Focus Group Summaries

                                    Group:             Young Parent Home Food Preparers
                                    Location:             Raleigh, NC
                                    Moderator:       Sheri Cates
                                    Date:             July 19, 1999

Ten persons, aged 21 to 35, participated in the young parents focus group. Nine participants were parents of children aged six or younger. Two participants were pregnant, and one did not have other children at home. All participants had more than 12 years of education. All were primary food preparers in their home or shared responsibility for preparing meals. Two participants were of Hispanic origin while the remaining eight were Caucasian. Specific demographic information is shown below.

When asked what comes to mind when they think of food safety, some participants mentioned “cleansing” and “cleanliness.” One person mentioned not having juices and blood from meats on the counters and silverware. Others discussed washing hands, rinsing fruits and vegetables, and using fresh meats.

Most participants seemed to be somewhat concerned about food safety. At least six participants said they were more concerned about the safety of foods in restaurants than in their own homes. However, one person was very concerned about food safety at home and worries about how old meats are and if they smell fresh. Another person was very concerned because of news stories about people getting sick and dying from foodborne illness. One participant said she is not concerned about food safety anywhere.

Participants said they get food safety information from a variety of places, in particular television and the news. Others got information from their mothers, work experience, and package labeling.

Participants mentioned bacteria, parasites, and food being left out as causes of foodborne illness. Foods they consider more likely to cause foodborne illness include chicken, seafood, and eggs.

When asked what populations other than children are at high risk for foodborne illness, participants mentioned senior citizens. However, in spite of knowing that children are at higher risk, most participants said they were not more cautious and have not changed behaviors since having children. One person switched from a wooden to a plastic cutting board and is more careful about wiping counters and washing things immediately to protect her child.

Most participants were familiar with the safe food handling label on raw meat and poultry products. When asked what information they recall from the label, participants mentioned keeping meat away from other foods, wiping counters and cutting boards, washing hands, keeping food refrigerated, and expiration and sell-by dates. One person said she was more aware of the information on food labels because her mother has been encouraging her to pay more attention to food safety.

Participants thought “cook thoroughly” meant to cook to a certain temperature or cook until the juices run clear. One person said to just burn the food. One person said “cook to proper temperatures” meant he would use his cookbook for a food he did not prepare often and did not know to what temperature to cook it.

All participants said they look at expiration dates on meat and poultry products. A few participants said they consider the words “sell-by” to be the last date they should use a product. One person said he would not use a product past the sell-by date because he had suffered foodborne illness before and did not want to take any chances.

All participants said they use paper towels for clean up. Several said they use bleach or cleaner with the paper towel. All participants said they do not reuse paper towels.

Participants were asked how they protect their families from foodborne illness. Participants mentioned the following: keeping work surfaces clean, smelling and rinsing meats before using, using a new (clean) dish to take food off the grill, washing cutting boards before reusing them, and washing hands with soap and hot water. No one mentioned using a food thermometer.

Although three people own food thermometers, only two use a thermometer when cooking large cuts of meat (i.e., roasts and turkeys). One person said he used a thermometer with large cuts of meat to preserve the look of the meat by not cutting into it. No one used a thermometer for cooking small pieces of meat such as hamburgers.

Participants were asked how they know meat is done without using a thermometer. Participants mentioned the following: when the meat is no longer red, by the color of the meat, by cutting into the meat, and when the juices run clear.

The character exhibits and rating forms used by participants are included in the Focus Group Materials section of this notebook.

The majority of the group preferred the round thermometer (the thermometer on the left) to the bell-shaped thermometer. Participants agreed that the numbers were easier to read on the round thermometer. One person liked the F indicating Fahrenheit. Others thought the round thermometer looked more realistic and more professional. When asked whether it would be as effective with a blank dial or with zeros, one person said that she would not know what it was and another person said he would know if there were zeros. A few participants suggested that the thermometer be shown with hands holding it or inserted in meat. Most seemed to agree that the thermometer would be effective in a campaign to promote thermometer usage, but one person felt it needed more “pizzazz.”

The group again preferred the round thermometer character (shown on the right) to the bell-shaped thermometer. Participants liked the metal-like look of the stem, the character’s pointing to the temperature, and the character’s smile, hat, sweat beads, and handkerchief. Suggested improvements include straightening the 160° in the mouth, making the dots on the handkerchief yellow, and making the lines of the hat more defined. Two participants thought the hat was actually steam rising off the thermometer. One person suggested making the shadow of the stem red because the blue seems too “cool.” When asked if the thermometer should hold something in its hand instead of the handkerchief, one person suggested a fork or a hamburger. Another reiterated the suggestion that the thermometer be held by a hand and/or inserted in meat.

One participant thought the bell-shaped character looked like a teapot. Some said the scarf on the bell-shaped character reminded them of a pastry chef or a cowboy. One person said there should not be too much detail on the thermometer.

When asked what type of cooking came to mind upon seeing the characters, a few participants said indoor cooking while the rest mentioned outdoor cooking. One person said they thought of outdoor cooking because of television commercials showing men grilling out wearing a chef hat. When asked what gender they thought the character was, all group members viewed it as male. Some thought the bell-shaped character could be female.

When asked about names for the character, participants suggested Tempie, Mr. Sweat, Sparky, and Happy Thermometer. When asked if they liked the names Thermie and Therman some responded favorably. Someone suggested Chef Therman while others thought Thermie was too cute and hard to say. One person suggested making the character’s hat bigger so its name could be written on it.

Some participants felt this character would be effective in promoting a food thermometer campaign if it appeared in places other than just the grocery store. Other suggestions included checkout lines at stores, doctor’s offices, magazine and television ads, and the State Fair. Some agreed that sending information home from school with their children might be effective. One person suggested putting the character directly on meat packages rather than just posting it at the meat counter, and others suggested displaying the character on the safe food handling label. They said they did not pay attention to this label because it does not stand out and they are so used to seeing it that they do not read it. One said she might read the label if something new—like the character’s picture—was added to it.

One person felt a happy character would not be effective in the grocery store. She said that if she were trying to leave the store with her two (crying) children, she would not stop to pick up a brochure with a smiling character. She would, however, pay attention to a warning message.

Participants thought the character would appeal to young to middle-aged adults. They did not feel it would be effective with seniors because as one person said, her grandmother had cooked without a thermometer for years and had not died. Others said children would be attracted to the character because it looks happy.

Participants voted overwhelmingly for Characters C and E, the two round thermometers with hats. The results of the rating are shown below.

The group liked seeing the thermometer in meat. They preferred the thermometer inserted in the top rather than the side of the burger, saying it was easier to read. Some participants felt the side-inserted thermometer was awkward. They also felt the temperature should represent the type of meat in which the thermometer was inserted. Participants said they would have to see the thermometer in a hamburger to know they were supposed to use a thermometer when cooking hamburgers.

A few participants suggested making the numbers stand out more because they did not notice that the temperature readings differed depending on the type of meat. One person suggested making the numbers red. Another participant thought the thermometer should be shown more often in chicken than other meats because he was more concerned about Salmonella poisoning and the safety of chicken.

Participants did not identify the food shown in this exhibit as leftovers. Two participants suggested showing the food in a plastic storage dish or in front of a microwave because this is how people generally cook leftovers.

Before completing the slogan rating form, the group brainstormed for possible slogans to go with the thermometer character. Suggested slogans were written on a flipchart for better viewing:

A few of these slogans were mentioned after the rating took place and therefore were not included in the slogans to be rated.

The rating form used by participants is included in the Focus Group Materials section of this notebook. Participants were encouraged to “write in” slogans suggested by the group. Although there was no group consensus about which slogan was preferred, a few slogans received multiple votes. The results of the ratings are shown below.

Several participants preferred Slogans C (Cook to a “T” for Temperature and Taste) and D (Cook it to a “T” for Temperature and Taste). When asked why, one person answered that they liked D because the “it” in “Cook it to a T” referred to the meat, which is what is being cooked.

Several participants liked “Use a Thermometer…it’s a Safe Measure” (G); however, one person said he did not like G because it did not emphasize taste.

One person said that what he looked for in a slogan was why he should use a thermometer. He said he would never have considered using a thermometer until he learned that color is not an indicator of doneness. He suggested a slogan conveying the message that temperature, not color, matters.

Most participants wrote in a slogan that was suggested by the group. Most of the write-in votes were for different slogans. However, three people wrote in “Cooking it Right for Your Delight.”

None of the participants were familiar with the Fight BAC! character, though they guessed it represented germs and bacteria. One person thought it would appeal to school children.

Age		Gender		Education		Hispanic
21-30	6	Female	6	<12 years	0	Yes	2
31-35	4	Male	4	>12 years	10	No	8

	Total Votes
Characters	First	Second	Third	Total
A	1			1
B		1	2	3
C	9			9
D		1		1
E		8	1	9
F			1	1

	Total Votes
Slogan	First	Second	Third	Total
A) COOK TO THE "T"emperature		1		1
B) COOK TO THE T's for Temperature and Taste				0
C) Cook to a "T" for Temperature and Taste	2	1		3
D) Cook it to a "T" for Temperature and Taste	1		2	3
E) Cook It Safely Temperature Rules!		1		1
F) Thermie says: Temperature Rules!	1		1	2
G) Use a Thermometer…it’s a Safe Measure	1	3		4
H) Is it Safe Yet?	1			1
I) Show Me the Temperature		2		2
J) Thermie says: "COOKITSAFE!"		1	2	3
K) Use Thermie!				0