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This project will accomplish six integrated research and outreach objectives designed to understand and influence: a) the practices of online purveyors of meat, fish, and seafood products in the United States; b) the microbial safety of their available products; c) the nature and adequacy of the shipping containers used by these companies; and, d) consumer expectations, knowledge, and behaviors regarding ordering, receiving, handling, storing, cooking, and consuming meat, fish, and seafood products available for purchase online. Finally, the project will create and evaluate online and print materials useful for outreach to consumers and the industry.
<p>Non-Technical Summary: <br/> Online sales of perishable meats, fish, shellfish, and other seafood products is a large and growing business. Dominated in the past by large, established companies marketing high-end beef, pork, poultry, and seafood products, a large number of small to medium-sized companies have set up shop online. Encouraged to directly market their products to consumers, these online purveyors now include dozens of individual farms and ranches selling specialty meats online. More than 550 companies market perishable meat, fish, and seafood products directly to consumers online, using carriers such as Fedex and UPS to deliver their packages throughout the United States. These products are shipped in insulated containers, typically containing dry ice or gel packs. However, these packages pass through warehouses, trucks, cargo planes, and vans without controlled temperatures and customers may not be home when packages are delivered. This means these packages are often exposed to extreme conditions for long time periods. Consequently, their perishable contents may reach the temperature danger zone, increasing the risks of foodborne illness. This multidisciplinary, multi-institutional project addresses the potential food safety risks that consumers may encounter when ordering and receiving packages of perishable meat, fish, and seafood products.</p>
<p> Approach: <br/> Analysis of the websites of companies that ship food products to consumers will include: cataloging the products available from purveyors, shipping carrier and available shipping options. Structured interviews will be conducted with persons who have purchased food items online focusing on: a) Evaluating food safety knowledge and behaviors with respect to meat, fish, and seafood products ordered online; b) Assessing consumer expectations, experiences, and satisfaction with the quality and food safety of products ordered online; and, c) Exploring differences in consumer expectations and behaviors when products ordered online are purchased for oneself, purchased as a gift for others, or received as a gift. An online survey will be conducted with a nationally representative sample of purchasers or recipients of perishable meat, fish, or seafood products delivered using express parcel carriers. Using a randomized design, food items will be ordered from vendors and shipped to one of the participating institutions. The delivered packages will be evaluated, including: recording its time of delivery; the size, type, construction, maker, integrity, and other conditions of the package; the ambient temperature of the interior package; the temperature of the food products in the package; and the total weight and overall condition of the products. The contents of the package will also be examined for any food safety or customer service information included by the purveyor. The microbiological quality the samples will be evaluated for the presence and concentration of indicator organisms and foodborne pathogens. Shipping containers will be collected representing the range used by the companies from whom the products were ordered. These containers will be reused, loaded with temperature loggers and GPS units and shipped to colleagues throughout the country, who will ship the containers back for analysis. Shipping routes of the packages and the time spent during each stage will be monitored. Measurements of temperature fluctuation within the package will be collected. We will create a consumer website with advice and information concerning the safe purchasing, delivery, handling, storage, and cooking of perishable products obtained from online purveyors of meat, fish, and seafood. A downloadable set of print materials (or modifiable templates) that can be personalized and distributed by online purveyors of meat, fish, and seafood products in the shipping boxes sent to their customers will be developed. </p>