Food safety behaviour in the home

Abstract

Reports on an evaluation of the food safety behaviour of 108 consumers conducted using direct observation and temperature measurements. Finds that safe cooking practices were used by the majority of consumers, although more than half of the participants cooked well in advance of consumption and few used any method to speed the cooling of cooked food. Some consumers used potentially unsafe practices such as transporting and storing food at the wrong temperature, holding cooked food at ambient temperature for prolonged periods and inadequate re‐heating. Identifies great potential for indirect and direct cross‐contamination during the preparation of food. Notes some disparity between observed food safety behaviour and self‐reported food handling practices.