Home Food Safety Practices of Government Employees in Osceola County, Florida

摘要

The objectives of this study were to determine the in-home food-handling practices (e.g., personal hygiene, food preparation, food storage, sanitation) and behavior of consumers, and to determine their educational needs. Data were obtained by a mailedsurvey of a random sample of 600 Osceola County employees. This survey sample provided diversity with regard to age.gender, race, educational level, and income. In addition, some of the participants had previously participated in Osceola County Cooperative Extension Food Safety and Wellness Programs.The instrument included questions about food-handling behaviors and allowed the respondents to mark how often they performed each task. Analysis of survey data from the total of 376 respondents indicated that many participants may be using potentially risky food-handling techniques. Major food safety risk factors identified included cooling food at room temperature, improper use of dishtowels, lack of thermometer use in cooking and refrigerated storage, and many other actions that could lead to cross contamination in the kitchen. Information gained from the survey will facilitate the development of appropriate consumer education brochures and programs.