Evaluating North Carolina Food Pantry Food Safety-Related Operating Procedures

Abstract

Almost one in seven American households were food insecure in 2012, experiencing difficulty in providing enough food for all family members due to a lack of resources. Food pantries assist a food-insecure population through emergency food provision, but there is a paucity of information on the food safety-related operating procedures used in the pantries. Food pantries operate in a variable regulatory landscape; in some jurisdictions, they are treated equivalent to restaurants, while in others, they operate outside of inspection regimes. By using a mixed methods approach to catalog the standard operating procedures related to food in 105 food pantries from 12 North Carolina counties, we evaluated their potential impact on food safety. Data collected through interviews with pantry managers were supplemented with observed food safety practices scored against a modified version of the North Carolina Food Establishment Inspection Report. Pantries partnered with organized food bank networks were compared with those that operated independently. In this exploratory research, additional comparisons were examined for pantries in metropolitan areas versus nonmetropolitan areas and pantries with managers who had received food safety training versus managers who had not. The results provide a snapshot of how North Carolina food pantries operate and document risk mitigation strategies for foodborne illness for the vulnerable populations they serve. Data analysis reveals gaps in food safety knowledge and practice, indicating that pantries would benefit from more effective food safety training, especially focusing on formalizing risk management strategies. In addition, new tools, procedures, or policy interventions might improve information actualization by food pantry personnel.

Introduction of highly effective proactive food safety management programs into food distribution channels: For safe food labeling and safe advertisements

“…The checklist is developed by checking for the most basic compliance with the country's laws (Luning & Marcelis, ; Trienekens & Zuurbier, ; Varzakas, ). In‐depth criteria, recommended widely as global guidelines, are used to develop the checklist (British Retail Consortium [BRC], , Chilled Food Association, ; Chaifetz & Chapman, ). The checklist largely comprises 9 categories and 22 subcategories.…”

New procedures for food handlers under infectious gastrointestinal disease: To control emerging microbial problems

“…If administrative authority is inadequate to cope with such situations, related industries or businesses can strengthen their internal food safety guidelines, and this will be reflected in standard operating procedures. Generally, SSOPs could serve as anticipatory countermeasures for secure food safety (Chaifetz & Chapman, ; Cusato et al, ; Kussaga et al, ; Viator et al, ).…”

“…Our research team also proposed the need for countermeasures based on microbiological and etiological fundamentals (J. M. Park, You, Cho, et al, ; J. M. Park, You, Kim, et al, ). Therefore, this study designed new procedures for coping with the occurrence of foodborne infectious disease among food handlers in the SSOP format for bigger restaurants, which have adequate economic capabilities for operating new procedures (Chaifetz & Chapman, ; Cusato et al, ; Kussaga, Luning, Tiisekwa, & Jacxsens, ; Viator, Muth, Brophy, & Noyes, ). These new sanitation procedures can be used in large food franchise companies such as conglomerate or hotel restaurants, which require management policies for food handlers' infection control to prevent cases similar to the typhoid fever or EHEC outbreak triggered by infected food handlers in Korea.…”

Microbial control measures for soft ice cream in franchise brands: A comparative analysis of microbial analysis and manufacturing practices

“…Generally, the checklist used in this project was developed by checking for the most basic compliance with the country's laws (Luning & Marcelis, 2006;Trienekens & Zuurbier, 2007;Varzakas, 2011). Moreover, in-depth criteria, recommended widely as global guidelines, were also used to develop the checklist (British Retail Consortium, 2011;Chaifetz & Chapman, 2015;Chilled Food Association, 2006). Checklist clauses related to microbial control issues applied by this study are listed in Table 4.…”