Evaluation of basic knowledge on food safety and food handling practices amongst migrant food handlers in Peninsular Malaysia

This study was aimed to measure the basic knowledge on food safety and food handling practices among migrant food handlers as these information is scarce in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted face-to-face amongst 383 migrant food handlers from three major cities in Peninsular Malaysia through questionnaire. Socio-demographic information of all respondents was collected. Questions on food safety knowledge (i.e. food cleanliness and hygiene, symptom of foodborne illnesses and foodborne pathogens) and food handling practices were assessed. The compiled data were analyzed by using the Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) 16.0. Overall, migrant food handlers had poor level of knowledge on food safety with an average food handling practice. Significant effects were observed between respondents’ food safety knowledge and socio-demography (country of origin and educational level) and two factors namely; respondents’ nationality and attendance at food training programs showed significant associations with their food handling practices. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that attendance at food training programs was a significant and independent predictor of the respondent’s food handling practice. The study’s findings highlighted issues with regards to the extent of knowledge acquisition on food safety and hygiene by migrant food handlers. Therefore, this warrants improvements not only in the better delivery methods of training modules but also tight enforcement of attendance at the programs by the respective authorities.     

A longitudinal evaluation of food safety knowledge and attitudes among Ontario high school students following a food handler training program

Youth are a unique audience for food safety education, in part due to low food safety knowledge. Although the effectiveness of such education has been explored for primary school and college students, no studies have assessed effectiveness among high school students specifically. We conducted a longitudinal intervention study in Ontario, Canada, between February and May 2015, to measure the baseline food safety knowledge and attitudes of high school students (n = 119; from 8 classes in 4 high schools), and determine whether these factors improved following in-class delivery of a provincial standardized food handler training program. Linear mixed effects regression models were used to model within-student changes in knowledge scores and attitudes over time (i.e., circa 2 and 12 weeks post-intervention), and to investigate associations with student characteristics. At baseline, knowledge and attitudes were poor. Following training, overall knowledge was significantly greater than at baseline, although at three months post-intervention only knowledge of safe times and temperatures for cooking and storing food remained significantly higher than baseline. Following training, students were significantly less interested in learning about how to avoid foodborne disease. Other attitudes, as well as knowledge of cross-contamination prevention and disinfection procedures, remained unchanged. These findings suggest that delivering existing food handler training programs within high schools may be a feasible mechanism for food safety educators to improve students' food safety knowledge, both overall and specific to safe times and temperatures, albeit potentially for short timeframes. Whether knowledge continues to decline beyond three months after training bears further investigation. As well, future research to investigate how students' actual food safety practices may change following such training, and whether improvements in knowledge translate into reduced foodborne disease risk, is warranted.     

Evaluation of food safety training on hygienic conditions in food establishments

Food handlers' training is fundamental in order to ensure the safety of the foodstuff. However, the success of training programs that provide only information is unclear and changes in improper food practices are not usually achieved. Food training programs based on theoretical as well as practical activities have been revealed as an important tool in which food handlers can put information into practice. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the influence of food safety training, based on both theoretical and practical approaches, on the microbiological counts of food contact surfaces, food tools, food equipment surfaces and hand washing in canteens and cafes of one university campus. After food safety training, total plate counts decreased about 60% in the case of canteens and almost 45% in cafes while moulds and yeasts decreased approximately 65% in canteens and 55% in cafes. In terms of location, the microbiological reductions observed were higher for food equipment in canteens and for food tools in cafes. The microbiological counts of food handlers' hands decreased after both food safety training and disinfection. Food safety training influenced the reduction of overall microbiological parameters. Parametric t-tests (after vs before training) indicated that reductions were statistically significant before and after disinfection for total plate counts. The decrease observed for total coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae, were statistically significant only before disinfection. The food safety programs cannot be based entirely on a theoretical approach but also on adequate training which includes a practical approach. The success of the microbiological reductions in the study was associated to the practical lessons which let the handler put into practice the knowledge acquired in the theoretical part.     

Measurement of food safety culture using survey and maturity profiling tools

Organizational culture is defined by dimensions and characteristics that can be used to measure food safety culture in food manufacturing through a food safety maturity model. Maturity models from quality, health care, and information technology have been used since early 1970 and this work presents a novel food safety culture maturity model with five capability areas and food safety pinpointed behaviours specific to functions and levels in a food manufacturing company. A survey tool linked to the model is used to measure a company's position within the maturity model framework. The method was tested with a Canadian food manufacturer and proved valuable to measure food safety culture across the five capability areas, which provides the manufacturer with a map for prioritizing future efforts to strengthen food safety culture.     

Street food on the coast of Salvador,Bahia, Brazil: A study from the socioeconomic and food safety perspectives

Street food includes various food items and drinks largely sold in public places, including leisure areas such as beaches. Despite the prevalence at this activity studies made within this scenario are few. Therefore, this study sought to characterize street food commercialization on the Salvador coast in Bahia, Brazil based on the socioeconomic, labor, and food safety perspectives. An exploratory and quantitative study was conducted on 14 beaches using questionnaires addressing the following areas: the socio-demographic characteristics of the food vendors, characteristics of the work, and hygienic and sanitary conditions of the activity. Our study included 247 food vendors with an average age of 40.3 years, of whom 55.9% were women, and 48.7% had completed an elementary education or less. The median time spent working in street food vending was nine years, and the average working day for the participants was 8.3 Furthermore, 46.2% of the participants worked only on weekends and 72.0% declared that their family income was between one and three times the minimum wage, of whom 29.1% had revenue from a source other than street food vending. Most of the vendor locations were fixed (57.5%), and the products sold were typically obtained from supermarkets (48.1%), suppliers (36.8%), and street markets (36.0%). Prepared food items were the most common (61.6%), although mineral water/soft drinks (35.8%) and beer (35.2%) were also commonly sold items, followed by acarajé (21.9%), coconut water (19.0%), fried fish (14.2%), and abará (12.5%). Only 38.3% of the perishable food items were kept in cooling containers. Of the interviewed individuals, 22.6% declared that they did not sanitize their hands when working, whereas 80.2% admitted to handling food and money simultaneously. Our study reveals the socioeconomic importance of the street food sector as well as the poor hygienic conditions of most street food vendor operations.     

Knowledge,attitudes and practices of food handlers on food safety in food service operations at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of food handlers in food service operation at the main campus of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) regarding food safety. Data were collected from 112 food handlers through questionnaires which consisted of questions about knowledge, attitudes and practices. The results showed that there was significantly positive correlation among the three levels and respondents possess good scores for knowledge (19.68 ± 3.87) about personal hygiene, foodborne diseases and temperature control of food; for attitudes (89.26 ± 8.66) on safe food handling, and for practices (90.02 ± 8.23), specifically for appropriate hand washing, use of gloves in food preparation and prevention of food hazards. About 73.2% of respondents never attend any training related to food safety and majority show poor knowledge of pathogens associated with disease-causing agents as well as critical temperatures for storage of ready-to-eat foods. Therefore, effective and ongoing training on food safety and hygiene must be given to all food service employees to ensure the safety of food provided.     

Knowledge of food safety and food handling practices amongst food handlers in the Republic of Ireland

Food safety concerns have existed for a long time, as millions of people across the globe suffer from food borne disease every year. Contamination of food owing to limited knowledge of food safety practices primarily increases the risk of food borne illnesses. In the present study, quantitative research was carried out to gauge the level of food safety knowledge amongst people living in Ireland. A total of 1069 participants from all over the Republic of Ireland contributed to the survey (of which 821 were included in this research). Results showed that the residents of Ireland overall had an average level on knowledge of food safety practices (67.0% passing rate). They had an average level of knowledge in food storage (52.8% passing rate), usage and maintenance of the kitchen facilities (59.0% passing rate), and personal hygiene (61.0% passing rate). Conversely, they had a critically low level of knowledge in food handling (10.8% passing rate) and food poisoning (20.1% passing rate). The results of the present study also showed that, the level of knowledge of food safety practices varies amongst the residents based upon their gender, age, place of residence, education level, and marital status, while no significant difference in the knowledge level was observed based upon their per capita income. The study thus, highlights that there is scope for improvement for the residents to advance their knowledge of food safety practices. Therefore, it can be recommended that researchers, educators, food safety communicators, and the media can engage in educating the population, to help the residents advance their food safety knowledge to safer food practices.     

Implementation of non-regulatory food safety management schemes in New Zealand: A survey of the food and beverage industry

Using a questionnaire survey, this paper examines the motivations, challenges, and impacts, and the role of third-party certification bodies' (CBs) in the implementation of non-regulatory food safety management schemes (FSMS) in the New Zealand food and beverage industry. The survey involved 115 manufacturing enterprises out of which 95.7% indicated that they had one or more FSMS in place, and 43.5% stated that they implemented one or more non-regulatory FSMS. Three main categories of non-regulatory FSMS have been implemented in New Zealand: public international standard schemes, public industry sector schemes and private individual firm schemes. The most important motivation for implementing non-regulatory FSMS is meeting the requirements of major customers. As a consequence of the implementation of non-regulatory FSMS, desirable changes have been experienced by the respondents, such as the improvement of product traceability, increasing food safety awareness of employees, satisfaction with the ability to maintain customers, decreasing the cost of wastage and reduced customer complaints. The results also indicated that the major challenges encountered during the implementation of non-regulatory FSMS were increased paper work, record keeping and documentation, and the cost of development and implementation. The costs of system design and development, and external audit fees are the major implementation costs of non-regulatory FSMS, while external surveillance audit fees and product testing are the significant operating costs of non-regulatory FSMS. The third-party CBs' service was rated by 66.0% of respondents as an important tool for them to continuously improve their food safety management.     

Knowledge of food safety and handling in households: A survey of food handlers in Mainland China

The objective of the study was to provide a picture of knowledge of food safety and handling in households and identify a demographic profile of “high-risk” groups with the poorest knowledge. A national survey of food handlers in Mainland China (n = 482) was conducted using previously validated closed questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of 26 knowledge questions, which included 5 scales that covered key concepts of food safety and handling in households, and 7 demographic questions. The respondents demonstrated a very low level of knowledge and the mean score awarded to them was 7.95 (knowledge scores from 0 to 26). The data were further analyzed to determine differences in knowledge between populations of different demographics. Differences were found between male and female respondents (p < 0.01), urban and rural respondents (p < 0.01) and respondents with different income levels (p = 0.04). Two “high-risk” groups with the lowest level of knowledge are 1) male food handlers with a per capita annual income of less than 30,000 CNY (4773 USD) and 2) female food handlers who live in rural areas and have a per capita annual income below 30,000 CNY (4773 USD) and deserve special attention. This is the first national survey in Mainland China and the results suggested that developing educational programs related to food safety and handling in households of Mainland China are urgently needed.     

Evaluation of street food vendors’ hygienic practices using fast observation questionnaire

The aim of this study was to check the compliance of street food vendors hygienic practices with requirements of the Codex code of practice - general principles on food hygiene and of the Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004. The materials were 110 street food vendors located in Athens, Greece. Specially designed questionnaire allowed fast data collection. The lowest ratings were found in the hygiene of food preparation and serving, that was related to basic infrastructure, especially the protection of light bulbs from glass spreading in case of breaking, and protection of hair from falling into food by wearing sufficient hair covers or caps. Much higher ratings were found in separation of fresh food from ready-to-eat one and in the section of personal hygiene - lack of visible cuts or skin disease symptoms on hands. One of the most interesting findings is that street vendors selling meat or fish meals obtained higher ratings than vegetable or fruit ones. A greater effort should be made to increase hygiene level especially in the case of small mobile food vendors. Because of variation in hygiene level there is a need for more inspections covering greater number of street food vendors. Due to high popularity of street food and its importance for tourism, more effort should be made to improve the degree of compliance with the hygiene requirements. The fast observation questionaire used in this study allowed rapid assessment of implementation of hygiene principles. Further research is needed to explain why, despite food safety authorities licencing and inspection, implementation of hygiene principles by street food vendors is often incomplete and what factors affect the correct operation.     

Evaluation of food safety and sanitary practices among food vendors at car parks in Ile Ife,southwestern Nigeria

Globally, the street food business has expanded rapidly and provides access to a diversity of inexpensive, ready-to-eat variety of food for customers. Street Food vendors (SFVs) operate where numerous customers exist and their operations are poorly regulated in Nigeria. Globally, SFVs were implicated in several outbreaks of foodborne diseases. This study therefore evaluates the behavioural characteristics and hygiene practices of SFVs in car parks in Ile Ife, southwestern Nigeria.The study was cross sectional in design and utilized interviewer-administered questionnaire on 160 randomly selected SFVs, targeting demography, food and personal hygiene practices and knowledge of foodborne diseases.Most respondents were <40 years (134, 83.7%); females (147, 91.9%); married (125, 78.1%); had at least secondary education (144, 90%); and vend whole meals (151, 94.3%), respectively. In addition, only 27 (16.9%) ‘always’ wash hands after using the toilet; 100 (62.5%) ‘rarely’ keep finger nails short while only 6 (3.8%) SFVs ‘always’ refrigerate leftover cooked food, though experiences power outages that compromise refrigeration temperatures. About ⅔ (61.9%) of the SFVs had no formal training and their medical status is unknown. Hence, inception and refreshers trainings should be mandatory and enforced by appropriate authorities. In addition, supportive monitoring, supervision, among others are necessary to promote compliance.     

Performance assessment of food safety management systems in animal-based food companies in view of their context characteristics: A European study

Recurrently the question arises if efforts in food safety management system (FSMS) have resulted in effective systems in animal-based food production systems. The aim of this study was to gain an insight in the performance of FSMS in European animal-based food production companies in view of their typical context characteristics. Hundred European companies (from Belgium, Spain, The Netherlands, Greece, Italy, and Hungary) varying in company size, and producing different types of fresh and processed animal-derived products (dairy, beef/lamb, poultry, and pork) were assed using a diagnostic instrument. Results indicated that most participating companies adapted adequately their food safety management systems to the riskiness of their context characteristics resulting in rather good safety output scores. Only a small group have overall basic systems and operate in a moderate or moderate-high risk context, which was reflected in lower safety output scores. Companies tend to invest first in the control strategies whereas assurance activities such as verification and validation seem to require more time and effort to achieve advanced levels. Our study demonstrated that also small and medium enterprises managed to have advanced systems, and achieve a good safety output. However, their typical organisational characteristics such as less resources (educated staff, laboratory facilities, time), more restricted formalisation (restricted use of procedures and formal meetings), limited information systems, but more stable workforce, might require more tailored support from government and/or branch organisations to develop towards advanced systems in the case of high-risk products and processes. More in-depth studies to successful SMEs could give insight in best practices to improve FSMS performance.     

Subsurface inspection of food safety and quality using line-scan spatially offset Raman spectroscopy technique

Subsurface inspection of food and agricultural products is challenging for optical-based sensing techniques due to complex interactions between light and heterogeneous or layered samples. In this study, a method for subsurface food inspection was presented based on a newly developed line-scan spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) technique. A 785 nm point laser was used as a Raman excitation source. The line-shape SORS data from the sample was collected in a wavenumber range of 0–2815 cm⁻¹ using a detection module consisting of an imaging spectrograph and a CCD camera. Two layered samples, one by placing a 1 mm thick plastic sheet cut from original container on top of cane sugar and the other by placing a 5 mm thick carrot slice on top of melamine powder, were created to test the subsurface food inspection method. For each sample, a whole set of SORS data was acquired using one CCD exposure in an offset range of 0–36 mm (two sides of the incident laser point) with a spatial interval of 0.07 mm. Raman spectra from the cane sugar under the plastic sheet and the melamine powder under the carrot slice were successfully resolved using self-modeling mixture analysis (SMA) algorithms, demonstrating the potential of the technique for authenticating foods and ingredients through packaging and evaluating internal food safety and quality attributes. The line-scan SORS measurement technique provides a rapid and nondestructive method for subsurface inspection of food safety and quality.     

Implementation of a food safety management system according to ISO 22000 in the food supplement industry: A case study

This work aims to present a methodology to carry out hazard and control measures assessments to properly establish operational prerequisite programmes (oPRPs) and the HACCP plan in the food supplement industry according to the ISO 22000 standard. This study focused on the manufacture of propolis, royal jelly and vitamin C ampoules, sold as energy boosters. Seven of the 13 hazards identified in this study were significant: two hazards were in the reception step (residues of pesticides, antibiotics and/or heavy metals (code 2) and contamination by pathogens (code 3)), two in the ingredients weighing step (cross-contamination by metabisulphite (code 9) and contamination by pathogens (code 10)), one in the mixture preparation step (contamination by pathogens and/or proliferation of microorganisms (code 11)) and two in the ampoule-filling and -sealing step (cross-contamination by metabisulphite (code 12) and contamination by pathogens (code 13)). After assessing the control measures, critical control points (CCPs) were determined in the hazards with codes 2, 9 and 12, which could be managed by an HACCP plan. The remaining hazards were managed by establishing oPRPs. Implementation of the ISO 22000 standard in the food supplement industry guarantees food safety and helps improve their competitiveness in the global market.     

Evaluation of food safety related behaviors of retail and food service employees while handling fresh and fresh-cut leafy greens

Foodborne illness outbreaks are often associated with fresh and fresh-cut produce (specifically leafy greens); however, effective training and methods of prevention have not been readily available for the retail and food service industry. The objective of this study was to assess and evaluate the current state of compliance and employee handling practices for fresh and fresh-cut produce, and to identify factors influencing employees' fresh and fresh-cut handling practices using an observational survey tool. A total of sixteen restaurants and fifteen grocery stores in Texas and Ohio were observed. The results revealed low compliance of employees' leafy green handling practices such as improper use of thermometers, lack of documentation, and poor employee hygiene. Statistical analysis results suggested that employees' food safety behaviors vary based on several factors such as operation size, cuisine, and operation type. The results of the study will provide practical guidelines for training employees handling leafy green produce at fresh and fresh-cut packing facilities, produce distribution centers, grocery stores, and restaurants.     

Risk-based food safety and quality governance at the international law,EU, USA,Canada and France: Effective system for Lebanon as for the WTO accession

Following the establishment of the Lebanese food safety authority (LFSA) in the food safety draft law, this study aims to find the appropriate food safety governance system in Lebanon in accordance with the risk analysis and the clauses of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement. It describes the regulatory and institutional food safety governance system developed in USA, EU, Canada and France using inventory approach and in-depth interviews at institutional level to profit from their previous experience in this field. The findings indicate that Lebanon showed compliance with the clauses of the WTO but it will not be for the interest of Lebanon to join the WTO before it strengthens its infrastructure capacity at the institutional and stakeholders level through harmonization of the Risk Assessment (RA) and Risk Management (RM) at the institutional level and at all stages of the food chain. Lebanon should rely on bilateral and multilateral agreements by carrying out equivalence that fits his socio-economic situation based on RA. As it was shown in the studied countries, power given to the food safety authority depends on the willing of the country to adopt the political democratic approach or political scientific approach and RM and RA were not always functionally and institutionally separated. Lebanon within his political and socio-economical situation will meet constraints if he relies only on scientific justification, he should adopt the political democratic approach and ensure collaboration among RA agencies and RM at different levels.     

Food safety knowledge,attitudes and self-reported practices of food handlers in institutional foodservice in Accra,Ghana

The aim of this study was to evaluate the food safety knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of food handlers from institutional food service establishments that serve hospitals, boarding senior high schools and prisons in Accra, Ghana. A total of 278 food handlers (56.8% of hospital, 30.9% of schools and 12.3% of prison food service) participated in the cross-sectional study. Data was collected by face-to-face interviews, and responses were scored to determine the level of food safety KAP. Respondents who scored ≥70% of the maximum possible score were adjudged to have sufficient knowledge and practices and positive attitudes. Results showed that respondents generally had insufficient food safety knowledge and practices with means scores of 20.99 ± 7.64 (46%) and 9.35 ± 5.62 (52%) respectively. Attitudes towards food safety were generally negative but with a comparatively higher mean score of 12.64 ± 3.06 (63%). Areas of most concern were 1) Lack of knowledge of sources of contamination/cross-contamination and appropriate holding temperatures for food. 2) Poor practices included multiple freeze-thaw cycles for frozen food and 3) Infrequent hand washing during food preparation after coughing or sneezing. There is the need for continuous risk based training to educate and effect behavioral changes among food handlers. This process will encourage positive attitudes towards food safety and consequently promote good food safety practices.     

Barriers and benefits to the adoption of a third party certified food safety management system in the food processing sector in Shanghai,China

Despite the recent passing of legislation by the National People's Congress of China in 2009, many food businesses in China have yet to implement a third party certified food safety management system (FSMS). While the extent literature identifies a number of internal and external barriers and benefits, the extent to which these impact on the business is thought to be dependent upon how much progress the firm has made on its journey towards quality assurance and the environment within which the firm operates. To test this proposition, the barriers and the benefits accrued from the implementation of a third party certified FSMS were explored by segregating the participating firms into three distinct groups; (i) those that have yet to implement a third party certified FSMS; (ii) those that were in the process of adopting a third party certified FSMS; and (iii) those that were already operating under a third party certified FSMS. Contrary to expectations, in what is a highly competitive market, those firms which were operating under a third party certified FSMS were more likely to question the benefits they had derived than those firms that were either in the process of adoption or had chosen not to adopt a third party certified FSMS. Irrespective of the stage of adoption, the major constraint to the implementation of a third party certified FSMS was the need for the organisation to focus on more immediate issues and the lack of any strategic long-term planning.     

A ‘best practice score’ for the assessment of food quality and safety management systems in fresh-cut produce sector

The purpose of the present work was to develop a tool for the assessment of the Food Safety and Quality Management Systems (FSQMSs) applied in 75 (68% participation rate) micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the fresh-cut produce sector. Initially, a diagnostic quantitative questionnaire was constructed. The design and the implementation of this questionnaire were influenced by the SMEs business environment. The most common certified FSQMS was according to ISO 22000:2005 (N = 54). Twenty-eight SMEs had primary production in their process. Using factor analysis with the principal components method, six factors (PCF) were extracted that explained 67% of the total information of the FSQMSs performance. The six factors were ‘shelf life validation’, ‘prerequisites’, ‘product labeling’, ‘sanitation facilities’, ‘packaging’ and ‘deviation control’. The quartiles of the PCF scores may be used as cut-offs for a simple SMEs classification (poor, moderate, good and excellent). The proposed tool and overall methodology can be used by an SME to provide the ‘Best Practice Score’ for the FSQMSs. It will also be an input in management review for deciding opportunities of FSQMS improvement.