Colorado State University Extension
SafeFood Rapid Response Network
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Changes in Consumer Food Safety Practices
Edited by: Mary Schroeder, M.S., R.D. & Pat Kendall, Ph.D., R.D., Colorado State - Winter 2003
Since USDA's farm-to-table initiatives were implemented in 1996, many consumer education strategies, such as Fight BAC® and the Thermy® Campaign, have helped make consumers more food safety savvy. How much progress has been made? Through analyses of existing surveys, observational data and consumer focus groups, the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) identified many improvements in the areas of consumer knowledge, safe food handling practices and confidence in the safety of meat and poultry.
On the good side, consumers are confident in the safety of meat and poultry that they consume at home and attribute their confidence to increased awareness of safe handling practices, largely in response to media coverage of food safety and information provided on food labels. Consumers worry more about how meat and poultry are handled prior to purchase than about how they handle it at home.
Knowledge of pathogens is high for Salmonella (93%) and E. coli (88%), but remains much lower for Listeria (31%). While knowledge of those at higher risk of foodborne illness has increased, people are still mostly unaware that pregnant women are included in this category.
Over half (60%) of consumers now own a food thermometer. About one-third actually use a food thermometer when cooking roasts, but thermometer use for other foods still remains low, with many not knowing how to correctly use or interpret the reading. Many report eating hamburgers that are more thoroughly cooked due to food safety concerns.
In the area of hand washing, the majority of consumers report that they usually wash their hands (85%) and properly clean cutting boards (82%). However, they are not as conscientious about keeping raw meat/poultry separate from other foods when grocery shopping or during refrigerator storage at home.
Areas still needing improvement include properly defrosting meat and poultry, safely reheating leftovers and following the "when in doubt, throw it out" rule. Many consumers are not familiar with the two-hour rule (to refrigerate or freeze foods within two hours or less) and do not divide large amounts of leftovers into several smaller containers for quicker cooling.
Based on the study's findings, consumer food safety education efforts have made a difference and should continue. The final report, Changes in Consumer Knowledge, Behavior, and Confidence, published in September 2002, can be accessed at www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/research/research.htm.
Source: Research Triangle Institute. PR/HACCP Rule Evaluation Report. Changes in Consumer Knowledge, Behavior, and Confidence since the 1996 PR/HACCP Final Rule. Sept. 2002.
