Innovative Food Safety Education for Low Literacy Food Service Employees Using Enhanced and Interactive Distance Education

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 76 million people suffer from foodborne illnesses annually in the United States. We continue to see an increase in the number of meals eaten out of the home. Food service is the second largest employer in the United States with a large number of immigrants and individuals with limited skills. The food service industry has an extremely high turnover. Due to these factors, it is important to teach food safety to food service employees. The goal of the project is to increase food safety knowledge and behaviors of food service workers and ultimately reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. This project employs a multi-state and multidisciplinary approach to teaching food safety to food service employees. Materials will be developed in English and Spanish focusing on low literacy. A two-tiered distance education approach will be used: (1) A fundamental food safety distance education course will be developed using innovative techniques including video novellas, video clips and computer-generated food safety application scenarios. This course is designed as a training tool for new employees, a refresher or recertification course, or for temporary food service site training. (2) A Certified Professional Food Manager distance education course will be developed. The course will be offered to participants from the fundamental course who are interested in becoming a certified professional food manager and food service employees needing certification or recertification who have not completed the fundamentals course.

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APPROACH: This project employs a multi-state and multidisciplinary approach to teaching food safety to food service employees requiring low-literacy education in both English and Spanish. The two participating states are Connecticut and Kentucky. The project has extension and applied research components. A two-tiered approach will be used to educate our target population: (1) A fundamental food safety distance education course which will be comprised of a series of food safety modules addressing specific topics relevant to the targeted audiences. Innovative distance education techniques will be employed including the development of several video novellas, video clips and food safety application scenarios. The materials will be adapted and/or developed for low-literacy and translated into Spanish. This course is designed for use as a training tool for new employees, a refresher course for those employees with food safety background, those seeking recertification, or for temporary food service site training. The course may be used in its entirety or in specific modules depending on the training needs of the organization. The course will be available to any interested food service employee including but not limited to low literacy and/or Spanish speaking. (2) A Certified Professional Food Manager (CPFM) Course will be developed stressing low-literacy in both English and Spanish. The course will be offered to participants from the fundamental course discussed above who are interested in becoming a certified professional food manager. It will also be offered to food service employees needing certification or re-certification who have not completed the fundamental course.
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PROGRESS: 2006/09 TO 2007/08 <BR>
This project is proceeding relatively on schedule. An Advisory Committee has been formed and met in December of 2006. Discussion focused on reading level of expected participants, types of interactions, needs of participants and employers. A focus group of food service workers was held at Massachusetts General Hospital in the spring. Discussion focused on computer and Internet access, as well as type of format individuals like to receive information. Captivate is an Adobe software product that will be used for all course information. Shanley & Thompson both attended a two-day training on the software. All course materials have been developed and reviewed by content experts for the Basic Food Safety course. A hand washing video in both English & Spanish has been purchased and is now accessible as streaming video site that will hold all course materials. Scripts, evaluations, and consent forms have been developed. The Test for Adult Basic Education has been decided. All materials have been submitted to IRB. Some questions arose and are in the process of being addressed.
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IMPACT: 2006/09 TO 2007/08<BR>
To improve food safety knowledge of food workers by developing a course geared to low literacy.