Andrej Ovca

Future professional food handlers’ perspectives towards food safety

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into various food safety aspects of future professional food handlers, representing different professions in the food supply chain (FSC), close to the end of their formal education. Design/methodology/approach A total of 15 focus group discussions including 94 participants were conducted. A semi-structured approach was applied to discussions about the comprehension of food safety, the responsibility for food safety, the barriers hindering food safety practices, and the food safety influence of other people. Findings Differences related to the field of study and level of education were identified. The results demonstrate the diversity of interpretations of food safety with control of biological hazards strongly emphasized. The responsibility for food safety is perceived differently by position in the FSC. Different barriers related to the working environment and personal factors were identified. Parental influence on the target population is decreased as focus is shifted to the teachers of practical classes and especially to the instructors in food enterprises. Research limitations/implications Considering the response rate and the small number of schools offering a specific study programme not all the study fields and educational levels were equally represented. Practical implications The findings could assist educators, policy makers, and food business operators in their efforts to develop educational programmes that will more effectively contribute to the safety of food. Originality/value No research thus far has focussed on students being educated as future professional food handlers.

Food safety practices of future food handlers and their teachers, observed during practical lessons

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate future food handlers’ practices during practical lessons close to the end of their formal vocational education, and to record teachers’ behaviour and to evaluate classrooms that were intended for practical lessons. Design/methodology/approach A total of 90 students between 17 and 19 years of age, 12 teachers, and 12 training classrooms intended for practical lessons, which were divided into six observation sessions in the field of catering and six observation sessions in the field of food processing (bakery, confectionery, and butchery), were observed. Findings Both proper and inappropriate food-handling practices were observed among teachers and students. Comparing the hygienic-technical conditions of the training classrooms with teachers’ and students’ behaviour revealed several interconnected situations increasing the risk of food contamination during the production process. Research limitations/implications Data were collected by one observer who was not part of the class. The sample size was small, limiting the generalisability of the results. Practical implications The results indicate the weaknesses in the formal vocational education of future professional food handlers. Social implications Good food safety practices among food handlers reduce societal costs related to health-care systems and food industry economic losses. Originality/value The study provides an insight into the education and training of future professional food handlers in a controlled environment in educational institutions.

Comparison of zinc species in two specimens of edible plants and their fate in the human gastrointestinal tract

The objectives of this work were to get information on Zn species in two different specimens of edible plants (pumpkin seeds and iceberg lettuce) and simulation of their behavior in the human gastrointestinal tract. An array of analytical techniques was used to aid in this research: ultrasound-assisted variable volume extraction, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and physiologically based extraction tests (PBETs); elemental detection was performed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results show that pumpkin seeds and iceberg lettuce have different Zn species fingerprints (in water extracts) with a high (ca. 70 %) low-molecular-weight fraction (ca. 500 Da) in iceberg lettuce and a high (ca. 60 %) intermediate/high-molecular-weight fraction (10–20 kDa) in pumpkin seeds. When these Zn species are subjected to conditions simulating the human stomach (pH ~ 2) complete scrambling to their basic ionic form (Zn2+) takes place. Under conditions simulating the digestion in the intestines (pH ~ 7) formation of insoluble Zn complexes occurs, especially for pumpkin seeds, which may be related to antinutrients like naturally present phytate, leading to reduced Zn bioaccessibility in the small intestine.