A TRI-STATE PROJECT TO IDENTIFY PROBLEM FOOD SAFETY BEHAVIORS AND CUSTOMIZE EDUCATIONAL DELIVERY METHODS FOR IMPROVING THEM

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: OTHER GRANTS
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0193422
• Grant No.: 2002-51110-01978
• Proposal No.: 2002-03898
• Project Start Date: Sep 15, 2002
• Project End Date: Sep 14, 2005
• Grant Year: 2002
• Program Code: [111]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
CLEMSON,SC 29634

Performing Department
PACKAGING SCIENCE

Non Technical Summary
The project's goals are to identify problem behaviors and customize educational packages for food service managers to use in training. A course in food safety delivered by distance learning will also be established.

Animal Health Component

60%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

60%

Developmental

40%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
712	5010	3020	100%

Knowledge Area
712 - Protect Food from Contamination by Pathogenic Microorganisms, Parasites, and Naturally Occurring Toxins;

Subject Of Investigation
5010 - Food;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education;

Keywords

food safety

food service

teachers

human behavior

delivery systems

nutrition education

educational materials

sanitation

food handling

washing

certification

employees

food contamination

retailing

food

intervention

disease transmission

human health

stakeholders

learning

extension

interviews

chinese americans

surveys

Goals / Objectives
(1)Managers will observationally survey food service and food retail employees to identify problem behaviors that may contribute to the incidence of foodborne illnesses. (Research) (2) The impact of identified food safety behaviors or the interventions for those behaviors will be assessed experimentally. (Research) (3) Extension food safety educators, teachers and stakeholders will participate in a university graduate course and laboratory that is structured around food safety issues and identified problem behaviors. (Education) (4)Extension food safety educators in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and other ServSafer certified managers will deliver educational programs that target unsafe behaviors and are customized to meet learning styles of the target audience including ethnic groups and hard-to-reach individuals. (Extension) (5) Certification and train-the-trainer training of retail food managers, food service managers, and Extension educators will continue (Extension).

Project Methods
A work group for the Extension part of the project will be assembled. The team will consist of Extension food safety specialists from SC, NC and GA and several county Extension agents who deliver strong food safety programs. Managers, teachers and additional agents will be recruited for ServSafe manager certification. Each manager who participates in manager certification will use the ServSafe employee training outline received at the certification training to teach 20 of their employees. Certified managers in the project will be trained to administer the observational employee behavior survey and training needs assessment. The project team will adapt or develop food safety education materials based on survey responses. Training needs of Chinese-speaking workers will be determined by engaging a trained interviewer, who speaks either Cantonese or Mandarin to conduct six focus groups in NC with between 6-10 Chinese-speaking foodservice workers participating in each focus group session. Employee training will begin when materials are customized for specific employees and the managers are trained in how to deliver materials and document their impact. Four programs - two programs (one in Mandarin and one in Cantonese) in SC and NC- will be delivered using distance conferencing technology. Impact data will be gathered at various points in the project, including pre-tests on manager and employee ServSafer programs, national exams for managers, and follow-up surveys with managers to determine which food safety behaviors are regularly utilized by employees. Near the end of the three-year project, Clemson University will host a symposium for food safety stakeholders across the Southern region. Results of the project will also be forwarded to the Extension food safety contact in each state. Managers who have participated in food safety training will observationally survey employees both before and after food safety trainings for problem food safety behaviors. Handwashing and glove handling behaviors: Three experimental protocols will be conducted to determine effects of different hand washing and glove handling practices on transmission of bacteria in food environments. The goal of the education component is to establish a course in Food Safety that will teach the scientific basis for ensuring the safety of the American food supply at a convenient time and in a suitable format for biology, home economics and culinary arts teachers, retail food industry managers and extension agents. Materials will be developed into an asynchronous, distance-learning program in Food Safety to reach a large target audience. Course materials will be developed as individual modules that can be used separately for extension agent training presentations or combined as a graduate-level course for university credit. An accompanying laboratory manual demonstrating the principles of food safety will be developed. Modules for the lecture and laboratory course will be developed during the first year. Customizing food safety education programs for audience needs would make delivery more effective and allow participants to gain food safety knowledge more readily.

Progress 09/15/02 to 09/14/05

Outputs
No further accomplishments due to retirement of Principal Investigator.

Impacts
No further accomplishments due to retirement of Principal Investigator.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03

Outputs
In July 2003, 24 culinary arts teachers were certified as ServSafe Food Protection Managers. Average score on certification exam was 88. These teachers received information on food microbiology, completed a lab on bacteria found on common surfaces, received information on the flow of food, food allergens, HACCP, cleaning and sanitizing the food service environment, and how to teach food safety to students. As of January 1, 2004, these teachers have taught ServSafe to 326 culinary arts students. Ninety percent of the students passed the final test. By August 2003 the curriculum for a graduate course in food safety education for teachers was developed. NC State investigators are developing Mandarin and Cantonese food safety materials for food handlers in NC and SC. Clemson students enrolled in food microbiology class have been involved in food service glove and handwashing experiments. Efforts are underway to standardize an employee test so that NC, SC, and GA will all be evaluated using the same instrument. Food safety education materials have been customized to focus on the three major causes of foodborne illness: time and temperature abuse, poor personal hygiene, and cross-contamination. Input from SC Interagency Food Safety Council indicates a need for emphasis on safe handling of meat and poultry. Plans are underway to get grocery store market managers better trained in handling meat and poultry products.

Impacts
After completing ServSafe employee training, students report receiving an increase in salary at their food service job. Employees passing ServSafe final test report applying improved food handling practices at home as well as on the job. Four food handling fact sheets translated into Spanish and ServSafe employee training videotaped using Spanish-speaking instructors for use with Spanish-speaking food handlers. A graduate course for teachers will be conducted in July 2004. In Spring 2004 a food handlers education training will be delivered by videoconference at 14 sites across SC. Funds from this project were used to leverage an additional $27,000 for focusing on meat and poultry handling at the retail/grocery level.

Publications

• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Temperaturas Internas Minimas para la Comida Cocida. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. La Compra y El Almacenamiento de los Alimentos. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Cuatro Pasos Simples Para la Seguridad en los Alimentos. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Listeriosis: Una Preocupacion Para las Mujeres Embarazadas. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Seguridad de los Alimentos durante Huracanes e Inundaciones. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Definiciones Para La Seguridad De Los Alimentos. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Cuando y Como Lavarse las Manos. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
• Schmutz, P. and Hoyle, E. 2003. Tipos Comunes de Termometros para la Comida. Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.

Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02

Outputs
Budget details have prevented a great deal of subject mattter work from being done to date. Sub-contracts for UGA are ready. Plans are progressing to meet with the Clemson University teaching, research, and Extension partners involved in the project. UGA and NCSU partners are working on their own parts of the project.

Impacts
Food service managers surveyed to identify problem food safety behaviors existing in their operation. Educational materials developed and implemetned to address these specific problems. Graduate course offered. Food safety educational programs redesigned to include identified problem behaviors and adaptations made to meet the diversity and reading level of food handlers.

Publications

• no publications to date. 2003