Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Consumer Handling Practices
Studies of consumer attitudes and self-reported behavior indicate most people usually
follow safe handling practices; however, members of every demographic group report
mishandling, which can result in an increased likelihood of foodborne illness
(Redmond and Griffi th 2003). Generally, a larger percentage of people over 45 com-
pared to those younger than 45 report following safe handling practices (Albrecht
1995; Altekruse and others 1995; Jay and others 1999; Klontz and others 1995; Li-
Cohen and Bruhn 2002; Williamson and others 1992), and men are less likely than
women to follow recommended kitchen sanitation procedures (Albrecht 1995;
Altekruse and others 1995; Jay and others 1999; Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002).
Individuals with higher socioeconomic status or with at least some college are least
likely to follow safe handling guidelines than those with lower status or compared to
those with 12 years or less of schooling, respectively (Altekruse and others 1995;
Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002). This difference relates to the greater likelihood of non-
college-bound students taking high school courses where skills in food safety and
meal preparation are presented.
Much of the safe food handling research is based upon self-reported behavior.
People often overstate their compliance to safe handling guidelines. For example,
Audits International (1999) found that 79% of consumers correctly identifi ed instances
in which hand washing was necessary during food preparation; however, 20% were
observed to neglect recommended hand-washing practices. Similarly, 97% of consum-
ers believed that eating lettuce that had been moistened by raw poultry drippings was
a “risky” food-handling practice; yet, 98% of these consumers were observed during
food preparation to cross-contaminate ready-to-eat (RTE) foods with raw meat or raw
egg (Anderson and others 2004).
Selecting Produce
Consumers avoid produce with cuts, bruises, or obvious blemishes. Although some
blemishes on produce surfaces are merely cosmetic, consumers also ensure their own
safety by avoiding products in which the tissue shows signs of damage, and bacteria
has been shown to invade more readily fruit with cuts and bruises. Cross-contamination
can occur in the grocery shopping cart. Although some consumers routinely separate
meat and poultry from raw produce while they shop, focus group discussions indicate
this practice is not ubiquitous among consumers (Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002). If people
are buying lots of items, adequately separating meat and poultry items from produce
in the shopping cart may be diffi cult.
Bringing Produce Home
Although the Fight BAC food safety guidelines emphasize the need to separate raw
meat and poultry from foods to be eaten raw, many consumers do not realize the
potential for fl uids to commingle and cause cross-contamination in shopping bags.
Less than 30% of consumers in a nationwide mailing indicated that they ask for meat,
poultry, and fi sh to be bagged separately from fresh produce (Li-Cohen and Bruhn
2002). More than half of consumers surveyed indicated that they had no special
requirements for produce packaging. Based upon personal observations, some super-
