Mojca Jevšnik

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.

Bacterial adhesion capacity on food service contact surfaces

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyse the adhesion of E. coli, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus on food contact materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate, silicone, aluminium, Teflon and glass. Surface roughness, streaming potential and contact angle were measured. Bacterial properties by contact angle and specific charge density were characterised. The bacterial adhesion analysis using staining method and scanning electron microscopy showed the lowest adhesion on smooth aluminium and hydrophobic Teflon for most of the bacteria. However, our study indicates that hydrophobic bacteria with high specific charge density attach to those surfaces more intensively. In food services, safety could be increased by selecting material with low adhesion to prevent cross contamination.

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.

Food safety knowledge, self-reported practices and attitude of poultry meat handling among Slovenian consumers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate Slovenian consumers’ knowledge and self-reported practices in poultry meat handling during purchase, transport, and preparation in home kitchens and to assess the awareness of the microbiological risk associated with poultry meat, with an emphasis on Campylobacter. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study of consumers’ food safety knowledge, self-reported practices, and awareness of the microbiological risk was conducted from March to April 2015 at supermarkets in different parts of Slovenia. A convenience sample of 560 consumers was obtained. Gender and age distribution were controlled by 28 interviewers, each of whom distributed 20 questionnaires. The questionnaire included 33 questions divided into four parts. Findings The results revealed consumers awareness of food safety issues. Respondents have some basic knowledge about proper food handling. However, a substantial number of consumers still lacks knowledge of the microbiological risk and has bad habits in domestic poultry meat preparation. Research limitations/implications The research did not reflect a representative sample of Slovenian consumers. Practical implications The results indicate some gaps in consumers’ food safety knowledge and self-reported practices. Current Campylobacter preventive strategies regarding retail poultry meat contamination are not yet sufficiently successful. Originality/value The study provides valuable insight into consumers’ food safety knowledge and self-reported practices in poultry meat handling from shopping to eating. Opportunities for improvement in consumers’ formal and informal education and training should be offered.

The microbiological quality of Slovenian raw milk from vending machines and their hygienic-technical conditions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the microbiological quality of raw milk delivered by 17 vending machines (VM) owned by different Slovenian milk producers. Design/methodology/approach For the determination of hygiene-technical conditions of VM, an observation list that included criteria for estimation of hygiene-technical suitability was made. A total of 51 milk samples were collected in three different seasons. The swabs and the cleaning liquid (eluates) of dispensing nozzles and chambers were also sampled. The main groups of microorganisms were determined by colony count technique according to international standards in all collected samples. Findings The aerobic colony count was higher than 100,000 CFU/mL in 20 (39.2 per cent) of milk samples. Its mean value was 4.8 log10 CFU/mL. The mean values of Enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophic microorganisms, lipolytes, proteolytes, yeasts and moulds together, coagulase-positive staphylococci and somatic cell count were 3.3 log10 CFU/mL, 4.1 log10 CFU/mL, 3.2 log10 CFU/mL, 3.9 log10 CFU/mL, 2.2 log10 CFU/mL, 2.8 log10 CFU/mL and 5.3 log10 cells/mL, respectively. E. coli was found in 33.3 per cent of milk samples, while Listeria monocytogenes and antibiotics were not detected. The inner surface contamination of the dispensing nozzles and chambers was estimated in the range from 1.8 log10 CFU to 6.0 log10 CFU/cm2. The presence of detergents and disinfectants in supply valve eluates was determined in more than one-third of the samples. The hygienic-technical conditions of observed VM show some deviations from specified hygienic-technical requirements which could influence the safety of raw milk. Research limitations/implications The data about construction and the cleaning practice of VM, included in the experiment, were not available during the inspection facility. Originality/value In the paper the pathogenic and also the spoilage microorganisms in milk in the combination with hygienic conditions of inside surfaces of VM were studied.

Food Safety Systems

Throughout the world, major shifts in food consumption at a global and regional level are occurring with considerable health consequences which results in increasing food safety and quality demands and requirements. A food safety management system is a set of interacting elements forming a network to ensure that food presents a minimal risk to consumers and includes good practices, HACCP system, management policies, traceability systems, and standards while considering food safety regulation. The vast numbers of laws, regulations, standards, good practices, and codes make everybody confused, even those who are working in the field on a regular basis and are forced to keep up with the developments. To achieve food-related disease prevention and efficient safe food assurance suitable for working environment from the hygienic-technical point of view, motivated, satisfied, and qualified personnel needs to be assured. Consumers are not connected to food supply chain according to chain principles. However, it has been shown that present maintenance of food safety in food supply chain can be easily broken down, because of different kinds of barriers or simple misunderstanding. Therefore, a new approach called “good nutritional practice” (GNP) was coined to manage food safety. It is important to reconstruct the existent food safety system with GNP which includes consumers and is based on a model that covers subsystems from other good practices through the food supply chain. There is also considerable interest in reducing humankind’s impact on the climate and invested effort has focused around the contribution that food makes to global warming such as carbon footprint, wastes, food miles, etc., and promotion of sustainable development. The Consumers Future Food reveals that there is a revolution, which raises ethical concerns all the way from stable to table, from farm to fork, from spring to drink. On the dinner tables of tomorrow, consumers may expect a new food icon that is the result of an evolution which is transforming the very nature of the food we eat with a view to create a new breed of future prospects for healthy and safe nutrition.

Food Supply Chains vs. Food Supply Nets

Public health care is directly connected with the assurance of healthy and safe food. Food systems are experiencing new possibilities in their practices due to rapid technical and technological advancements in the developed world. A hazard is a (micro)biological, chemical, physical agent or condition with the potential to cause adverse health effects. Managing hazards and surrounding circumstances does not mean that we completely manage safety. Currently, we master food safety via nine good practices, obligatory HACCP system and many standards on the food safety field. All current active practices are segregated along the food supply chain. Because they are not connected into a comprehensive system, there are many gaps in the food supply chain in which the potential for food hazard exposure exists. To reduce all such gaps in food supply chains, a food safety platform with the consumer as an active partner in Good Nutrition Practice appears to be the relevant choice for the current state of the development of food production processing and nutrition. A more effective system of primary education and the lifelong learning of food-related topics are needed. To achieve total quality and food safety, a multidisciplinary and an innovative approach, which would be capable of quick and effective responses in the food supply chain, is needed. Consequently, this adjusts system to multidimensional space with all relevant activities in time. All essential actions should be managed in the space between two layers, where all relations and control actions with different professional stakeholders and finally the consumer are determined. This led us from a chain to a network. The network approach would be much more relevant to interconnect all existing nodes in current food supply systems. This would involve and emphasize the importance of the subjective comprehension of health and safety concepts, which are a constituent part of well-being.