Kitchen Staff Research Articles

Organic pollutant exposure and health effects of cooking emissions on kitchen staff in food services.

This study was conducted to determine the exposure and health risk to cooking fumes of a total of 88 volunteer kitchen staff aged between 18 and 65 years working in five different kitchens in Ankara. Gas- and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and volatile organic compound (VOCs) concentrations were evaluated in the indoor air of 5 kitchens. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were analyzed to determine the oxidative damage as a result of the exposure to cooking fumes among the cooks and waiters. Significant positive relationships were found between serum MDA levels of the hot kitchen workers and indoor chrysene (Chr), indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene (Ind), and total VOC levels. Although the carcinogenic risks estimated for the exposed population were between the acceptable/tolerable levels, the hazard quotient (HQ) estimated for the exposure to indoor benzene exceeded the safe level. The results of the study revealed that exposure to organic pollutants in indoor air may be a risk factor for the development of oxidative stress, especially in hot kitchen workers. The importance of efficient ventilation in the kitchen has been pointed out to reduce health risks caused by cooking fumes.

Immigrant Birds

Immigrant Birds

Prevención del sobrepeso y la obesidad en preescolares: lecciones aprendidas en Cuenca, Ecuador

Introduction: Childhood overweight and obesity are major public health problems globally, including in Ecuador, and there is increasing interest in intervening as early as possible. We previously developed and evaluated a behavioural and educational intervention aiming to improve diet and physical activity habits among children at municipal preschools in Cuenca, Ecuador, after which it was implemented. Objective: To describe some of the key lessons learned in the process of intervention development, evaluation, and implementation. Methods: We conducted program evaluation using a survey questionnaire with open-ended questions with the coordinators, teachers, and kitchen staff of the preschools that participated in the intervention. Results: Human resource changes were a threat to the continued success of the intervention; therefore, these changes need to be anticipated and peer training emphasized. Careful consideration also needs to be given to impact on preschool staff workload. Teachers and other stakeholders like administrators should take ownership of the intervention and play a leadership role, distinct from that of researchers. Regarding the intervention itself, we identified that both fidelity and adaptability were critical for continued success. Conclusion: Lessons learned from our setting may be useful to inform the design, evaluation, and implementation of sustainable preschool-based interventions aiming to improve diet and physical activity habits elsewhere.

Implementation of High Reliability Organizing (HRO): The Inherent Vice of Stress, Fear, and Threat

Implementation of High Reliability Organizing (HRO): The Inherent Vice of Stress, Fear, and Threat

The effect of openness to experience personality trait of kitchen staff on creativity potential: The mediating effect of food neophobia and the moderating effect of occupational self-efficacy

Employee creativity plays an important role in creating a sustainable competitive edge in the culinary sector, much like many others. Thus, it is also important to analyze the variables that impact employee creativity and the relationship between such variables. This study examines the creative potential of kitchen staff within the context of openness to experience personality traits, food neophobia, and occupational self-efficacy variables. In this relationship, it was thought that food neophobia might have a mediating role and occupational self-efficacy might have a moderating role. Therefore, the study tests the mediating role of food neophobia and moderator role of occupational self-efficacy on the relationship between openness to experience and creative potential. Data for the study was collected from a total of 393 respondents, who work amongst kitchen staff of five-star hotels in Turkey, with convenience sampling. The study concluded that the creative potential of the kitchen staff is affected positively by openness to experience personality traits and negatively by food neophobia. Findings also verify the mediating role of food neophobia and moderator role of occupational self-efficacy on the relationship between openness to experience personality traits and creative potential. According to the results obtained from the study, low openness to experience personality trait and high food neophobia cause negative effects on kitchen staff's creativity potential. However, it has been determined as a striking finding that the handicaps arising from these two variables can be dealt with by investing in occupational self-efficiency factor. This result reveals a practical solution to cope with the low openness to experience personality trait and high food neophobia variables, which negatively affect the creativity potential of kitchen staff. According to the findings of the study, implications for gastronomy are offered as well.

Knowledge and Practices of Food Safety among Health Care Professionals and Handlers Working in the Kitchen of a Moroccan University Hospital

Food safety plays a key role in the prevention of foodborne illnesses. Mastery of the correct way of handling food is required especially in hospitals where meals are prepared for patients with low immune function. Food safety knowledge among doctors and dieticians is important because of the fundamental role these professionals play in transferring this knowledge to people who need it. The objective of this study was to assess food safety knowledge and practices among health care professionals and food handlers working in the kitchen of a Moroccan university hospital. This cross-sectional study included 72 doctors, dieticians, hygiene technicians, and hospital kitchen employees, who completed a questionnaire to assess their knowledge on hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) systems, food poisoning, cross-contamination, and food storage and their practices in terms of food safety. Of the participants in this study, 56% said they had received food safety training, and 74% knew the correct definition of HACCP. The overall food safety knowledge mean score was 0.54 ± 0.15, which corresponds to 54% of questions answered correctly. The food safety knowledge areas with the highest mean scores were cross-contamination and food storage, with 0.58 ± 0.20 (58%) and 0.55 ± 0.20 (55%), respectively. The food safety knowledge scores for dieticians and hygiene technicians were higher than those for hospital kitchen workers and doctors. Knowledge about food storage was significantly associated with gender, age, occupation, and level of education (P < 0.05). Correct food practices were observed among 93% of the hospital kitchen staff and 50% of the health care professionals. These results indicate the need for preventive and corrective actions such as training and education about food safety to improve the knowledge and food safety practices of hospital professionals.

Chefs’ perspectives of failures in foodservice kitchens, part 2: A phenomenological exploration of the consequences and handling of food production failure

ABSTRACT This paper explores the consequences of food production failure (FPF) and its handling in foodservice operations from the perspective of chefs. A phenomenological epistemology and qualitative methodology were followed. Fifteen semi-structured interviews with chefs working in independent restaurants and hotels were carried out using purposive sampling, and employing an emic posture. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, read repetitively, and coded. Thematic analysis yielded themes on the consequences of FPF, on operation and staff, handling failures with kitchen staff, front of the house (FOH), and management. The findings revealed that the major ramification of FPF is financial through food loss. Representing both internal and external failure costs, FPF costs were classified into four tangible types: bin cost, rework cost, lost sales cost, and recovery cost. However, the serious intangible cost of staff demoralization was also identified. Handling failure is a complex task involving different parties and the management of various emotions (anger, frustration, etc.). Furthermore, the phenomena of failure ownership, secrecy, and historic marginalization of chefs, coupled with doubts over management competency, can all obstruct learning from mistakes, the much-cherished by-product of FPF, thereby negating the notion of the “learning organization.” Moreover, error management training (EMT) seems to be a potential approach to combat FPF.

Molecular characterization of algerian strains of Blastocysts sp

RésuméIntroductionBlastocystis sp. est un protozoaire colonisant le tube digestif de l’Homme et de nombreux animaux et il est à ce jour le parasite le plus fréquemment retrouvé dans les selles humaines. Dans certains pays en développement, sa prévalence dans les populations étudiées peut dépasser 50 %. Sur le plan morphologique, les isolats de Blastocystis sp. trouvés chez différents hôtes sont très similaires. Cependant, ces mêmes isolats présentent entre eux une très grande diversité génétique et pas moins de 17 sous-types (ou génotypes) ont déjà été identifiés à partir de données moléculaires. Des études de génotypage ont été réalisées dans de nombreux pays à travers le monde et en particulier dans certains pays du pourtour méditerranéen comme la France, l’Espagne, l’Italie, la Turquie ou l’Égypte. En revanche, très peu de données de génotypage sont disponibles en Algérie. À cet effet, nous avons réalisé la présente étude dont le but était d’identifier et de génotyper Blastocystis dans des échantillons de selles humaines et animales.Patients et méthodesMille huit cent soixante-neuf (1 869) prélèvements de selles appartenant à un personnel de cuisine dans le cadre du contrôle médical périodique, à des sujets pour la fourniture d’un certificat médical requis pour le traitement d’un dossier de visa et à des patients atteints de troubles gastro-intestinaux ont été examinés. À côté des selles humaines, des échantillons d’animaux, dont 10 volailles, 2 bovins et 2 murins ont été examinés. Toutes les selles ont été soumises à un examen microscopique direct complété par des techniques de concentration et une coloration de Ziehl Neelsen modifiée. La caractérisation moléculaire de 39 isolats humains et 14 d’origine animale a été réalisée par le séquençage et les séquences obtenues comparées à celles disponibles auprès de GenBank. Le séquençage n’a été contributif que pour 30 souches humaines et 9 souches animales.RésultatsSur l’ensemble des échantillons humain examinés, 284 étaient positifs (15,19 %) avec une prévalence de 7,38 % pour le Blastocystis. Parmi les 30 souches ayant fait l’objet d’une caractérisation moléculaire, le ST3 était prédominant (15/30, 50 %) suivi de ST1 (10/30, 33,33 %) et en troisième position le ST2 (4/30, 13,33 %). Le ST4 n’a été identifié que chez un seul patient (1/30, 3,33 %). La corrélation entre le statut clinique et le sous-type de Blastocystis identifié a montré que le nombre de ST3 était élevé chez les sujets asymptomatiques (11/15, 73 %) comparativement aux sujets symptomatiques (4/15, 26,66 %), de même pour le sous-type ST1 (7/10, 70 % versus 3/10, 30 %). À l’inverse, le nombre de ST2 était plus élevé chez les sujets présentant des troubles gastro-intestinaux (3/4, 75 %). À côté des souches humaines nous avons génotypé 7 souches aviaires, 2 souches murines et 2 souches bovines. La caractérisation des souches aviaires a révélé 5 ST6 (71,42 %) et 2 ST7 (28, 57 %). Les souches murines et bovines sont identifiées en tant que ST7 et ST6 respectivement.

The relationships between institutionalization and dual commitment: A study on hotel kitchen employees

Long-termed continuance of employees in hotel enterprises, especially in kitchen department where standard production is of utmost importance, is critical for organizational success. At this point, how institutionalization, a phenomenon that is usually associated with standardization, effects the organizational commitment (OC) is an important question. Another important question is how commitment to an impressive supervisor such as the chef mediates the relationship between institutionalization and OC in institutionalized hotels where standards become important instead of personal approaches. In this context, the relationship between institutionalization, OC, and commitment to the supervisor (CS), which has not been studied before, has been examined within the framework of hotel businesses. The data were collected with an online survey. The sample consisted of the kitchen staff of a national hotel chain in Turkey. The findings demonstrated that the effects of institutionalization on OC and CS were significant. CS partially mediates the relationship between institutionalization and OC. When considered within the scope of the dimensions, the CS has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between cultural power and all three dimensions of OC (affective, continuance, normative). The effect of formalization and professionalization on affective and normative commitment is partially mediated by CS.

Opinions of Kitchen Workers on Industrial Kitchen Planning

ABSTRACT This study intends to reveal the opinions of kitchen staff on industrial kitchen planning, and survey technique, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was used at the stage of data collection. In this direction, descriptive analyses (frequency, arithmetic mean, standard deviation), Mann-Whitney U test -for the comparison of two groups-, and Kruskal–Wallis test -for the comparison of more than two groups- were applied on the data obtained from 354 kitchen staff working in five-star hotels operating in Istanbul. Statistical significance level was determined as p < .05 in all the analyses. When the findings obtained from the analyses were examined, no statistically significant difference was found among kitchen staff’s genders, ages and terms of employment and their opinions on industrial kitchen planning (p > .05). It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference among the kitchen staff’s educational status and industrial kitchen experience and their opinions on industrial kitchen planning (p < .05).

In-house responses and anxiety levels of commercial kitchen employees towards new COVID 19 food safety regulations

ABSTRACT The development of COVID-19 into a global epidemic has made it necessary to regulate foodservice practices to minimize the risk of transmission. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effects of awareness, perception, and anxiety levels of kitchen staff on attitudes toward the implementation of new practices regarding novel COVID-19 regulations. Empirical data were collected from 721 kitchen staff working at certified food and beverage establishments, hotels, and restaurants in Turkey. The study results indicated a negative correlation between attitude toward application and anxiety and a positive correlation between awareness and attitude. Significant differences were also detected in the dimensions of awareness, perception, anxiety, and attitude regarding the demographic features of the participants. Kitchens are the nerve center of the foodservice industry. The study extends the value of the in-house (kitchen) responses to improve the food handling practices in commercial kitchens regarding the implementation of new COVID-19 regulations.

Do professional courses prepare hospitality students for efficient surplus food management? A self-evaluation of professional competence in food waste prevention

PurposeThis study aims to examine Taiwanese hospitality students’ self-reported professional competence in surplus food management and assess the usefulness of their university training in this area. Using the importance-performance analysis (IPA) method, it is possible to obtain a clearer understanding of the priority order of the items that require improvement and to identify which surplus food management competence items should be strengthened in the school curriculum and which items should be enhanced by the students.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the questionnaire survey method. It evaluated seven dimensions covering 29 items related to surplus food management competencies of the kitchen staff. The evaluation was done using IPA to determine the relationship between professional competence (performance level) and courses provided (importance level). The factor coordinates were completed according to the means of personal qualifications and courses provided.FindingsAccording to students’ self-assessment, the dimensions of “Personal moral attitude,” “Food handling attitude,” “Education and training attitude” and “Culinary knowledge” were located in the “Keep up the good work” quadrant, meaning that the students think that their surplus food management competence is relatively high and the courses provided are sufficient. Thus, these items have better performance at the present and they hope to maintain the status. However, “Menu analysis” and “Sanitation knowledge” were found to have low importance and low level of performance. Therefore, these two dimensions require attention in the course design and educational training.Research limitations/implicationsThe questionnaire responses were self-reported; this study assumed that all participants answered honestly. Future studies may include additional factors in the analysis, such as hospitality management, culinary skills, internship experience and work time that may affect the perceptions of students. Moreover, professional chefs could be surveyed to determine their professional competence and training needs.Originality/valueThe professional training that students receive determines, to a large extent, their performance in their jobs and the resulting stability of their employment. Therefore, improved competence gained through good-quality training can help students meet the demands of the hospitality industry.

An Evaluation of Texture-Modified Diets Compliant with the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative in Aged-Care Facilities Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Texture-modified diets (TMDs) are commonly prescribed for older adults with swallowing difficulties to improve swallowing safety. The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI) provides a framework for terminology, definitions and testing of TMDs. This observational mixed-method study used the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) to establish the barriers and enablers to IDDSI adoption in aged-care facilities (ACFs). Five New Zealand ACFs who had adopted IDDSI > 12months previously were recruited. Evaluation tools were developed based on CFIR constructs, integrating data from (i) mealtime observations; (ii) manager interviews and (iii) staff (nursing, carers and kitchen) self-administrated surveys. All facility and kitchen managers were IDDSI aware and had access to online resources. Three sites had changed to commercially compliant products post-IDDSI adoption, which had cost implications. Awareness of IDDSI amongst staff ranged from 5 to 79% and < 50% of staff surveyed felt sufficiently trained. Awareness was greater in large sites and where IDDSI was mandated by head office. Managers had not mandated auditing and they felt this had led to reduced perceived importance. Managers felt staff required more training and staff wanted more training, believing it would improve food safety and quality of care. Lack of a dedicated project leader and no speech pathologist on-site were perceived barriers. Collaboration between healthcare assistants, kitchen staff and allied health assisted implementation. ACF staff were aware of IDDSI but staff awareness was low. Using the CFIR, site specific and generic barriers and enablers were identified to improve future implementation effectiveness. Managers and staff want access to regular training. Multidisciplinary collaboration and improving communication are essential. ACFs should consider TMD auditing regularly. Successful implementation of IDDSI allows improvement of quality of care and patient safety but requires a systematic, site-specific implementation plan.

Migrant Cuisine, Cookshops and Elite Catering: Eating Out in Metropolitan Amsterdam (1650-1815)

The Dutch Republic (1588-1795) is not well known for its cuisine. On the contrary, historians mock the primitive dishes, combined with excessive drinking, smoking and other bad habits. Yet some contemporary travellers paint a more positive picture. New research confirms that Amsterdam, the Dutch metropole, offered plenty culinary experiences. Up-market establishments - like the Garnalendoelen - catered for the ruling class, yet ordinary people such as foreign students and local artisans were also welcome. At the bottom of the market, gaarkeukens provided a hungry crowd with cheap freshly baked snacks. Between these two extremes, innkeepers and their kitchen staff cooked set menus for fixed prices as well as expensive delicacies, served at flexible dinner times. A number of French chefs - Protestant as well as Catholic - served the acclaimed cuisine of their homeland. The distinction of these early eateries with the modern restaurant is therefore often exaggerated: Amsterdam inns already offered separate tables, private cabins and flexible dinner times. During the Batavian-French era (1795-1813), innovative proprietors also introduced printed menu cards, longer opening hours, individual portions and more exquisite dishes.

Behavior monitoring model of kitchen staff based on YOLOv5l and DeepSort techniques

Although the monitoring system has been widely used, the actual monitoring task still needs more manpower to complete. This paper takes yolov5l model and deep sort algorithm as the basic framework to identify and track the staff in kitchen environment. We apply a relation construction with detected items and people, then label the relation corresponding to behaviors violate the regulations of kitchen, such as the staff did not wear mask or hat. We train our model and the experimental results show that the model can correctly identify the inappropriate behaviors of staff. The model achieves the time-constrained accuracy of 95.32% in identifying whether the staff wear a hat or not, and the time-constrained accuracy of 96.32% in identifying whether the staff wear mask correctly. The result shows that the proposed model could fulfil monitoring task in this kitchen environment.

The Evaluation of Food Allergy Knowledge and Attitudes of Hotel Service and Kitchen Staff in İzmir

The Evaluation of Food Allergy Knowledge and Attitudes of Hotel Service and Kitchen Staff in İzmir

Research of the internal environment of the military camp buildings

One of the key tasks of this research work is to assess the carbon dioxide (CO₂) pollution in the resting areas of military camps under the current deployment conditions and to assess its impact on soldiers. In the process, the environmental impacts that affect the CO₂ concentration were researched in different rooms in different ways. In addition to the rest areas of a military camp, enumerating the major camp facilities that affect the “welfare” feeling of soldiers on foreign mission, we arrived at the kitchen complex and the work environment of the kitchen staff. One of the key parts of the camp kitchen complex is the food storage, where the raw materials needed for the supply are stored. Storage is very important in a crisis situation, when you have to be prepared to stay away from the homeland, to prevent any supply or procurement problems. A particularly important task in providing food raw materials is the so-called "Fresh" storage. The aim of the paper is to examine the changes in the CO₂ concentration of the camp storage room, which is of key importance in food supply, in the vegetable (fruit) storage places. By modeling at a measurement site set up in the laboratory of the host institution, we measure the CO₂ composition of the indoor air in the warehouse by placing various vegetables and fruits. The change of CO₂ concentration is examined separately for certain types of vegetables and fruits stored in closed storage rooms, taking into account the degree of effective storage capacity and determine the required fresh air value to ensure proper storage conditions. Finally, a mathematical model to simulate changes in storage conditions will be created, which offer help to plan of the military camp.

How Socio-Technical Factors Can Undermine Expectations of Human-Robot Cooperation in Hospitals.

This research analysed human-robot cooperation and interaction in the basement of a Danish hospital, where kitchen staff and porters conducted their daily routines in an environment shared with mobile service robots. The robots were installed to ease the everyday routines of kitchen staff and carry out physically demanding tasks, such as transporting heavy cargo between destinations in the hospital basement. The cooperation and interaction were studied through ethnographic inspired fieldwork and the results highlighted how robots affect the real-life environments into which they are gradually moving. The analysis revealed how the great human expectations of robots clashed with reality and identified three key elements that influence human-robot cooperation in hospitals: 1) environmental factors, 2) behavioural factors and 3) factors related to human reliance on robots. We emphasise the importance of considering socio-technical factors when deploying robots to cooperate with humans in hospital environments.

Behavioural adaptation: A review of adaptation to workplace heat exposure of kitchen workers with reference to gender differences in Durban

The article examines the gender disparities as women are at a greater risk to exertional heat illness that may go unreported in the industry, according to several reports. It is important to study the behavioural heat adaptations and prevalent behaviours for workers in order to understand the magnitude of the danger they face. Cooking is considered a safe occupation, but hazards certainly do exist and can represent a risk to the health and safety of the workers. Controls can be established to reduce the risk of illness. To attract and retain workers, the food service business must provide a good quality of life.Contribution: The study suggests how female workers in the catering establishments can adjust their behaviour to improve their experience at work. Are women more vulnerable to environmental parameters? Christian theology provides women equal status with men (Kategile 2020), however there are traces of androcentric aspects within the Bible. Women’s involvement in development is based on the theological premise that true development must have a holistic approach towards human development (Onwunta 2009). However, Sibani (2017) stated that the role of God or a creator of a religion, is always taken by a male and a woman’s place is in the household. The article conducts a comprehensive analysis of the literature on the various behavioural adaptation mechanisms used by kitchen staff to cope with heat exposure at work. Thermal tolerance variations are becoming more pronounced because of ethnicity and cultural differences. Health interventions and enhanced work performance are important objectives of workplace safety. Regulated heat in the workplace can be factored into the theory concerning the relationship between gender differences and contextual components. This would increase female food service workers’ understanding of thermal comfort, which is beneficial to productivity efficiency, worker satisfaction and well-being of workers.

Bringing fruity meat dishes of Ottoman cuisine into businesses

Aim of this research is to promote the inclusion of traditional Ottoman fruity meat dishes into business. Chefs working in various food establishments in Eskisehir were given training on fruity meat dishes for a total of 40 h in 10 training segments. Interviews were conducted, analyzed and evaluated in terms of the themes. The inclusion of fruity meat dishes of Ottoman cuisine in businesses would pose no difficulty at any stage of preliminary preparation, cooking, or budgeting. The inclusion of these dishes in the fast-breaking menu during the Ramadan and making small adjustments in accordance with customer feedback would help include these meals. During this study, the kitchen staff gained insight regarding Ottoman cuisine, they became more adept at implementing fruity meat techniques, and the business managers and owners showed much care and support toward upholding of Ottoman ethnic foods. Recognizing the growing demand for ethnic food, fruity meat dishes of Ottoman cuisine is been brought into businesses.