Application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Methodology and Risk-Based Grading to Consumer Food Safety Surveys

Abstract

Traditionally, consumer food safety survey responses have been classified as either "right" or "wrong" and food handling practices that are associated with high risk of infection have been treated in the same way as practices with lower risks. In this study, a risk-based method for consumer food safety surveys has been developed, and HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) methodology was used for selecting relevant questions. We conducted a nationally representative Web-based survey (n = 2,008), and to fit the self-reported answers we adjusted a risk-based grading system originally developed for observational studies. The results of the survey were analyzed both with the traditional "right" and "wrong" classification and with the risk-based grading system. The results using the two methods were very different. Only 5 of the 10 most frequent food handling violations were among the 10 practices associated with the highest risk. These 10 practices dealt with different aspects of heat treatment (lacking or insufficient), whereas the majority of the most frequent violations involved storing food at room temperature for too long. Use of the risk-based grading system for survey responses gave a more realistic picture of risks associated with domestic food handling practices. The method highlighted important violations and minor errors, which are performed by most people and are not associated with significant risk. Surveys built on a HACCP-based approach with risk-based grading will contribute to a better understanding of domestic food handling practices and will be of great value for targeted information and educational activities.

Ethics in Food Safety Management

“…This is not the case in Norway where unpeeled fruit and raw vegetables are consumed frequently. In many ways Norway is a food safety oasis in Europe, with a livestock population virtually free from Salmonella and where only one out of nine national outbreaks of infectious intestinal diseases linked to lettuce, sprouts, sugar peas and basil the last 20 years came from Norwegian produce (Røssvoll et al, 2012). The problem is that consumers' food safety habits and routines, inherited from parents, are not always adapted to handle new food scares from imported products.…”

Food Safety Practices among Norwegian Consumers

“…The questionnaire was part o f a broader interdisciplinary study with a total of 54 questions. The questionnaire took approximately 20 min to complete (27,53).…”

“…Much has changed since these women received their formal food safety training 25 or more years ago, and these women may have been overconfident in their own judgment. The continuing globalization of the food market is introducing both new types of foods and new types of pathogens, which require new approaches to preparation and hygienic practices (53). The Such studies can still provide a good starting point for identification of the critical steps in consumers' food handling practices but will provide insufficient information to draw conclusions about the present conditions in Norway because of different risk scenarios concerning eating habits, culture, climate and so forth.…”

“…In Norway, new food habits have arisen from the increased availability of new and unfamiliar foods imported from all over the world, including countries where pathogens such as Salmonella and enterohemorrhagic E. coll are more commonly associated with food products (53).…”

“…However, consumers also are in a position, through their own unsafe food handling practices, to undo much of the good work done previously in the food production chain. In a previous study, we identified and ranked the most high-risk food handling practices among Norwegian consumers (53).…”