Current national food safety training programs appear ineffective at improving food safety practices in foodservice operations given the substantial number of Americans affected by foodborne illnesses after eating in restaurants each year. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB) was used to identify important beliefs that may be targeted to improve foodservice employees' intentions for three food safety behaviors that have the most substantial impact on public health:handwashing, using thermometers, and proper handling of food contact surfaces. In a crosssectional design, foodservice employees (n = 190) across three midwestern states completed a survey assessing TpB components and knowledge for the three food safety behaviors. Multiple regression analyses were performed on the TpB components for each behavior. Independentsamples t-tests identified TpB beliefs that discriminated between participants who absolutely intend to perform the behaviors and those with lower intention. Employees' attitudes were the one consistent predictor of intentions for performing all three behaviors. However, a unique combination of important predictors existed for each separate behavior. Interventions for improving employees' behavioral intentions for food safety should focus on TpB components that predict intentions for each behavior and should bring all employees' beliefs in line with those of the employees who already intend to perform the food safety behaviors. Registered dietitians, dietetic technicians registered, and foodservice managers can use these results to enhance training sessions and motivational programs to improve employees' food safety behaviors. Results also assist these professionals in recognizing their responsibility for enforcing and providing adequate resources for proper food safety behaviors. 4 Identifying Specific Beliefs to Target to Improve Restaurant Employees' Intentions for Performing Three Important Food Safety BehaviorsReducing foodborne illnesses is a public health priority (1, 2). The American Dietetic Association identified a safe food supply as a research priority (3). Annually in the UnitedStates, approximately 76 million foodborne illnesses cause 325,000 hospitalizations, 5,000 deaths (4), and costs between $10 and $38 billion (5).Food consumption in restaurants contributes significantly to foodborne illnesses (6-8).Registered dietitians (RDs), dietetic technicians registered (DTRs), and foodservice managers and employees need to be aware of food safety issues to protect public health (6). The three most significant contributors to foodborne illnesses in restaurants include time/temperature abuse, personal hygiene, and cross contamination (1).Food safety training attempts to improve employees' food safety practices. Training increases knowledge (6) and improves attitudes for food safety (9, 10), but rarely improves behavior (11-15). Food safety trainers, including RDs and DTRs, must identify strategies to minimize the gap between knowledge and action. "Belief facilitators" must be address...

Limited research has been conducted to assess employees' perceptions of barriers to implementing food safety practices. Focus groups were conducted with two groups of restaurant employees to identify perceived barriers to implementing three food safety practices:handwashing, using thermometers, and cleaning work surfaces. Ten focus groups were conducted with 34 employees who did not receive training (Group A). Twenty focus groups were conducted with 125 employees after they had participated in a formal ServSafe ® training program (Group B). The following barriers were identified in at least one focus group in both Group A and Group B for all three practices: time constraints, inconvenience, inadequate training, and inadequate resources. In Group A, additional barriers identified most often were a lack of space and other tasks competing with cleaning work surfaces; inconvenient location of sinks and dry skin from handwashing; and lack of working thermometers and thermometers in inconvenient locations. Additional barriers identified most often by Group B were no incentive to do it and the manager not monitoring if employees cleaned work surfaces; inconvenient location of sinks and dry skin from handwashing; and lack of working thermometers and manager not monitoring the use of thermometers. Results will be used to develop and implement interventions to overcome perceived barriers that training appears not to address. Knowledge of perceived barriers among employees can assist dietetic professionals in facilitating employees in overcoming these barriers and ultimately improve compliance with food safety practices.4

Value. No previous research has used the Theory of Planned Behavior to target foodservice employees' perceived barriers to implementing food safety practices to increase compliance with food safety guidelines, nor has research attempted to improve the effectiveness of ServSafe ® food safety training by adding an intervention.

This study sought to determine if no experience, basic experience, or well-informed experience (defined as basic experience and formal food safety training) in a foodservice operation would influence attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control toward three important behaviors that can help prevent foodborne illness (handwashing, using thermometers, and sanitizing work surfaces). Results suggest that formal training increases respondents' appreciation of the importance of these food safety practices. Those with formal food safety training identified more attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control constructs than participants with basic experience or no experience in foodservice. Factors that help and impede employees in following proper food safety practices were identified.Foodservice operators and sanitarians can utilize these results to employ strategies to address the barriers preventing employees from applying food safety practices and to increase compliance with food safety regulations during individual inspections within operations, respectively.

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