Consumer food safety education for the domestic environment: a systematic review

Abstract

PurposeDespite the recognised importance of food-safety, a large number of consumers do not practice adequate food-safety in the home. Many studies have recommended that education is a key step in preventing food borne illness in the domestic environment. However, few educational or psychosocial interventions have been designed and implemented to improve food-safety knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. Even fewer of these studies have been subject to rigorous appraisal. A systematic review of studies that described and evaluated a food-safety intervention in a non-clinical adult sample was conducted. Design/methodology/approachA total of ten studies met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. Outcomes of interest included food-safety behaviour, behavioural intention, attitudes, knowledge, microbial transfer and the use of Social Cognition Models. FindingsThe evidence regarding the effectiveness of the reviewed interventions on these food-safety outcomes was somewhat positive, however, many gaps remained. For example, of the 5 selfreport behaviour change studies all reported some significant improvement post intervention.However, the percentage of specific behaviours that significantly changed within each study varied between 0.04 to 100%. There were methodological flaws in many of the studies which complicated the interpretation of these results and indicate a need for more research. Research limitations/implications3 Future research should include better defined outcomes, longer follow-up, more rigorous reporting of results and intervention design, the use of randomised controlled trial protocols, and utilising health models to have a greater theoretical underpinning to the studies. Originality/valueThis is the first systematic review examining the effect of psychosocial food-safety interventions on behaviour, attitudes and knowledge.

An application of the theory of planned behavior—a randomized controlled food safety pilot intervention for young adults.

“…Overall, the results of the present study add further evidence to suggest that the TPB is a useful framework for food safety and address the many calls in the literature that have been campaigning for such theoretical underpinnings (Griffith et al, 1995;Milton & Mullan, 2010).…”

“…Calls have been made in the literature for food safety interventions to have a greater theoretical foundation through the use of social cognition models (SCM; Griffith, Mullan, & Price, 1995;Milton & Mullan, 2010). A recent systematic review found that only 10 published studies examining psychosocial food safety interventions had occurred in the developed world (Milton & Mullan, 2010).…”

Foodborne disease risk factors among women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

“…However, an insight into what consumers know and what they need to be educated about can be obtained by such reported behavior . If preventive measures and proper food handling and preparation practices are applied, most foodborne diseases cases can be prevented (Azevedo, Albano, Silva, & Teixeira, 2014;Milton & Mullan, 2010;Powell, Jacob, & Chapman, 2011). However, as farm produce and food products are not pathogen-free, whoever handles and prepares food at home plays an essential role in preventing such diseases (Medeiros, Hillers, Kendall, & Mason, 2001).…”

Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to design a food hygiene intervention

“…A systematic review of food safety interventions (Milton & Mullan, 2010) found that they have been predominantly educational, using persuasive messages and targeting knowledge, for example the ‗Fight Bac' intervention (www.fightbac.org, 2002) and ‗Now You're Cooking... using a Food Thermometer' (Takeuchi, Hillers, Edwards, Edlefsen, & McCurdy, 2005). The Fight Bac intervention was successful at increasing knowledge of food hygiene compared to non-exposed counterparts, however it only increased actual behaviours, such as defrosting meat in the refrigerator, by approximately 7% (Dharod, Pérez-Escamilla, Bermúdez-Millán, Segura-Pérez, & Damio, 2004).…”