Consumer contribution to food contamination in Brazil: modelling the food safety risk in the home

Abstract

Foodborne diseases are among the most widespread public health issues, killing about 2.2 million people annually, and costing hundreds of billions of US dollars for governments, companies, families and consumers (WHO, 2007). In Brazil, foodborne diseases acquired in the home account for 55% of notified outbreaks (BRASIL, 2012). Several studies have investigated aspects of consumer behaviour concerning food poisoning, mapping practices in the home, but it remains a challenge to obtain a full picture of the consumer contribution to food contamination (REDMOND and GRIFFITH, 2003). This study aimed to assess the risks of food contamination in the home. A questionnaire containing 140 questions concerning food safety knowledge, handling practices, personal hygiene and basic health care, covering the stages when the food is under the control of the consumer, was developed and used to gather data for analysis. Appropriate scores were attributed to the questions (consequences to food safety) and answers (likelihood of food contamination). A risk estimate algorithm and an appropriate risk ranking scale were used to assess the results. From August 2011 to March 2012, survey questionnaires were collected from 2,775 consumers in Brazil across 19 out of 27 state capitals. The study found risky practices with the potential to lead to food poisoning occurrences in the domestic environment in the following handling steps: food transportation, food preparation, cooking and the handling of leftovers. The personal hygiene, age, formal education, family income and basic health care habits represented the factors most related to the risky practices of consumers, which could orientate food safety educational campaigns for the Brazilian population.

Evaluating the knowledge, attitudes and practices of adults on food safety: a cross-sectional sample from Turkey

“…In our study, knowledge of food safety is generally accepted among consumers at a good level. An average score of 81% (0.81 ± 0.16) is consistent with the findings reported in previous studies (Sanlier, 2009; Motta et al , 2014; Low et al , 2016). However, it has also been determined that knowledge is not reflected in behavior and attitude.…”

Occurrence, quantification, pulse types, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella sp. isolated from chicken meat in the state of Paraná, Brazil

“…Inadequate safety during handling, besides facilitating multiplication of Salmonella sp. initially present in poultry meat, can also transfer these cells to other foods when they are prepared together, mainly in the domestic environment [37]. This cross-contamination becomes more important when the food involved will not be subjected to heat treatment before consumption, representing a great risk in the development of salmonellosis [38].…”

Educação Continuada De Adultos: Noções De Alimentação Saudável E Manipulação De Alimentos

“…Consequentemente, a adoção de práticas adequadas para manipulação dos alimentos reduz os riscos para a saúde do consumidor (BRASIL et al, 2013, SOUZA et al, 2015. No entanto, a adesão das Boas Práticas de Manipulação de Alimentos deve ser efetivada por programas de capacitação permanente e campanhas educativas em segurança alimentar (MOTTA, 2014, SOUZA et al, 2015.…”