Progress 09/15/03 to 09/14/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Three Chinese-language food safety classes (52 participants) were conducted in North Carolina using materials that were developed as part of this project. The courses were 2.5 days and included a food safety certification examination prepared by the National Restaurant Association. A comprehensive set of food safety training aids were developed to help food safety educators reach Chinese-speaking foodservice workers. All materials are posted at http://chinesefoodsafety.com to increase access and reduce cost. All materials are in English and simplified Chinese, which is the same regardless of the Chinese dialect spoken. Mandarin followed by Cantonese has the greatest number of speakers so the materials that include audio is in both of these languages as well as English. The website is still being populated with information. The website also includes a list of Chinese-language resources, information about how to order a 13-minute food safety video (filmed in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese), a series of 12 songs to help one memorize key food safety concepts, six interactive activities, and a training slide set and corresponding handouts. Dissemination is ongoing through professional presentations and press releases. PARTICIPANTS: Four Chinese-speaking graduate students from Clemson University, Clemson, SC, were trained to assist with the project. Two students were trained to deliver the food safety training and two translated and analyzed evaluation results. Clemson University students were recruited to assist with the project as the Principal Investigator, Angela Fraser, moved from NCSU to Clemson. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience was Chinese-speaking foodservice workers in North Carolina. South Carolina does not mandate food safety training so attendance at food safety classes is voluntary. This is the reason courses were conducted in North Carolina. Also, the State of North Carolina allows for a two-point credit on the quarterly routine inspection report so again it was more feasible to offer the class in North Carolina. The course was conducted in Mandarin, which is one of many Chinese dialects. Cantonese was the first language for several participants but these individuals all had a rudimentary understanding of Mandarin. Only one native Cantonese speaker did not pass the class. All participants worked in Chinese restaurants; none worked in American-style or other types of restaurants. This allowed the instructors to use teaching examples that were specific to this environment, which is considered to be a sound educational method. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: A no-cost extension was requested until July 2008. Multiple delays occurred during the development of the materials. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) initially expressed interest in allowing the project team the right to translate their food safety certification materials. After waiting nearly six months, the NRA did not grant the project team approval to translate their materials. As a result, all training materials had to be created, which delayed the project. Secondly, it was also difficult to secure a Chinese restaurant and Chinese-speaking actors in North Carolina to shoot the food safety video essential to this project. The video was eventually shot in New Mexico during 2007.
Impacts
In the U.S. there are more Chinese restaurants than there are McDonalds, Wendy's, and Burger King restaurants combined. Given this, Chinese is the third most commonly spoken language in the foodservice industry after English and Spanish. It is critical for the sake of public health that all foodservice workers, including those whose first language is Chinese, learn about safe food handling. Successfully passing a food protection certification examination is a common requirement in many states. Unfortunately, anecdotal reports from food safety educators have shown that Chinese-speakers have one of the lowest passing rates of those who take a certification exam recognized by the U.S. Food Code. The training aids developed as part of this part were designed to increase the number of Chinese-speaking foodservice workers who pass a food safety certification examination. Ninety percent (90%) of the participants in the Chinese-language food safety classes passed the ServSafe examination with a 75% or higher. In North Carolina individuals who pass an ANSI-approved food protection certification exam, which the ServSafe examination is, are eligible for two points credit on their routine inspection report. This is highly desirable for most foodservice operators in North Carolina.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: In the U.S. there are more Chinese restaurants than there are McDonalds, Wendy's, and Burger King restaurants combined. Given this, Chinese is the third most commonly spoken language in the foodservice industry after English and Spanish. It is critical for the sake of public health that all foodservice workers, including those whose first language is Chinese, learn about safe food handling. Successfully passing a food protection certification examination is a common requirement in many states. Unfortunately, anecdotal reports from food safety educators have shown that Chinese-speakers have one of the lowest passing rates of those who take a certification exam recognized by the U.S. Food Code. To address this problem, a comprehensive set of materials has been designed to help food safety educators reach this population as well as to help Chinese-speakers be successful when taking a certification exam. All materials are posted on a specially created website in order to
increase access and reduce cost. All information that appears (or that will appear) on the website is in English and simplified Chinese, which is the same regardless of the Chinese dialect spoken. Mandarin followed by Cantonese has the greatest number of speakers so the materials that include audio is in both of these languages as well as English. The website is still being populated with information. The final website will include a list of Chinese-language resources, information about how to order a food safety video (filmed in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese), a series of 12 songs to help one memorize key food safety concepts, six interactive activities, and a training slide set and corresponding handouts. All work has been finalized except for the list of Chinese-language resources, the online activities, and the videotape. The list of resources is being reviewed again as some of the resources are no longer applicable or the links are broken. Five of the six online interactive
activities were finalized during 2007. Three have been translated and two are in process of being translated. One, which focuses on cooking and holding rice safely, is being reworked and will be completed in early 2008. The food safety video was shot in 2007 and is in the final stages of being edited.
PARTICIPANTS: Angela Fraser, Associate Professor/Food Safety Specialist, NC State University Jeannie Gleason, Professor, New Mexico State University Don Lytton, Danyun Institute, China
TARGET AUDIENCES: Food safety educators who deliver training to the retail food industry and Chinese-speaking foodservice workers who participate in trainings.
PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No changes were made except that a no cost extension was requested to complete the project by July 2008.
Impacts
A no-cost extension was requested until July 2008. Multiple delays occurred during the development of the materials. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) initially expressed interest in allowing the project team the right to translate their food safety certification materials. After waiting nearly six months, the NRA did not grant the project team approval to translate their materials. As a result, all training materials had to be created, which delayed the project. Secondly, it was also difficult to secure a Chinese restaurant and Chinese-speaking actors in North Carolina to shoot the food safety video essential to this project. The video was eventually shot in New Mexico during 2007. At least six months is needed to properly evaluate the materials, which is the reason for the no-cost extension. The evaluation will be completed in spring 2008. Upon completion of the evaluation, the results will be analyzed and summarized by July 1, 2008.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06
Outputs
Chinese is the third most commonly spoken language in U.S. foodservice operations, following English and Spanish. In many areas of the U.S., food safety educators only speak English and so it is difficult for them to effectively train Chinese-speaking foodservice workers. A website was designed to help food safety educators reach this important group -- Chinese-speaking foodservice workers. The website is divided into two sections -- Student Tools and Educator Tools. All materials are based on the 2005 FDA Food Code. The website will go live in 2007. Student Tools contain six interactive activities that will help Chinese-speaking foodservice workers learn key food safety concepts. Educator Tools include training aids for the food safety educator to prepare students to take a food safety certification exam. All materials are available in English and Simplified Chinese. Six interactive activities (in various stages of developmen) have been designed to help
Chinese-speaking foodservice workers learn key food safety concepts. The activities are in both English and Simplified Chinese. The intent of the activities is for the student to complete them so they can "practice" what has been learned in class. The six activities and a brief summary are below: (1) Meet the Bacteria - what is bacteria and how does it grow; (2) Handwashing - how and when to wash hands to prevent foodborne illness; (3) Accept or Reject - how to determine when a shipment of food should be accepted or rejected; (4) Rice cooker - how and why to cook rice to a safe temperature; (5) Dishwashing - how to properly wash and sanitize dishes and utensils; and (6) Kitchen Rollover - an overview of safe and unsafe food handling practices in the kitchen Slide Set -- The slide set can be used in a classroom setting to prepare students to take a food safety certification exam. The slides are divided into 14 sectionsand are based on the 2005 FDA Food Code. All are available in both
English and Simplified Chinese. Printed Materials -- A series of 14 fact sheets were developed to correspond with the slide set. The content of the fact sheets is based on the 2005 FDA Food Code and are available in both English and Simplified Chinese. Songs -- Six songs are available in Mandarin Chinese to make food safety training more fun and interactive. The songs were designed to serve as a memory aid for students to help them remember key training concepts. The written lyrics to each song are available in both English and Simplified Chinese. Video -- Cultural beliefs about food can have a significant effect on how one handles food. A short video will be filmed in early 2007 to address possible barriers to the adoption of safe food handling practices. A script has been prepared and reviewed and actors identified. Many Chinese-language food safety materials are currently available on the web. A selection of these resources has been reviewed and are lprovided for use by
educators.
Impacts
Increased adoption of safe food handling practices by Chinese-speaking foodservice workers. Increased number of Chinese-speaking foodservice workers successfully passing a food safety certification examination.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05
Outputs
After English and Spanish, Chinese is the third most common language spoken in U.S. foodservice establishments. To help Chinese-speakers understand and apply food safety principles, a comprehensive set of training materials was developed. All training materials are scheduled to be piloted during 2006. POWERPOINT SLIDE SET -- 243 slides based on the 2005 version of the FDA Food Code were prepared and translated. The slides can be used in either Chinese-language or English-language trainings to prepare individuals to become certified food protection managers. SLIDE SUMMARIES -- The slide set was divided into 12 teaching sections. For each section, a 2-4 page summary was prepared and translated. VIDEO TRANSCRIPT -- A video transcript was prepared and translated. The purpose of the videotape is to address some cultural beliefs that could affect a Chinese-speaker's willingness to implement U.S. food safety regulations. The videotape will be taped in 2006. ONLINE ACTIVITIES
-- Three interactive online activities are in varying stages of development. The purpose of these activities is to enable Chinese-speakers to practice the information that is being presented in a food safety training.
Impacts
1. The development of a comprehensive Chinese-language food safety training curriculum based on the 2005 Food Code has the potential to result in more effective food safety training for Chinese-speaking foodservice workers in the U.S. 2. Adoption of safe food handling practices could significantly increase because: (1) concepts and principles will be conveyed in a language that is clearly understood by the training participants and (2) barriers to adoption and ways to overcome barriers will be addressed in the curriculum. 3. Compliance with local and state regulations could increase because Chinese-speaking foodservice workers will better understand food safety regulations.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04
Outputs
Foodservice workers who have limited or no English language abilities staff many U.S. foodservice operations. While there are no accurate demographics about these workers, anecdotal reports suggest the most commonly spoken languages in U.S. foodservice operations are English, Spanish and Chinese. Most multi-lingual educational efforts have targeted Spanish-speaking foodservice workers. Little has been done to directly address the training needs of Chinese-speaking foodservice workers. The goal of this project is to develop a Chinese-language supplement to food safety certification curricula that are based on the U.S. Food Code. Chinese-speaking and English-speaking food safety educators can use the proposed supplement, giving Chinese-speaking foodservice workers an opportunity to learn and practice food safety behaviors with materials in their native language. Project Objectives: 1. To assess the food safety training needs of Chinese-speaking foodservice workers in
the U.S. 2. To develop a high quality, two-tier, Chinese-language food safety curriculum for foodservice workers. 3. To evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum at increasing knowledge about safe food handling practices and improving the application of appropriate food safety practices. Accomplishments to Date: Web site. A Web site, in development, will target Chinese-speaking food safety training participants, and will include a link for instructors. The Website will be available on the domain http://www.ChineseFoodSafety.org/net/com The website will include: 1. Interactive activities for participants to practice what they have learned. Activities are currently being developed to focus on the importance of handwashing and the importance of keeping foods such as cooked rice at room temperature. 2. Summary of Chinese-language food safety materials that are currently available online and that have been reviewed by staff at the Danyun Institute, China. 3. An English-language
PowerPoint slide set that can be used in food safety trainings based on the U.S. Food Code is in process. The slide set will be translated into Chinese using the same graphics and watermarks as appear on the Web site. A script for a preclass video to set the stage for cultural beliefs that could be a barrier to the adoption of food safety practices is currently being written. Filming will be done in early 2005. Music has widely been used in advertising to help consumers remember and recognize products. Ms. Kim Lytton, who is fluent in Chinese, will prepare songs based on the following concepts -- temperatures, microorganisms, HACCP, and cleaning/sanitizing. These concepts are generally presented as discrete pieces of information. Many training participants worry about memorizing all of the information. The research team has hypothesized that setting the concepts to music has the potential to make it easier to memorize the information as well as to retain what has been learned.
Impacts
Compliance with local and state foodservice regulations will increase because Chinese-speaking foodservice managers will better understand food safety principles and food safety regulations.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/02 to 09/30/03
Outputs
No progress on this project as the monies were not received until mid-Ocotber and subcontracts had not been finalized.
Impacts
No impact reported as monies were not available.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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