Efficacy of Training, Good Practices and Management Systems to Control Food Safety Hazards

<p>NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Foodborne illness associated with contamination fresh and processed food products are a major public health problem in the United States and internationally. Given the broad distribution of foods, particularly fresh produce, in the modern global food system, we increasingly are witnessing foodborne illness outbreaks that are very large with respect to numbers of cases and geographic distribution of cases. It is imperative for the food industry to implement more effective practices and systems to prevent and mitigate food safety hazards in fresh and processed food products. The preponderance of evidence indicates that effective education and training of food managers and front-line food workers, and implementing appropriate food safety behaviors and practices in the workplace, can prevent many foodborne illnesses. Relatively little research has been conducted to assess the impact of modern food safety systems, including those required by private food safety standards, to reduce food product contamination with microbial or chemical hazards and subsequently reduce the likelihood of foodborne illness in consumers of those products. This project will evaluate the efficacy of education and training of food managers and workers on implementation of appropriate food safety practices and behaviors. Knowledge will be assessed by assessment of training program participants. Practices will be assessed using survey instruments designed to evaluate production and processing practices by food producers and processors. Further, the incidence of selected food safety hazards and indicators of contamination will be assessed in products produced by participating firms. At the conclusion of this research, I expect to have identified production and processing practices most related to the incidence and levels of food safety hazards in selected fresh and processed food products. Further, this research will determine the potential efficacy of food safety training programs and management systems to control food safety hazards in these products. </p>
<p>APPROACH: Methods for Specific Aim 1 - Assess the impact of production and processing practices on the incidence and concentrations of selected microbiological and chemical food safety hazards in food products. The presence and concentrations of selected microbial and chemical food safety hazards in fresh and processed food products will be quantified to establish baseline parameters for these hazards. These baseline parameters will be statistically compared to data on production and processing practices obtained from surveys and visits to farms and processing facilities. This comparison will facilitate the identification of specific practices that are principally related to the incidence and concentrations of food safety hazards. The primary commodity of focus for these studies initially will be apple juice and cider products produced by small-scale juice and cider manufacturers throughout the state of Michigan. The incidence and concentrations of selected microbiological hazards and indicator organisms will be assessed. Further, the incidence and concentrations of the mycotoxin patulin will be assessed. Questionnaires and Processing Facility Inspections. Questionnaires on production and processing practices will be developed and circulated to apple growers who also produce juice or cider in Michigan. In addition, similar survey instruments will be sent to juice processors who purchase apples from the open market. These questionnaires will be adapted from survey instruments used previously by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and persons in my laboratory (Thede, 2004). Surveys will be coded to allow for anonymous responses. These survey instruments will be administered by mail, and follow-up mailings will be conducted on two occasions to improve survey response. Microbiological and Chemical Analyses. As appropriate, laboratory assays will be conducted to assess the presence and concentrations (as appropriate) of selected microbiological and chemical hazards in food products produced by participating establishments. Microbiological assays will focus on indicators of contamination such as aerobic plate counts and non-specific E. coli. Chemical hazard assays will be for the most pertinent potential hazards (e.g. patulin in apple juice). Methods for Specific Aim 2 - Determine the impact of food safety training programs on changes in participant knowledge and behaviors and consequent changes in food safety hazards in food products produced by participant firms. Formal food safety training curricula will be created and delivered to targeted groups (e.g. fruit and vegetable growers, food processors, etc.). The impact of this training on participant knowledge, attitudes and change in behaviors (production and processing practices) will be assessed. The efficacy of selected training programs and implemented quality management systems to control public health hazards will be assessed by measuring the incidence and concentrations of microbiological and chemical hazards in food products obtained from participant establishments. Curriculum Development. Curricula on food safety best practices and management systems will be developed or revised from existing materials for selected food producers and processors. It is anticipated that at least three core curricula will be developed: 1) Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs, pre-harvest food safety practices) for fresh fruit and vegetable growers, 2) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Good Hygiene Practices (GHPs) for food processors, and 3) the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety management system for juice processors. Curricula will be developed to meet the expectations of applicable federal and state regulations and guidance, as well as requirements established by retail buyers. The GAPs curriculum will be generic for all fruits and vegetables, but modules specific for certain commodities will be developed as necessary for the specific target audiences. The GMP and GHP modules will be based on FDA's GMP requirements (21 CFR part 110) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission's "General Principles of Food Hygiene," respectively. The HACCP curriculum for juice processors will be based on the FDA Juice HACCP regulation (FDA, 2001) and its associated guidance documents, as well as HACCP principles and procedures as outlined by the U.S. National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF, 1997).Assessment of Knowledge and Behavior Change. Training programs utilizing each of the food safety curricula will be conducted with appropriate producer and processor groups. These programs will be conducted as face-to-face group training, although some programs ultimately may be adapted for internet-based delivery and assessment. Knowledge change will be assessed using a written test that will be administered to course participants. For each training program, an examination instrument consisting of 30 - 50 questions will be developed based on the course content. The same examination will be administered as a pre-test prior to initiation of the workshop, and as a post-test at the conclusion of the full training program. Food safety behavior change will be assessed using mail surveys and visits to farms and processing facilities. Instruments to assess food safety practices and appropriate for the target audiences for each of the training curricula will be developed. These instruments initially will be administered prior to participants beginning each of the training courses. Follow-up assessment will be conducted by mail survey, and will be completed 6-12 months following initial participation in the courses. Reminder messages will be sent to participants to increase response rate. When possible, information obtained using the practices questionnaires will be supplemented by information gathered during interviews conducted while visiting farms and processing facilities of participants. </p>