Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
food safety behaviors, food handlers may be able to reduce the risk of foodborne
illness outbreaks. Up to now, little research has been done to study food safety cul-
ture, but some food safety and industry professionals feel that this should be studied
(Neal et al.
2012
).
The process of changing behavior can be diffi cult and complex, as well as stress-
ful, and it is inevitable that some people will resist change. To those who are being
instructed in tasks that require a change in behavior, it means additional work, fac-
ing the unknown, and giving up something that seems right (Krause
1997
; Yiannas
2010
). How long does it take for a learned behavior to become a habit? It has been
considered that, after 30-40 times, or after about 21 days, a behavior will become a
habit. However, Lally et al. (
2010
) suggested that the process of habit formation
varies greatly from person to person (18-254 days), and it may take a very long
time. This should not, however, be a deterrent to training new employees and con-
tinued coaching of current employees so that learned tasks become habits.
10.6
Behavioral-Based Food Safety
and the Food Safety Culture
10.6.1
Food Safety Culture
There has been increasing interest in the association between the ability of a retail
food establishment to operate in a manner that decreases the risk of customer food-
borne illness and the food safety “culture” (i.e., “the way we do things around here”)
of the establishment.
Every person in the organization has a personal responsibility for safe food prep-
aration and service, and the organization as a whole shares the responsibility of
ensuring safe food. How a retail food establishment carries out its safety policies,
procedures, and standards—how it “does safety”—depends on its food safety
culture. The facility's culture infl uences how people in the group think about
food safety, their attitudes, and their ability and willingness to share their opinions.
In other words, the culture infl uences the emphasis that the organization places on
food safety.
Food handlers' sense of responsibility toward their learned tasks and the effect
that their actions can have on the safety of their customers is important, because
their actions affect the risk of foodborne illness outbreaks. Data collected by Neal
et al. (
2012
) indicate that the development of a food safety culture in retail food
establishments depends on: (1) management commitment and (2) employee food
safety behavior. They further explain that attitudes and beliefs about an organiza-
tion's food safety culture depend on leadership and motivation of the management,
the manner in which food safety is communicated to workers, and how well workers
trust what management tells them. Employees want management consistency,
accountability, and involvement. Specifi cally, food workers want management to:
