Development of a HACCP-like Model for Home Prepared Chicken & Salad in a Puerto Rican Community

One barrier for developing cost-effective food safety education targeting low-income consumers is the lack of objective and valid assessments of food safety risks at home. The objective of this study is to develop a HACCP-like model for the preparation of chicken and salad at the household level in a Puerto Rican community. Before delivery to the households, chicken breasts, lettuce, tomatoes, and other necessary ingredients will be tested for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria, fecal coliforms and gram-negative indicators. Subjects (n=90) will be instructed to refrigerate the chicken overnight and then to prepare chicken and salad following a standard recipe but using their routine food handling and preparation techniques. A questionnaire will be applied before the food is actually prepared to be able to compute a self-reported food safety risk score. Subsequently, a research assistant will measure cold storage food temperature, observe and record the actual food preparation process, and take food, preparation areas, handles of refrigerator door, faucets, drawers, and cabinets, and utensils' samples for microbiological analyses before, during, and after food preparation. Results will help understand: a) if the home preparation of chicken and salad represents a food safety risk, b) the 'critical control points', and c) if self-reported risk for food contamination agrees with objective indicators.
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Findings will be used to develop and pre-test with 10 subjects a chicken and salad HACCPized recipe that incorporates kitchen sanitation principles. Thus, project has major implications for effective delivery of Cooperative Extension System-based food safety education for low-income audiences.</p>
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One barrier for developing cost-effective food safety education targeting low-income consumers is the lack of objective and valid assessments of food safety risks at home. The aims of this study are to: A) Develop a household-level HACCP-like model for home prepared chicken and salad using objective measurements such as direct observations and microbiological indicators. B) Test validity of food safety self-reported behaviors against direct home observations and microbiological outcomes. C) Develop and pre-test a Puerto Rican chicken and salad HACCPized recipe that incorporates kitchen sanitation principles.</p>