Identification and classification of consumer food-handling behaviors for food safety education.
OBJECTIVE
To identify key behaviors associated with major food safety pathogen control factors.


METHODS
World Wide Web-based descriptive study with 4 tasks: compile a list of food-handling behaviors from the literature; use Delphi process to build consensus, rank order, and edit lists of behaviors; assess content and construct validity; and review results of Delphi process at a summit meeting of selected experts to make final recommendations for a food safety behavior list.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 10 epidemiologists, 11 food microbiologists, 10 food safety educators, and 10 food safety policy makers was recruited from lists of nationally known experts. Twenty-four experts completed 4 rounds of surveys presented to them via a Web site. Six experts attended a face-to-face meeting to finalize behavior lists. Statistical analyses performed Descriptive statistics and sum of observation data were used to determine rank order and validity.


RESULTS
Twenty-nine key food-handling behaviors for maintaining the safety of food and reducing the number of cases and outbreaks of foodborne illness were identified. These were rank-ordered within 5 pathogen control factors: practice personal hygiene, cook foods adequately, avoid cross-contamination, keep foods at safe temperatures, and avoid foods from unsafe sources.


CONCLUSIONS
This list of rank-ordered behaviors grouped by pathogen control factor should help dietitians and educators confidently teach food safety guidance that will be most effective in preventing illness.
Medeiros
L C
LC
The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210-1295, USA.
Kendall
P
P
Hillers
V
V
Chen
G
G
DiMascola
S
S
D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003296:Cooking; D003428:Cross Infection; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012308:Risk Management; D012449:Safety; D013696:Temperature; D014481:United States