Food safety training for restaurant and delicatessen workers (1997 FDA Food Code)
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Scientist(s):
John Noell, PhD
,
Lynne Swartz, MPH, CHES
Foodborne illness (e.g., salmonella and e.coli) is a major public health concern and a problem that can be minimized with proper training of food handlers in delis and restaurants. Although lack of information and time for consistent training are certainly problems, worker motivation and confidence to use appropriate techniques are significant obstacles. The Oregon Center for Applied Science, Inc., developed a multimedia program to meet manager requests for training that presented information in a "real-world" rather than written (pen and paper) context.
The Multimedia Food Handlers Program is a self-paced CD-ROM designed to teach and confirm mastery of the 1997 FDA Food Code without the need for managerial supervision. To track viewer progress and completion of the program, viewers log in at the beginning. They then take an onscreen multiple-choice test to determine which areas of the Food Code they have already mastered and which points require further attention. The five modules are hand washing and personal hygiene, food preparation, cross-contamination, managing temperatures, and safe storage and cleanup. On the basis of their answers to the pretest, viewers are guided to only those modules where they need improvement.
Managers and front-line workers offer instruction by talking about the challenges they face using these techniques and how they have overcome those challenges. In addition, viewers hear from victims of foodborne illness. Following animated and video demonstrations of correct techniques, viewers are given a real-world challenge test during which they watch two deli workers in a typical setting preparing food and making occasional mistakes in the process. Users who correctly signal a mistake and identify the nature of the mistake proceed through the module. Those who do not correctly identify the errors are routed through a remedial loop until they attain mastery. Supervisors can track user progress through the modules by reviewing printouts of completion certificates.
To evaluate the food handlers’ CD-ROM, 44 experienced and inexperienced delicatessen workers answered a series of questions regarding their knowledge and attitudes about safe food-handling techniques. They then went through the program, viewed those areas that needed improvement, and answered the questionnaire a second time after receiving the training.
Using the Multimedia Food Handlers Program resulted in increased knowledge about important skills. Perhaps more important, given a general lack of motivation to use these skills, the program increased awareness about the severity of foodborne illness and the importance of thorough hand washing to prevent its spread. Gains were significant among both the experienced and the inexperienced workers. In addition, both groups showed significant improvement in their intention to use safe food-handling practices and their confidence to do so. On the basis of the strength of these results, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered funding for an expanded and updated study: Food safety training for restaurant and delicatessen workers (1999 FDA Food Code).
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