Janet B. Anderson, M.S., R.D.
Clinical Associate Professor/ Utah State
University
Director/ Safe Food Institute
How often do you wash your hands with soap before preparing food?
How long should you spend washing your hands before preparing food?
Average Time: 56 sec.
Range: 3-180 sec.
Average Time: 7 sec.
Range: 1-46 sec.
Not washing your hands after handling raw eggs
75% report this is risky behavior
60% of subjects that prepared recipes with eggs failed to wash their hands after handling raw eggs (n=76)
How do you know when hamburgers are done?
64% cut the meat
19% color of juice
8% look at outside
3% cook for certain time
1% use thermometer
Overall
30% cut the meat with knife
34% used a utensil on the surface (juice)
58% looked at outside
0% cooked for certain time
3% thermometer
7% tasted the meat
How often do you use a thermometer when cooking?
10% always
10% often
35% occasionally
41% rarely
3% never
Only 3% used a thermometer
1 subject used the thermometer properly
To what internal temperature should ground beef be cooked?
Range 100-500°F
9% reported accurate temperature (160°F)
Ground beef
Range 129-197°F
46% undercooked
the ground beef entrée (n=36)
To what internal temperature should chicken breast be cooked?
Range 100-500°F
3% reported accurate temperature (170°F)
Chicken Breast (n=33)
Range 132-191°F
82% of subjects undercooked the chicken entree
89% report eating meatloaf that is pink in the middle is risky behavior
84% report eating rare ground beef is risky
Meatloaf final internal temperature ranged from 129-197°F
46% of subjects undercooked the beef
99% report serving the cooked entrée on the same platter that was used for the raw meat or poultry without washing is risky
None of the subjects served the cooked entrée on the same plate as the raw food.
What do you use most often to clean your counter tops in your kitchen?
76% dishcloth
14% sponges
10% paper
towels
46% cont. cloth
26% cloth
10% cont. sponges
7% sponges
7% paper towels
2% scrub brushes
How would you store a large pot of soup or stew?
35% a large, deep container with a cover
33% original pot
25% small, shallow containers with covers
4% small, shallow containers without covers
3% a large, deep container without a cover
Stored leftover entrée in:
23% original cooking container
7% large, deep container
48% shallow container
23% with a cover
How do you determine if a leftover casserole that has been in your fridge for a while is safe to eat?
52% smell it
37% look
11% taste
? (Question Mark)
How long do you leave leftovers in the refrigerator and still consumer them?
54% 1-3 days
14% 4-6 days
31% 7-10 days
? (Question Mark)
Consumers are not doing what they say they do.
Why?
Unaware of their behavior.
People forget what they do.
Answer with what is considered appropriate.
Surveys are good for assessing consumer food safety knowledge and attitude.
Observational methodologies are necessary when assessing consumer food safety behavior.