Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Hands are a very common vehicle for the transfer of human pathogens to food
products, and food-handlers' hands may become contaminated when they engage in
activities such as handling raw meat products, using the restroom, coughing, or han-
dling soiled tableware. The personal hygiene risk factors associated with produce that
are most in need of attention at retail and food-service operations include adequate,
available, and accessible hand-washing facilities. These personal hygiene risk factors
were found in the survey to be not in compliance with the 1997 Food Code (FDA
1997) 33, 26, and 21% of the time, respectively.
Proper cleaning and sanitization of food contact surfaces is essential to preventing
cross-contamination. Food safety procedures for cleaning and sanitizing food contact
surfaces and utensils for handling produce were found in noncompliance with the 1997
Food Code (FDA 1997) in 44.4% of the observations in this study.
Staying Healthy, Eating Healthy
Research on health-related behavior indicates that people make rational decisions
when they are aware of and have some knowledge about health problems (McIntosh
and others 1994). However, the acquisition of knowledge alone does not automatically
produce compliant behavior (Ajzen 1991). People commonly approach decision
making under the infl uence of optimistic bias (Frewer and others 1994). In this case,
optimistic bias may lead people to consider the risks of foodborne illness unlikely,
and therefore relax the vigilance in their practices to increase safety. Convincing
consumers to change unsafe handling practices may be diffi cult. Most people consider
their knowledge of safe handling very good, and about one-third of those responding
to a mail questionnaire on safe handling of produce indicated that they were not
interested in receiving information (Li-Cohen and Bruhn 2002). Therefore, it is impor-
tant to recognize that fruits and vegetables promote health and are tasty, but fruits and
vegetables must be handled appropriately to avoid illnesses.
Barriers to safe handling appear to be similar among food-service personnel and
consumers. People are often aware of the steps that should be taken, but do not always
follow them due to time pressures, or lack of resources, such as a clean cutting board
or thermometer (Clayton and others 2002). Some consumers think the steps are unnec-
essary, especially if a product already appears clean (Audits International 2001; Li-
Cohen and Bruhn 2002). Because some foodborne illness takes time to develop,
consumers may not recognize the consequences of inappropriate handling. Food
workers also indicate they would be more likely to follow recommended practices if
management and co-workers emphasized food safety, provided education and training,
and initiated negative consequences for those who do not prepare food according to
safe practices (Green and others 2005).
Educational materials must be presented through convenient sources. Among con-
sumers willing to receive information, 54% indicated they preferred brochures in
supermarkets, and 46% preferred information on individual produce containers (Li-
Cohen and Bruhn 2002). Safe handling guidelines must be practical, easy to incorpo-
rate into daily activities, and presented in simple, direct terms. Consumers indicate
they prefer pictures with a minimum of words, and they want to know the reason
behind any recommendations (Li-Cohen and others 2002). Consumers suggest that
