchers with face-to-face interviews through a questionnaire form. Data analysis was carried out by using the SPSS 15.0 statistical package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).As a result of the study, it was concluded that long-term training stimulated a positive change in food safety and, hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practices (p < 0.001), and the permanence was verified during controls. Even though short-term training also had a positive changes in food safety and hygiene knowledge, attitude, and practices (p < 0.001), no significant difference was observed and the permanence could not be verified during controls (p > 0.001).Due to the findings of the study, it is recommended to provide the staff working in food and beverage departments of hotels and restaurants with food safety and hygiene training, and to compose a long-term training model to ensure the transformation of food safety and hygiene knowledge to be reflected in attitudes and habits.