Pet Ownership and Pet Type Influence Food Safety in the Home: Evidence from a National Survey.

ABSTRACT: Physical contact between humans and their pets increases the potential for zoonotic disease transmission. This study used the 2016 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Survey to compare the food handling behaviors of pet owners and non-pet owners, because poor food handling and hygiene habits can increase the likelihood of disease transmission from animals to humans. Results show that both pet ownership and pet type were important in predicting food safety behaviors. After controlling for sociodemographic factors included in this study (gender, age, household income, household size, and race or ethnicity), pet ownership was significantly associated with overall food safety practices and, more specifically, with better hand washing behaviors, kitchen cleaning, and ownership and use of a food thermometer, as well as a greater awareness of foodborne pathogens. Cat owners and cat-dog owners had better overall food safety practices and better hand washing behaviors compared with those of dog owners. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, there were no significant associations between pet ownership and perception of risks associated with unsafe food handling practices.

Cookbooks in U.S. history: How do they reflect food safety from 1896 to 2014?

Historical cookbooks as a source of recipes and food preparation information would be expected to document advancements in food safety related to kitchen equipment, cleaning, foodborne illness knowledge, and consumer education materials. In turn, this food safety information might be expected to contribute to consumers' food safety behaviors. Using both quantitative and qualitative research methodology, this study assessed how food safety information in cookbooks changed and how quickly advancements were incorporated. Faster assimilation into cookbooks was associated with kitchen equipment, educational resources (hotlines and websites), and foodborne illness outbreaks. The rate of incorporation of education materials was moderate. Cleaning advances were the slowest to be incorporated. Modern cookbooks published after the 1980's rapidly evolved with advances in food safety knowledge.

How Clean Are Hotel Rooms? Part I: Visual Observations vs. Microbiological Contamination.

Current evidence of hotel room cleanliness is based on observation rather than empirically based microbial assessment. The purpose of the study described here was to determine if observation provides an accurate indicator of cleanliness. Results demonstrated that visual assessment did not accurately predict microbial contamination. Although testing standards have not yet been established for hotel rooms and will be evaluated in Part II of the authors' study, potential microbial hazards included the sponge and mop (housekeeping cart), toilet, bathroom floor, bathroom sink, and light switch. Hotel managers should increase cleaning in key areas to reduce guest exposure to harmful bacteria.

How Clean Are Hotel Rooms? Part II: Examining the Concept of Cleanliness Standards.

Hotel room cleanliness is based on observation and not on microbial assessment even though recent reports suggest that infections may be acquired while staying in hotel rooms. Exploratory research in the first part of the authors' study was conducted to determine if contamination of hotel rooms occurs and whether visual assessments are accurate indicators of hotel room cleanliness. Data suggested the presence of microbial contamination that was not reflective of visual assessments. Unfortunately, no standards exist for interpreting microbiological data and other indicators of cleanliness in hotel rooms. The purpose of the second half of the authors' study was to examine cleanliness standards in other industries to see if they might suggest standards in hotels. Results of the authors' study indicate that standards from other related industries do not provide analogous criteria, but do provide suggestions for further research.

Persistence of Salmonella and E. coli on the surface of restaurant menus.

To the authors' knowledge, the role of restaurant menus as a vehicle for pathogens has not been explored. Menus, however, can pose as a vector for bacterial contamination and transfer. Sampling menus from two restaurants in the Houston, Texas, area showed the presence of up to 100 CFU/cm2 aerobic bacteria. Follow-up studies designed to investigate the ability of Salmonella and E. coli to persist on paper and laminated menus at various time points (0, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours) demonstrated that bacteria persist more efficiently on laminated menus as compared to paper menus. Transfer studies performed to quantitatively determine the ability of bacteria to transfer from menus to fingertips and from fingertips to clean menus showed that bacteria can be transferred for up to 24 hours. The study described here showed that restaurant menus may serve as vehicles for pathogens and hence present a public health issue within the retail food environment.

Using health inspection scores to assess risk in food services.

This study gathered health inspectors' opinions about appropriate weightings of critical, noncritical, and repeat violations under the current food inspection system, and developed a classification of violations for high-, medium-, and low-risk restaurants. Results showed that health inspectors thought that the appropriate weights were five points for a critical violation, one point for a noncritical violation, and double points for a repeat violation. In addition, health inspectors thought that the maximum numbers of critical violations for a high-, medium-, and low-risk category were 2.05, 3.02, and 4.83, respectively, and for noncritical violations, 4.59, 7.30, and 10.37, respectively. A paired t-test was used to compare these values with estimations based on the traditional health inspection scoring system. Results indicate that the maximum number of critical violations for medium risk and maximum numbers of noncritical violations for low-, medium-, or high-risk restaurants were significantly different between health inspectors' opinions and mathematical estimations. Health inspectors appear to be stricter than the traditional health inspection scoring system about violations, particularly repeat violations, and their importance in enforcement of food safety.

Clients' safe food-handling knowledge and risk behavior in a home-delivered meal program.

OBJECTIVE: To determine typical handling practices of home-delivered meals, and provide appropriate handling instructions to reduce the risk of foodborne illness by improving consumer handling of home-delivered meals. DESIGN: Once permission was given by the home-delivered meal site directors, clients were provided a voluntary survey and requested by the delivery drivers to complete the self-administered questionnaire. The completed questionnaire was collected by the driver the following day. Because of the special needs of the home-delivered meal populations, the questionnaire was made as easy and convenient to answer as possible. SUBJECTS: Two hundred fifty-eight male clients (31%) and 575 female clients (69%) whose mean age was 79 years participated in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The respondents' safe food-handling practices, food safety knowledge, and demographic information were assessed. Average time for delivery and consumption of meals were also measured. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics (frequency and chi(2) test) of the participants' handling of home-delivered meals, their general food safety knowledge, and demographic information were reported. Delivery time and consumption time were calculated for each subject. RESULTS: Five hundred thirty-six of 869 clients (63%) reported that they ate their meals as soon as they were delivered. Of those clients who did not eat their meals immediately, 234 (82%) stored the cold food in the refrigerator and 142 (58%) stored the hot food in the freezer. More than one-third of the clients (n=277, 35%) reported that they had leftovers and only 34 (15%) ate the leftovers within 2 hours. Significant differences among groups on the basis of a derived food safety knowledge score were observed in terms of whether or not they ate their meal immediately (P

Mitigating the risk of food handling in the home-delivered meal program.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the length of time between packing and delivery of home-delivered meals, and the extent of foodborne illness risk to the elderly. Procedures to mitigate that risk were also evaluated. Researchers surveyed 95 drivers from home-delivered meal preparation sites in six states across the United States to determine the average length of time that passed during packing, loading, leaving, and delivery. The efficiency of various risk mitigation methods were evaluated and used to adjust the actual delivery time. Total average delivery time from packing to last delivery was 1.92 hours. This study suggests that the risk associated with the actual 1.92 hours of total delivery time could be mitigated to represent approximately 1.55 hours of effective time with proper packing and holding conditions. This methodology proposes a single measure for evaluating the effectiveness of various handling procedures associated with distributing home-delivered meals, which can be utilized to evaluate overall risk when combined with in-house preparation and client-handling behaviors.

Analysis of governmental Web sites on food safety issues: a global perspective.

Despite a growing concern over food safety issues, as well as a growing dependence on the Internet as a source of information, little research has been done to examine the presence and relevance of food safety-related information on Web sites. The study reported here conducted Web site analysis in order to examine the current operational status of governmental Web sites on food safety issues. The study also evaluated Web site usability, especially information dimensionalities such as utility, currency, and relevance of content, from the perspective of the English-speaking consumer. Results showed that out of 192 World Health Organization members, 111 countries operated governmental Web sites that provide information about food safety issues. Among 171 searchable Web sites from the 111 countries, 123 Web sites (71.9 percent) were accessible, and 81 of those 123 (65.9 percent) were available in English. The majority of Web sites offered search engine tools and related links for more information, but their availability and utility was limited. In terms of content, 69.9 percent of Web sites offered information on foodborne-disease outbreaks, compared with 31.5 percent that had travel- and health-related information.

Food safety certification regulations in the United States.

Food handlers often lack food safety training. Adequate training is important because foodborne illness results in costs of $7.7 to $23 billion per year to consumers, the food industry, and the national economy. Generally, however, training is evaluated through standardized examinations for which a certificate is awarded. Many states have turned to mandatory certification, but regulations vary. This paper summarizes state regulations with respect to mandatory certification. Among states that mandate certification, most require one certified food safety manager per site. The certified safety manager need not be on site at all times and must be recertified at least every five years. Certification is accomplished by passing one of the four exams previously recognized by the Conference for Food Protection (CFP), three of which the Conference for Food Protection-American National Standards Institute (CFP-ANSI) now accredits.

Food service health inspectors' opinions on the reporting of inspections in the media.

Media reporting of restaurant inspection results is a topic hotly debated by food service health inspectors. A survey of Indiana health inspectors was conducted to determine attitudes, preferences, and perceptions about the impact of media reporting. The survey showed that in the geographic areas of slightly fewer than half of the respondents, inspection results were already being reported in the media. The question of whether media reporting was advisable received mixed responses, with slightly over half favoring media reporting. Respondents were more likely to favor media reporting if they were from areas where inspection results were already being reported to the media, areas with larger populations, or areas in which more restaurant inspections were being done. Newspapers were the preferred venue for media reporting.