The role of theoretical food safety training on Brazilian food handlers' knowledge,attitude and practice

The objectives of this study were 1. to identify the relationship of theoretical training with knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practices and observed practices and 2. to identify variables that influence observed practices. This study was cross-sectional and involved 183 randomly selected food handlers from different food businesses in Santos City, Brazil, as follows: street food kiosks, beach kiosks, restaurants, hospitals and school meal services. To evaluate knowledge, attitudes and self-reported practices, a structured questionnaire was used. Observed practices were evaluated using a checklist. A researcher observed and followed each food handler throughout the process of food handling/preparation during a workday. The majority of participants (68.3%) had participated in at least one food safety training session. The average percentage of correct answers on the knowledge questionnaire was 64%. Food handlers who had undergone training presented higher knowledge scores but did not differ from those who had not regarding attitudes, self-reported practices and observed practices. A regression model was used to study the variables associated with observed practices (p < 0.001). The variables related to observed practices were the knowledge score (β = 0.27, p < 0.01), experience (in years as a food handler) (β = 0.19, p = 0.01), the relationship between the number of meals and the number of food handlers (β = −0.19, p = 0.01), buildings and facilities adequacy (β = 0.20, p = 0.01) and the presence of a nutritionist (β = 0.42, p < 0.001). This study showed that training based on theoretical aspects is not related to the attitudes, self-reported practices and observed practices of Brazilian food handlers from different food services. However, training seems to be an effective tool for improving knowledge. The current wording of Brazilian legislation motivates food handlers to undergo training only for certification. Food safety laws should not only require certification but also enable the establishment of policies to monitor and ensure the adequacy of food services.     

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.     

Evaluating levels of knowledge on food safety among food handlers from restaurants and various catering businesses in Vienna,Austria 2011/2012

The aim of this study was to detect the most important gaps in knowledge on food safety among food handlers in Vienna, Austria and to identify possible differences in levels of knowledge between food handlers from restaurants and catering companies. The survey was conducted from May 2011 to January 2012 in Vienna and 234 food handlers participated. The average knowledge score for all food handlers was 76%. We revealed no significant difference between the two sample groups; food handlers from catering businesses scored similar (75%) to those from restaurants (76%). Persons with a training at their current workplace (internal and external) scored significantly higher (82%) then persons without an on the job training (71%). Food handlers passing the mandatorily required yearly food safety training had a higher knowledge than persons without this on-the-job training (p ≤ 0.001); 23% of the food handlers didn't participate in any training during the last year. The study identified substantial knowledge gaps concerning correct temperatures for cooking, holding and storing foods. Data from this project underline the value of harmonized action in the field of food safety, but also indicate considerable potential for further improvement in Austria.     

Evaluation of the effect of person-in-charge (PIC) program on knowledge and practice change of food handlers in Dubai

The effect of Person in Charge (PIC) intervention on knowledge and practice of food handlers in Dubai was evaluated. Data were collected from 48 food establishments located in 4 zones in the city. Each establishment was visited twice in the assessment. In each visit, the same set of 12-knowledge questionnaire was asked and 20 observable practices evaluated. Hand and cutting board swabbing were also conducted to evaluate the personal hygiene of food handlers. Results showed that all the groups gained additional knowledge on food safety during training except group 4. Irrespective of knowledge gained, some of the trained PICs were unable to change food safety and handling practices at place of work. In group 1, the performance got worsen by 12%. Group 2 and 3 showed 4.3% and 10.3% improvement in food safety practices respectively. While, group 4 remained almost same as before the PIC intervention. With regards to cutting board swabbing, results showed that group 1 dropped by 16.6% while the remaining groups improved by 41.6%. In the case of hand swabbing all establishments in group 1 showed satisfactory results after training. Group 2, group 3 and group 4 showed 41.7% improvement. Statistics revealed that there was a significant improvement in the performance of food handlers in hand swabbing after the intervention with mean values of 60.4% and 85.5% before and after respectively. In the case of cutting board swabbing, there was a considerable improvement but not statistically significant at (p < 0.05) with mean values of 41.6% and 62.5% before and after respectively.     

Food handlers’ knowledge on food hygiene: The case of a catering company in Portugal

The aim of this study was to assess the food hygiene knowledge of professional food handlers from an institutional catering company which manufactures and distributes meals to the canteens of schools, kindergartens and nursing homes in Portugal. A total of 101 food handlers from 18 geographically distributed business units were assessed. Data collection employed a previously used, multiple-choice questionnaire, aimed at exploring the food safety knowledge and practices of individual respondents. The average score of questions answered correctly was 13 out of 23 (56.5%) with a standard deviation (SD) of 3.22. However, the percentage of correct answers varies with the issues questioned, being significantly lower on issues such as temperature control (p < 0.001) and sources of contamination/high-risk foods (p < 0.001). The level of knowledge was influenced by the level of formal education (p = 0.025) of respondents. The results reinforce the importance of conducting a preliminary assessment of training needs and evaluating the effectiveness of training.     

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.     

Knowledge,attitude and practices of food safety amongst food handlers in the coastal resort of Guangdong,China

In order to identify risk factors contributing to foodborne disease outbreaks in Guangdong province, China, the present study evaluated the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of food safety among food handlers in a coastal resort area that has a high incidence of foodborne disease outbreaks from Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The KAP of 171 food handlers from 22 food establishments—including seven food establishments in which outbreaks had occurred and 15 in which outbreaks had not occurred—were evaluated.A self-administered questionnaire designed to access the KAP of food safety was completed by the food handlers. The majority of respondents didn't know the maximum stored time at room temperature and the most common agent of foodborne disease in seafood. Most of the respondents' attitudes about food safety and training were positive. When asked about the practices undertaken, about one-fifth of the respondents admitted they had mixed food (raw and cooked) containers in varying degrees. There was significant variance among different food establishments, different ages, and different times of training. Training programs may achieve good results, but training should be more selective, educate the trainees to realize food safety is more important than fresh seafood, target how to cook seafood and lower the risk of microbiology in food, and conduct particularly focused training among managers and newcomers.     

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.     

Semi-quantitative study to evaluate the performance of a HACCP-based food safety management system in Japanese milk processing plants

This study aimed to gain an insight in the performance of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)-based food safety management systems (FSMS) implemented in Japanese milk processing plants. Since 1995, Japan has a comprehensive approval system for food manufacturing establishments by evaluating the development and implementation of GHP and HACCP by the food manufacturing companies/operators. An FSMS-diagnostic instrument was applied to assess the level of the core control and assurance activities in the FSMS and to judge the risk level of the context wherein the companies operate. The data were collected in 13 dairy companies (mostly located around Tokyo area) and involved in-depth interviews performed (by the National Institute of Public Health) with responsible quality assurance persons of respective companies.The results revealed that the microbial food safety output was higher for companies with national HACCP approval. They have more advanced FSMS in combination with a less risky context. All Japanese companies scored high on technology-dependent activities (i.e. preventive measures and intervention processes), but less in managerial activities as monitoring and typical quality assurance activities as validation and verification of the FSMS. Japan has a detailed vertical legislation, leading to a “hazard-based” and ”legislation-based” FSMS compared to a “science- or risk-based” FSMS common in Europe.     

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.     

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.     

Food safety knowledge and attitudes: culture and environment impact on hawkers in Malaysia.: Knowledge and attitudes are key attributes of concern in hawker foodhandling practices and outbreaks of food poisoning and their prevention

This study determined the impact of culture and environment on knowledge and attitudes of hawkers towards food safety, foodborne illnesses and their prevention. One hundred hawkers in Kuala Lumpur (KL) were interviewed, using a structured interview schedule. Environment did not effect hawkers’ knowledge and attitudes. Education influenced knowledge and attitudes scores of the interviewees. Differences in knowledge of the ethnic groups were in cross-contamination, equipment, utensils and premises, personal hygiene, hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) and food regulations and control. Malay and Indian hawkers had better educational background, hence better knowledge and attitude scores than Chinese. The findings highlight the importance of education to bridge cultural gaps in food safety knowledge and attitudes. A strong relationship exists between the knowledge and attitudes of hawkers.     

A structural modeling on food safety knowledge,attitude, and behaviour among Bum Bum Island community of Semporna,Sabah

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior in Bum Bum Island community, Semporna, Sabah. Proportional stratified sampling method was used in this survey. A total of 250 respondents were selected randomly from ten villages in Bum Bum Island. Face-to-face interview was conducted to complete the questionnaire. In general, respondents exhibited average food safety knowledge level especially in their awareness of personal hygiene and kitchenware hygiene. Food safety attitude of the community was found strongly affected their food safety behavior in positive way, which was proven by the highest standard β among variables tested (β₁ = 0.885, p < 0.05). However, food safety knowledge was negatively affected the food safety behavior of the respondents (β₁ = −0.128, p < 0.05). Our result confirmed that Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was successfully used to model the relationship among food safety knowledge, attitude and behavior.     

基于ANSYS的断层安全性评价方法及应用——以苏北盆地东台坳陷白驹含水层储气库为例

含水层储气库利用多孔介质储层储蓄天然气,选址的地理范围较广,不依赖于大型盐矿或者衰竭油气藏,对我国天然气战略具有重大意义。含水层储气库通过天然断层封堵天然气、固井技术实现周期性注采,达到调节季节性峰值的目的,受注采压力变化的影响,运行过程断层容易开启或破裂,导致天然气泄漏。因此,含水层储气库断层安全性评价至关重要,而常见的断层评价和数值模拟方法没有涉及到多孔介质储层,对其膨胀机理研究尚浅,不适合用于含水构造的断层安全性评价。基于含水层储气库的基本特征,借助ANSYS有限元模拟和静态力学分析总结出一套完整的断层安全性评价方法。以苏北盆地东台坳陷大丰—兴化探区白驹储气地质体为例,构建出地层—断层的3D实体模型,根据初始应力平衡分析和断层岩石样本的轴压实验论证模型的有效性,通过位移约束法模拟不同运行压力条件下目标断层的应力状态,预测运行压力的极限值为29.50 MPa,超过该值断层可能发生拉张破坏。     

稠油油藏出砂机理、影响因素及防砂技术对策——基于辽河油田稠油油藏防砂实践

以辽河油田不同类型稠油油藏的动、静态资料为基础,从多孔介质中流体渗流理论、应力分析及储层微观特征等方面入手,结合油层出砂规律,对稠油油藏出砂机理及影响出砂程度的主要因素进行了分析,提出了稠油油藏防砂技术对策。