Canadian Consumer Food Safety Practices and Knowledge: Foodbook Study

Abstract

Understanding consumers' food safety practices and knowledge supports food safety education for the prevention of foodborne illness. The objective of this study was to describe Canadian consumer food safety practices and knowledge. This study identifies demographic groups for targeted food safety education messaging and establishes a baseline measurement to assess the effectiveness of food safety interventions over time. Questions regarding consumer food safety practices and knowledge were included in a population-based telephone survey, Foodbook, conducted from November 2014 to March 2015. The results were analyzed nationally by age group and by gender. The results showed that approximately 90% of Canadians reported taking the recommended cleaning and separating precautions when handling raw meat to prevent foodborne illness. Only 29% of respondents reported using a food thermometer when cooking any meat, and even fewer (12%) reported using a food thermometer for small cuts of meat such as chicken pieces. The majority (>80%) of Canadians were aware of the foodborne illness risks related to chicken and hamburger, but fewer (<40%) were aware of the risks related to frozen chicken nuggets, alfalfa sprouts, soft unpasteurized cheese, and unpasteurized juices. Generally, men were less likely to follow cooking instructions on packaging and took fewer steps to prevent cross-contamination than women. The youngest (18 to 29 years) age group was less likely to take steps to avoid cross-contamination and was less aware of the risks associated with eating an undercooked hamburger. The oldest (60+ years) respondents were less likely to be aware of the risks associated with raw eggs, alfalfa sprouts, and unpasteurized juice than the middle (30 to 59 years) age group. As a priority, food safety education in Canada should focus on increasing people's awareness of high-risk foods, specifically foods for which the awareness of risk found in this study was low; targeting messaging to demographic groups as appropriate; and promoting the use of food thermometers when cooking meat and poultry.

Comparison of consumer knowledge about Campylobacter, Salmonella and Toxoplasma and their transmissibility via meat: results of a consumer study in Germany

“…Although 116 consumers indicated that they knew how they could protect themselves, 36.2% (42/116) did not know that transmission occurs via meat. In general, consumers are aware that food-borne infections are often associated with chicken meat [34,35], but an international comparison also shows that consumers do not know that meat is a vector of Campylobacter. An Australian study showed that only 9% of consumers associate Campylobacter with chicken and poultry [16].…”

“…A survey of students at the University of Maine showed that slightly more than half of those surveyed (57.3%) were aware of an association between Salmonella and raw chicken [38]. Murray and Glass-Kaastra [34] showed that the majority of respondents are aware of the risks of foodborne illness associated with chickens, and the majority are aware that chickens that are not fully cooked can be a cause of foodborne illness. A study in Mexico showed that fresh meat is the most commonly considered sources of salmonellosis compared to other food categories, such as "fruits and vegetables" or "dairy products" [39].…”

Food Consumer Behavior and Salmonella Exposure Self‐Perception in the Central Region of Mexico

“…Approximately 15% of the survey respondents indicated the use of the same cutting board and knife when handling different food products, whereas almost 40% reported washing them with soap and water (Table ). Other studies have found washing percentages of 19.7% to 67.1% when raw meat is used prior to RTE products (Garayoa et al., ; Mitakakis et al., ; Murray et al., ).…”

“…The age group between 60 and 64 years old reported to have the least hand washing frequency. Other studies have also reported that these population groups (men, young, and elder consumers) have the most unsafe food handling practices (Garayoa et al., ; Murray et al., ; Patil, Morales, Cates, Anderson, & Kendall, ; Roseman & Kurzynske, ; Røssvoll et al., ).…”

Evaluation of the stability of thighs and drumsticks boneless chicken under different conditions of industrial storage

“…Food security and control are, therefore, matters of great preoccupation for consumers. Consumer reliability on frozen and chilled food, especially related to aspects of the supply chain, is of high priority for all involved in the production, commercialization, logistics and distribution of foods (Galarz et al, 2010;Murray et al, 2017).…”