The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected consumers' food handling behaviors. We conducted a qualitative research study to investigate how and why Canadians engaged in different food handling and hand hygiene behaviors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Online, text-based focus groups were conducted following a semistructured question guide in May and June 2020. A thematic analysis was conducted using the Theoretical Domains Framework as a coding guide. A total of 42 consumers participated across seven focus groups. The most notable changes in behaviors were seen in participants' hand washing, sanitation, and grocery shopping practices. Participants tended to perceive grocery store employees, shoppers, and foodservice staff as having inadequate sanitation precautions and therefore as a source of COVID-19 transmission risk. They heavily relied on public health, medical, and government officials as sources of information. Feelings of stress and anxiety appeared to be linked to certain sanitation behaviors. Many participants displayed a general apathy toward routine food safety practices, such as safe food storage at home. This research supports the need for clear and concise messaging for safe food handling during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future times of crisis.

Objectives: To investigate how and why Canadians engaged in different food handling and hand hygiene behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Seven online, text-based focus groups were conducted with a total of 42 participants. Eligible participants included adults living in Canada that prepared meals at home at least once per week. Focus groups took place from May-June 2020 and followed a semi-structured question guide. Participants were asked about their practices relating to food preparation habits at home; food purchasing, handling, and storage; hand hygiene and sanitation; and information sources about food safety concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. A thematic analysis was conducted using the Theoretical Domains Framework as a coding guide. Results: The most notable changes in behaviour since the onset of the pandemic were seen in participants' hand washing, sanitation, and grocery shopping practices. Participants tended to perceive grocery store employees, shoppers, and food service staff as having inadequate sanitation precautions and, therefore, as a source of COVID-19 transmission risk. They heavily relied on public health, medical, and government officials as sources of information. Feelings of stress and anxiety appeared to be linked to certain sanitation behaviours. Many participants displayed a general apathy toward routine food safety practices such as safe food storage at home. Conclusion: This work supports the need for clear and concise messaging for hand hygiene and food safety behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future times of crisis. It also highlights a need for ongoing food safety messaging.

Case and contact management (CCM) teams play a vital role in the COVID-19 pandemic response. This study aims to understand the experiences of CCM team members during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify areas of improvement for future crises. A mixed-methods, cross-sectional online survey was conducted from November 2020 to March 2021. There were a total of 49 relevant survey responses. Participants were CCM team members responding to the pandemic in Ontario. Frequency tabulations were used to analyze closed-ended survey responses, and both a conventional content analysis and thematic analysis were conducted on the open-ended responses. Study results revealed that inadequate planning and preparedness, poor communication, high workloads, and stress levels of CCM team members were notable areas of concern. These matters ultimately affected the well-being of CCM team members and acted as barriers to completing CCM work. It is imperative that adequate staffing and accessibility to mental health support from employers are improved in future times of crisis to ensure that CCM teams are able to meet the demands of their work. Further studies should be conducted to examine the experiences of CCM team members as well as barriers and facilitators to completing CCM work.