Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
market clerks separate fresh produce and meat in shopping bags, but others are not
aware of the importance of this practice.
Home Storage
Most consumers store produce in the refrigerator; however some items are stored at
room temperature (Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002). Room temperature storage is appropri-
ate for optimum quality of tomatoes, bananas, and unripe climacteric fruits, although
refrigeration temperatures lengthens the freshness and slows bacterial growth in
produce infected by harmful microorganisms. In a nationwide survey, 42% of consum-
ers stored apples and 24% of consumers stored melons at room temperature (Li- Cohen
and Bruhn 2002).
Most consumers store fresh produce either in the refrigerator produce drawer or
on a shelf. Produce can be contaminated by meat/poultry drippings, if these items are
stored in close proximity or above the produce. This potential exists for 30% of con-
sumers, who either store produce wherever there is room or who place meat and
poultry on a shelf above the produce (Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002). This practice is not
unique to the United States. Sammarco and others (1997) reported that 75% of Italian
households stored raw meat and poultry in the upper refrigerator shelves.
Contamination can also occur from produce contacting unclean surfaces in the
refrigerator. Frequent cleaning of the home refrigerator is not a universal practice.
Although 50% of consumers indicate they clean their refrigerators at least once a
month, the remainder cleaned 2-3 times a year or less frequently (Li-Cohen and Bruhn
2002). Some volunteer that they clean only when they see visible dirt or stains.
Preparation
Although people should wash their hands before beginning food preparation, consum-
ers do not always wash their hands, overstate their behavior, and might not wash with
soap for the recommended 20 seconds. Most consumer observation studies in the
United States noted that hand washing had taken place, even if the people merely
rinsed their hands with water. Although 94% of adults say they wash their hands after
using the restroom, an observational study of 6,333 adults found only 68% actually
washed (FDA—Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition 1998). Between 20-
60% of consumers reported not washing their hands before starting meal preparation
or after handling raw meat or poultry (Altekruse and others 1996, 1999; Cody and
Hogue 2003; Food Safety Inspection Staff and others 2000; Yang and others 1998).
With regard to handling produce, almost half of the respondents acknowledged that
they do not always wash their hands before handling produce (Li-Cohen and Bruhn
2002). When food handling was observed, only 45% of consumers attempted to wash
their hands before food preparation; of those who washed, only 84% used soap
(Anderson and others 2004).
Kitchen Sanitation
Slightly more than half of consumers report washing the sink before handling fresh
produce and about half wash the sink after handling (Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002). Most
(69%) indicated using a cleanser or cleaning solution for washing, 40% used
