Safe Food Handling Practices Research Articles

Conhecimento e boas práticas de manipulação de produtos de origem animal no ambiente domiciliar

Abstract Good food handling practices should be adopted in the home setting, as inadequate practices could lead to the outbreak of foodborne illnesses. The aim of the present study was to investigate knowledge and good food handling practices for products of animal origin by consumers in the home setting and test associations with the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents. A questionnaire was answered by a non-probabilistic sample. The questionnaire was available online on free access digital platforms for seven days and was used to collect information on the gender, age, income, and schooling of the respondents as well as safe food handling practices in the home setting. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and the chi-square test to compare the frequencies of the answers per category. A total of 666 responses were obtained. Most respondents were women, had a university/college education, were between 30 and 59 years of age, and had an income of more than four times the monthly minimum wage. The majority of respondents reported positive practices and attitudes regarding food handling in the home setting; 99.5% washed their hands prior to handling food, 89% performed the cooking of animal products and 85.6% washed the cutting surface after cutting each food. Associations were found between some attitudes reported by consumers and the categories of gender, age, schooling, and income (p ≤ 0.05). Women had more good food handling practices compared to men. The results suggest that most respondents practiced good food handling practices. Safe practices were related to the level of schooling, monthly income and age of the participants.

A Systematic Review on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) of Food Safety among School Children: A Global Perspective

Worldwide there are lack of studies demonstrating the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) about food safety and hygiene, among school children. Thus, this systematic review is an attempt to summarize the findings in previous literature about food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices among school children, in a specific time period, to get an overview of the topic. This review was performed according to PRISMA protocol. Three main international databases (Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus) were used for the search of the articles, and only the journal articles published from 2010 to 2020 were considered. Of the 102 articles referred, only 10 original research studies were selected based on the criteria for inclusion and exclusion. Only 2 out of 10 studies pointedout significant correlations between the school children’s food safety knowledge, practices and attitudes. In addition, 1 out of 10 studies demonstrated significant associations between common demographics (academic performance of the children, the type of school, the area of residence, the habit of smoking and alcohol consumption and the educational background of the parents) and food safety knowledge among children. Furthermore, 8 out of 10 studies reported students to possess a poor or average knowledge of food safety while the rest of the studies showed students to possess good knowledge regarding food safety. Only 3 out of 10 studiesrevealed students to be engaged in safe food handling practices. It can be concluded that the assessment of food safety knowledge, attitude and practice as the most productive initiative to comprehend food safety-related insights among school children. Furthermore, this review highlights the fundamental requirement to improve children’s food safety knowledge and practices through proper education.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in restaurants that serve undercooked burgers in Hong Kong: A mixed methods study

“Gourmet-style” burger restaurants have become increasingly popular in Hong Kong in recent years. These restaurants' practice of undercooking beef patties for desired juiciness may result in foodborne illness. This study examined food handlers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding beef burger preparation at food premises using a two-phase mixed methods approach. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was applied to examine food handlers' perceptions of risk, severity, barriers, and benefits associated with cooking burgers thoroughly. The telephone survey (n = 1025) showed that higher-priced beef burger restaurants were more likely to serve undercooked burgers (p < 0.00001). Face-to-face interviews and observations of restaurants that served undercooked burgers (n = 24) found that most food handlers were unfamiliar with the safe internal temperature-time combinations and did not use a thermometer to verify doneness. Around 17% of the reportedly well done burgers were undercooked, posing an uninformed risk to consumers who ate undercooked burgers without being told beforehand. The HBM analysis revealed that food handlers were not keen on cooking burger thoroughly. Despite the lack of knowledge (e.g., not knowing the risk of eating undercooked minced meat) and high-risk practices (e.g., thawing frozen meat at room temperature) found among some food handlers, they were confident in their ability to properly prepare food. This study suggests that efforts should be made to promote safe food handling practices and stress the importance of using thermometers for food handlers.

Food Handling Practices for Apple Drying in Home Kitchens in the United States: A Survey

Fruit drying has traditionally received little food safety attention in spite of Salmonella outbreaks and recalls involving low-moisture foods. This study was conducted to assess the food safety implications during the home drying process, with dried apples as an example. A cohort of home apple dryers (n = 979) participated in an online survey through Qualtrics XM in May 2021. The results showed that participants' knowledge of safe food handling practices regarding dried fruit was low. On average, participants used only 8 of 18 identified food safety practices during apple drying. The survey revealed inadequate frequency of hand washing during apple preparation, potential points of cross-contamination from kitchen tools, lack of hurdle technology without a pretreatment step, failure to incorporate a thermal kill step during drying, and a lack of objective measurements to ensure that target parameters are attained. Participants mainly pretreated apples for sensory improvement instead of microbial reduction. When presented with some benefits of pretreatment, participants who did not pretreat their apples considered doing so to kill bacteria. The use of safe food handling practices differed within demographic groups. Participants 18 to 39 years old (mean = 7.47; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.26, 7.67) and 40 to 59 years old (mean = 7.43; 95% CI = 7.16, 7.70) reported using fewer safe practices than did those >60 years old (mean = 8.49; 95% CI = 8.22, 8.75), and participants who identified as male (mean = 7.38; 95% CI = 7.16, 7.60) reported using fewer safe practices than did those identifying as female (mean = 7.92; 95% CI = 7.74, 8.11). The findings of this study provide food handling data to support the development of more accurate food safety risk assessment models and to guide the development of food safety education for consumers who dehydrate produce in the home.

Volunteer Food Handlers’ Safety Knowledge and Practices in Implementing National School Nutrition Programme in Gauteng North District, South Africa

Volunteer food handlers (VFHs) working in school feeding programmes contribute immensely to the safety of food served to the school learners. However, their level of knowledge and practice of safe food handling is questionable. This study investigated food safety knowledge and practices of VFHs working for the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in Gauteng North District, South Africa. This was a descriptive quantitative study in which data were obtained using a standard structured questionnaire. A total of 115 VFHs participated in the study. Most of the VFHs (n = 84, 73.0%) had secondary education with working experience of between 1 to 12 months. Although a high level of knowledge on food safety was demonstrated by the VFHs, this did not fully translate into safe food handling practices. The new VFH recruits were 66% more likely to wear protective clothing than the rest (OR: 0.34, 95%CI: 0.12–0.91, p = 0.033). Women were 90% more likely to wear aprons than men (OR = 0.11; 95 CI: 0.03–0.45; p = 0.002). In this study, VFHs demonstrated adequate levels of knowledge on food safety. Lack of facilities contributed to VFH non-compliance to safe food handling practices. Thus, there is a need to further support VFHs to comply with recommended safe food handling practices.

Factors affecting consumers’ food safety behavior in Vietnam

To improve food safety interventions and policy actions, it is important to investigate factors that affect the food safety behavior of consumers in the domestic environment. This study is the result of a combination of two other studies. The Expert Study applied the Delphi method to organize responses and opinions of food safety experts in Vietnam to investigate critical factors affecting food safety behavior. The Disadvantaged People Study was implemented to investigate potential factors from the perspectives of disadvantaged people preparing meals for their families or feeding themselves. The final set of factors was compiled when both studies had been completed, and includes demographic factors, motivation factors (knowledge about causes of food-borne illness and safe food handling practices; perceived risk of food-borne illness and safe food handling practices), enabling factors (being informed with food safety guidance; availability of appropriate tools, space, and resources; and lifestyle), and maintaining factors (habits and heuristics; food preferences; and societal and social influences). Efforts to improve consumers’ food safety behavior should pay more attention to contextual factors to be in line with local norms, and address various factors preventing food-borne diseases in the domestic environment.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Food Poisoning among Pre-School Food Handlers in Kelantan, Malaysia

A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) on food poisoning among 191 food handlers in pre-schools in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia using purposive sampling. The main instrument was a validated Malay self-administered questionnaire on food poisoning and data was analysed using univariate and multivariate analysis. The respondents had moderate knowledge (69.6 ±9.59), a positive attitude (86.2 ± 9.38), and good practice (84.9 ± 7.34). A slightly significant correlation was found between the score of knowledge and attitude (p=0.05, r=0.203). Age, educational level, and year of employment did not influence the KAP score on food poisoning (p>0.05). Even though training and education are essential in supplying the knowledge, however, it does not automatically translate to safe food handling practices. Therefore, continuous education and training should be organized to strengthen food handlers’ knowledge and attitude in areas that seem to be lacking.

Survey of Consumers’ Knowledge of Food Safety of Perishable Foods Purchased at Local Farmers’ Markets

This study was conducted to determine the knowledge and practices of consumers who frequent local farmers’ markets (FMs). A total of 270 consumers at six FMs in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan were interviewed. Eleven questions were asked in face-to-face interviews or by self-reported questionnaire. Questions covered basic information, purchasing frequency, food handling practices, food safety concerns, and food safety responsibilities. Data from surveys were analyzed using chi-square tests for significant differences in responses (P = 0.05). Results revealed that 24.3 to 34.7% of participants purchased fresh vegetables and fruits once every week per season. Most participants (93.5 to 97.5%, P &lt; 0.05) thought “availability,” “freshness,” and “flavor and taste” were “very” to “extremely important” in their decision regarding which perishable foods to purchase. More than 80% of participants reported that they always washed their hands and produce before preparing foods at home. Fewer than 50% of the participants reported refrigerating their purchased foods within 30 min. Most of the participants (&gt;85%) never checked the thermometer of the vendor’s booth. Over half of the participants (64.8%) believed that farmers and vendors should take the greatest responsibility for the microbial safety of products at FMs. These results emphasized the need for consumer education regarding safe food handling practices at FMs, especially temperature control of perishable foods.

Food Handling and Personal Hygiene Practices among Momo Vendors in Jaipur City, Rajasthan

Street food is ready to eat food, easily available, and offers a lot of varied choices, supporting different sections of society differently. Along with numerous benefits, street food poses a great threat to public health in which street food vendors are major culprits. Vendors are often less educated and do not follow proper hygiene and safety practices. The present study was conducted to assess the hygiene and food handling practices of 100 momo vendors from five street food vending hubs of Jaipur city and to create awareness regarding safe food handling practices. A pretested questionnaire was used to collect data from them. Almost all the vendors served food with bare hands and without wearing apron. Majority (65%) of vendors did not keep raw and cooked food separate and non-food items were stored along with food supplies. In 37% of vending sites, flies were seen harboring in the vicinity of the vending units. Presence of pests such as cockroaches, ants, and rats was observed around 18% vending outlets. Vendors often follow a low level of personal hygiene practices. There is a need to regulate these vendors with mandatory training and certification. Collective efforts of both vendors and official authorities are required to bring the changes.

Food safety practice and associated factors in public food establishments of Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BackgroundIn terms of global impact, foodborne infections have been likened to major infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, with 1 in 10 people becoming ill and 420,000 deaths per year. A large number of these incidents are caused by improperly handled food in foodservice establishments. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the proportion of food handlers in Ethiopian commercial food service establishments who have safe food handling practices and their associated factors.MethodsStudies conducted before 02-05-2022 were explored in PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and Ovid MEDLINE®, as well as other sources. A total of fourteen studies were included in the final synthesis. Data were extracted using a standardized data extraction format prepared in Microsoft excel and the analysis was done using STATA 16 statistical software. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s Critical assessment checklist for prevalence studies. To evaluate publication bias, a funnel plot and Egger’s regression test were employed. The I2 statistic was calculated to examine for study heterogeneity. To assess the pooled effect size, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals across studies, the DerSimonian and Laird random-effects model was used. Subgroup analysis was conducted by region and publication year. The influence of a single study on the whole estimate was determined via sensitivity analysis.ResultsOf 323 identified articles, 14 studies were eligible for analysis (n = 4849 participants). The pooled prevalence estimate of safe food handling practices among Ethiopian food handlers was 47.14% (95% CI: 39.01–55.26, I2 = 97.23%). Foodservice training (OR, 3.89; 95% CI: 2.37–5.40), having on-site water storage facilities (OR, 4.65; 95% CI: 2.35–6.95), attitude (OR, 4.89; 95% CI: 1.39–8.29), hygiene and sanitary inspection certification (OR, 3.08; 95% CI: 1.62–4.45) were significantly associated with safe food handling practice among food handlers.ConclusionThis review identified that improvements are needed in food handling training, government regulation, and infrastructure. Standard regulations for food service enterprises must be implemented on a local and national level. Though long-term food safety requires legislation and training, failure to address infrastructure challenges can harm public health efforts. Access to safe drinking water and the presence of sanitary waste management systems should all be part of the basic infrastructure for ensuring the safety of food in food businesses.

Food safety knowledge and changes in practices and concerns of Indian families during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeUnsafe food can lead to various foodborne diseases and even death, especially among children. This paper aims to assess food safety knowledge and changes in practices and concerns among adults ≥ 18 years during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among 325 adults living in Northern India. Demographic data and information regarding their knowledge, practices and concerns about various food safety issues were collected to see if there were any changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsThe results showed that the participants had slightly higher than average knowledge and good food safety practices with mean scores of 9.75 ± 2.23 and 24.87 ± 2.28, respectively. Contracting COVID-19 from food and food packaging materials was of high concern for more than 70% of the participants. Majority (> 80%) of them reported an increase in the frequency of handwashing. About 16% of the participants used chemical disinfectants for washing fruits and vegetables. An increase (57.5%) in the frequency of food label reading was also noted during the pandemic. Freshness and the general quality of food items (49.5%), safety of food (30.8%) and cost (18.2%) were the top drivers that influenced the purchase decision.Originality/valueThis study highlighted the need to send out clear messages on safe food handling practices and keeping the tempo up for sustaining good hygienic practices. This will help in reducing the risk of foodborne diseases.

Development of a safe food handling knowledge questionnaire: psychometric properties and acceptability among consumers

PurposeFoodborne illness remains high globally, with the majority of cases occurring in the domestic environment. Research in the safe food-handling domain is limited by the absence of an up-to-date and suitable measure of safe food-handling knowledge for use among consumers, with previous measures limited by questionnaire design features that increase participant burden and burnout and a lack of alignment with current safe food-handling guidelines. The purpose of this study is to develop a safe food-handling knowledge measure to capture a comprehensive understanding of consumers’ safe food-handling knowledge while minimising participant burden and burnout.Design/methodology/approachItems were developed and evaluated prior to administering them to participants. Data was collected among 277 participants who completed the measure online.FindingsResults indicated that the measure had good acceptability among participants in the sample (mean = 5.44, SD = 0.77, range = 2.42–7) and that the measure had acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.60), item discrimination and item difficulty. These findings suggest that the safe food-handling knowledge measure would be suitable for use in future studies examining consumer safe food-handling.Originality/valueThis study provides an updated, acceptable and suitable safe food-handling knowledge measure for use among consumers to better understand consumers’ understanding of safe food-handling practices. Use of this measure in future research can improve the measurement of consumer safe food-handling knowledge to allow for better tailoring of future interventions and health campaigns for safe food-handling among consumers.

Development, Validation, and Testing of a Self-Assessment Tool to Measure Food Safety Beliefs, Attitudes, and Behaviors in Health Care Food Service Operations

The neutropenic diet has long been a dietary prescription for immunocompromised patients. However, its effectiveness and consistency have been constantly challenged. Researchers and health care policymakers call for liberalization of the neutropenic diet, which shifts risk management strategies from excluding "high-risk" food items to focus on safe food handling. The responsibility of food safety falls on food service workers in a health care setting. The objective of the present study was to develop and conduct psychometric testing to determine the validity and reliability of a self-assessment survey instrument tool targeting beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of health care food service workers regarding safe food handling practices. This survey validation study was conducted in four phases. First, the tool was developed based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. After the initial draft, the survey was tested to establish face validity and test-retest reliability to measure temporal stability. The 40-item survey was then pilot tested to assess internal consistency and construct validity. Pilot testing was conducted over a 16-month period on 211 health care food service workers across six acute care hospitals that serve immunocompromised people. The original survey comprised 46 items. Six items were removed due to low content validity scores and temporal instability. Pilot testing revealed acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79). The linear regression model was a good fit (P ≤ 0.0001) after assumptions were tested and met to predict behavior from attitude. A reliable and valid self-assessment survey instrument tool was developed for use in a health care food service operation. Results of this tool can help organizations pinpoint areas in which they can improve food safety practices of food service workers who serve immunocompromised people.

Food Handling Concerns and Practices at Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic by Food Security Status

There is limited examination about coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19)-related food handling concerns and practices that cause chemical or microbial contamination and illness, particularly among those with food insecurity. We investigated consumer food handling concerns and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether they differed by food insecurity status. An online survey was distributed among Chicago, IL, residents between 15 July and 21 August 2020 (n = 437). Independent t tests and Fisher's exact tests were used to identify differences in food handling concerns and practices between those with and without food insecurity (alpha = 0.05). Survey items included questions about food handling practices that were considered safe or neutral (i.e., washing hands and produce with water, sanitizing food packaging) and unsafe (i.e., using cleaning agents to wash foods, leaving perishable foods outside) by using 5-point Likert-style scales or categorical responses (i.e., yes, no). Participant responses fell between "slightly" and "somewhat" concerned about contracting COVID-19 from food and food packaging (mean ± standard error [SE]: 2.7 ± 0.1). Although participants reported washing their hands before eating and before preparing foods at least "most of the time" (mean ± SE: 4.4 ± 0.0 and 4.5 ± 0.0, respectively), only one-third engaged in unsafe practices. The majority of participants (68%) indicated that they altered food handling practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic and received information about food safety from social media (61%). When investigating differences in concerns and practices by food insecurity status, food insecure participants were more concerned about COVID-19 foodborne transmission for all food items (all P < 0.001) and more frequently performed unsafe food handling practices than those with food security (all P < 0.001). Results from this study suggest more investigation is needed to understand barriers to safe food handling knowledge and practices, particularly among those with food insecurity.

Effect of food safety and hygiene training on KAP score among food handlers in multiple food service institution, Pakistan

Food safety is an assurance that foodstuff which is consumed are safe to human health. Insufficient practices and absence of knowledge among food handlers are contributing factors for the spread of foodborne diseases. To evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning food safety issues among food handlers in multiple food service area’s by conducting face to face interviews and administrating structured questionnaire. A cross sectional analytical study was conducted among 72 food handlers by using purposeful sampling technique. The study demonstrated that the positive association was found between working experience, formal training with knowledge, attitude and practices towards food safety and disease control measures (p &lt; 0.05). The mean percentage of pre training KAP and observed practices scores were 75.8 and 13.7 while Post training KAP were 95.9 and 16.8 respectively. Food handlers have adequate knowledge regarding the basic food hygiene but needs improvement in HACCP (critical temperatures of hot or cold ready-to-eat foods, time temperature control of food and cross-contamination etc). There is an immediate need for periodic education and increasing awareness regarding safe food handling practices. Verdicts from this study gives a vision for better food sanitation practices and influence all food service institutions to follow HACCP practices.

Understanding Domestic Food Safety: An Investigation into Self-Reported Food Safety Practice and Associated Factors in Southern Ethiopian Households.

Background:According to available studies, 12%-20% of reported foodborne outbreaks start in the household. It is projected that 1 out of every 10 persons will become ill as a result of consuming tainted food. Poor food handling practices cause 600 million foodborne illnesses each year. In a given year, this leads to 420 000 deaths. In Ethiopia, there is a scarcity of studies on home-food-safety practices and the factors that affect them. This has resulted in a shortage of relevant information on the status of home-food-related illnesses in the country.Methods:A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from May to June 23, 2021. A standardized and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data from 622 households. The total plate count method was used to analyze bacteria on cleaned plates. Epi data version 3.1 was used to enter data, while SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression were used to characterize the data and identify factors associated with food safety practices.Result:51.1% of the study participants had a safe food handling practice. The mean total plate count was 2.34 CFU/cm2. In the multivariable regression, Household wealth (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI [1.01-3.16]), Education (AOR = 3.33, 95% CI [1.41-6.31]), Training (AOR = 2.85, 95% CI: [1.31–3.19]), Knowledge of safe practices (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI [1.23-3.08], and Attitude (AOR = 2.04, 95% CI [1.09, 3.82]) were associated with safe food handling practices.Conclusion:Although data gathering systems for food-borne diseases typically overlook a large number of home-based outbreaks of sporadic infection, it is now widely understood that many episodes of food-borne sicknesses are caused by individuals’ inappropriate food handling and preparation in their kitchens. In the current study, educational status, household wealth, food safety training, attitude, and knowledge about FBDs were found to be strongly associated with safe practices. This implies that public education is a key factor in improving food safety practices at home.

Autopsy in a Suspected Case of Food Poisoning - Approach and Challenges

Food poisoning outbreaks are very common place world over. These epidemics are however preventable to some extent by safe food handling practices. The major reason for such mishaps in rural parts of our country is illiteracy and poverty among the masses. In this article, we report an outbreak of food poisoning and also describe our approach towards conducting autopsy of index case in the same suspected food poisoning epidemic. Investigating food poisoning epidemics are fraught with several challenges for the clinician, microbiologist and the pathologist in resource limited settings. Autopsy in these cases of food poisoning generally involves carrying out several ancillary investigations which demand a very high discipline during sampling at autopsy, transportation of specimens to the laboratory and also during the actual analysis. A note was also made at the end of this case report regarding an appropriate approach of a Forensic pathologist towards food poisoning deaths.

Raw Meat–Based Pet Feeding and Food Safety: Netnography Study of Pet Owner Comments and Review of Manufacturers' Information Provision

Feeding raw meat to domestic pets is a popular practice. Because of the potential food safety implications associated with handling raw meat, concerns about pet owner health have increased. For this study, a netnographic content analysis approach was used to analyze posts from Pet Forums Community online archives related to raw meat-based feeding and food safety (n = 308). United Kingdom manufacturer and supplier Web sites (n = 33) were reviewed for provision of food safety information related to raw meat-based pet feeding. The data were analyzed using a qualitative thematic approach and quantitative methods. Pet owner forum comments indicated potential malpractices and indifference toward possible food safety hazards when preparing raw meat-based pet food. Many were risk aware but indicated confusion regarding appropriate food safety practices. Although emotional concern about the safety of pets and children was expressed, contracting a foodborne disease was not perceived as a personal risk. In addition, the review identified that most (61%) manufacturer and supplier Web sites failed to provide food safety instructions or warnings to pet owners regarding raw meat-based pet food. Information was inconsistent and varied across sources. The most comprehensive sources of information were provided by manufacturers approved by the United Kingdom Pet Food Manufacturers' Association. This is the first netnography study to explore pet owner online reports and the provision of food safety information related to raw pet feeding. Findings suggest pet owners may not fully appreciate the potential risks associated with raw meat-based pet feeding. Consequently, there is a need for credible and consistent strategies to inform pet owners about potential implications associated with feeding raw meat to pets, as well as about safe food handling practices.

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.

Behavioral predictors of household food-safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: Extending the theory of planned behavior.

The epidemiological scenario of COVID-19, social distancing, and business restrictions has increased food preparation and consumption at home. Food mishandling at home can significantly raise the risk of foodborne diseases. This study investigates food-mishandling behavior predictors by applying the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), with the addition of knowledge and risk perception, to households during the COVID-19 pandemic. One thousand and sixty-eight consumers (n = 1068) in Brazil participated in this study before the COVID-19 vaccination period. Data were collected using an online questionnaire with 40 questions and different anchors; they were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The following original TPB factors positively affected the intention to implement safe food-handling practices: attitude (p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (p < 0.001), and subjective norms (p < 0.001). More robust effects of attitude and perceived behavioral control on intention were also observed. Although food-safety knowledge did not affect intention (p = 0.30), it positively affected the other TPB factors. Perceived risk positively affected all TPB factors. The results of this study support the usefulness of TPB and its extension, providing evidence that public-health crises can contribute to changes in food-safety-related consumer behavior.