Baseline for Consumer Food Safety Knowledge and Behaviour in CanadaAndrea Nesbitt, M. Kate Thomas, Barbara Marshall, Kate Snedeker, Kathryn Meleta, Brenda Watson, Monica Bienefeld

Canadian Public Health Association, Toronto, OntarioMay 29, 2014

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Background• 4 million episodes of domestically acquired, food-

borne illness in Canada annually1

- Costing $3.7 billion (acute gastrointestinal illness)2

• Food safety errors can occur at all points along the food continuum

• Consumer is the last line of defence

• Understanding consumer food safety practices is essential in prevention and control of food-borne illness

1 Thomas et al., 2013; 2Thomas et al., 2008

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Background• Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety

Education (The Partnership) – identified that baseline data of Canadian food safety is a priority and would be used as a benchmark to measure progress on consumer behaviour and practices

• PHAC – wanted to build on research by Nesbitt et al., 2007 examining consumer food safety practices in FoodNet Canada’s pilot Sentinel Site (Region of Waterloo, Ontario)

• Public Opinion Research (POR) – CFIA, Health Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada provide valuable information about consumers attitudes, perceptions and views

• Result: collaboration formed between The Partnership, PHAC and Ontario MOHLTC to establish a baseline for publication

Baseline Consumer Food Safety Practices in Canada

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Objectives

• To establish a baseline of consumer food safety handling practices within the home in Canada; • To identify gaps in research knowledge;• To make recommendations for future research

To date, first summary document examining Canadian survey results measuring consumer food safety practices to establish a baseline.

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Methods• Staged Approach

1. Peer reviewed literature search 2. Public opinion reports

• Search for public opinion reports included: Library and Archives Canada Communication with librarians Screening of reference lists of reports Syndicated studies: contact with market

research companies

Only studies pertaining to Canadian consumers and exclusively assessed individual consumer and targeted consumer groups were included

Baseline Consumer Food Safety Practices in Canada

Food Safety Topics

• Perception – Consumer perception on food quality and safety and how perceptions influence decision-making

• Knowledge – General food safety awareness, source of information for food safety, high-risk groups and foods

• Reported Behaviour – Self-reported consumer behaviour, organized by The Partnership’s key food safety messages: ‘Clean’, ‘Separate’, ‘Chill’, ‘Cook’

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Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education (The Partnership)Key Messages:

• Clean – washing hands and kitchen surfaces

• Separate – avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen

• Chill – refrigerating items promptly and at proper temperatures

• Cook - use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked foods

/

Baseline Consumer Food Safety Practices in Canada

Results: Study Types and Methods • 26 Canadian publications related to consumer

food safety knowledge, perceptions and behaviours between 1998 and 2011» 22 public opinion research» 4 scientific peer-reviewed publications

• Survey administration methods:» Telephone (54%)» Focus groups (17%)» Combined telephone and focus groups (21%)» Mail or in-person interviews (8%)

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Results: PerceptionConsumer Confidence in Canadian Food

Supply• 61-96% of Canadians gave the Canadian food

safety system a favorable or moderately confident rating

(based on 10 POR studies, 2003-2011)

Assigned Food Safety Responsibility• Government

» CFIA, HC, AAFC• Non-government

» Industry, consumer, farmers, food suppliers and retailers • Overall sense that food safety is a shared

responsibility» Canadians ultimately believe it is a combination of

institutions and consumers themselves that are responsible for food safety

(based on 3 POR studies, 1998-2011)

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Results: Knowledge: Food safety information sources 

UBC/Wyne (1998)

Environics Res. Gp.

(1998)

Serecon Mgt Con. Inc.

(2004)

Ipsos-Reid (2004)

Nesbitt et al. (2007)

EKOS Res Inc. (2010)

Decima Res (2010)

Ipsos-Reid (2010)

Leger Marketing

(2011)

Cookbooks/books 67% 32% N/A N/A 3.7% 4% N/A

8% (movies, books,

documentaries)

3%

Family/friends 65% 58% 66% 11% 75.1% 7% 3%27% (word of

mouth)1%

Magazines/ newspapers/publications

52%(magazines, newspaper)

N/A N/A9% (books, magazines, brochures)

N/A N/A8%

(newspaper article)

9% (publications)

5% (magazine, newspaper,

health journal/report)

TV/radio/other media 47% (TV, radio)22% (TV,

radio)

43% (TV, radio, and internet)

59% listed as media

18.7% (electronic media, e.g. TV, internet)

42% (newspapers,

radio, tv or other media)

7% (TV news)

59% (TV, radio, newspaper, or

internet media)

6%(TV, radio)

Internet N/A N/A N/A 11% N/A 24% 76%6% (social

media)79%

School, clubs 21% N/A 13% 3% 15.1%4% (includes on

the job)N/A N/A N/A

On the job 12% N/A 16% N/A 5.2% N/A N/A 0% N/AProduc labels/food packaging

56% 27% N/A 2% N/A 4% N/A N/A 1%

Consumer information brochures

31% N/A N/A N/A 6.4% N/A N/A N/A N/A

Health professionals 17% N/A N/A 5% 1.2% N/A 3% N/A 2%

Government 19% N/A N/A 4% N/A N/A19% (HC,

CFIA, other)15%

19% (HC, CFIA, PHAC, AG Canada, )

Retailer/grocery store 12% N/A N/A 8% N/A N/A N/A N/A 3%Self experience N/A N/A N/A N/A 7.9% 6% N/A N/A N/A

Courses N/A N/A3% (cooking

course)1%

0.8% (food safety)

N/A N/A N/A N/A

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Results: KnowledgeHigh-Risk (Vulnerable) Groups (based on 1 POR study,

2010)• 84% aware of specific groups at a higher risk for food-borne

illness» Elderly – 62%» Children < 6 years old – 61%» Pre-existing health issues – 54%» Pregnant woman – 9%

• Persons in high-risk groups did not tend to recognize their own group as high-risk» Only 25% of pregnant woman identified pregnant woman as a

high-risk group; and 50% of seniors identified the elderly as a high-risk group

High-Risk Foods (based on 7 POR and 2 peer-reviewed studies, 2001-2011)

• Consumers consistently considered meats and poultry as high-risk foods, whereas produce was less frequently considered high-risk

• Over time (1998-2010) identification of RTE-deli meats as a high-risk food increased

Baseline Consumer Food Safety Practices in Canada

Results: BehaviourFrequency of Food Preparation• Canadians often prepare meals at home

» 65-84% prepared a meal/main meal almost every day

(based on 2 POR and 1 peer-reviewed study, 1998-2004)

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http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca

• In an average week, 75% of Canadians ate fewer than 3 meals prepared outside the home (based on 1 POR study, 2004)

• Primary meal preparers tended to be women

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Results: Behaviour – Clean • 85% hand-washing very important in the prevention of disease;• 98-99% reported washing their hands frequently;• 56-83% reported always washing their hands before preparing food;• 75-87% reported always washing their hands after preparing food

or handling raw meat

Cleaning after handling raw meat (4 POR studies, 2004-2010)• 56% always washed & disinfected cutting surfaces after handling

raw meat & before preparing other food;• 51% washed & disinfected cutting boards after cutting raw meat;• 83% reported always washing items that had contact with raw

meat, chicken or seafood;• 93% always washed the plate used to hold raw meat, chicken or

seafood before using them

Cleaning of reusable shopping bags (1 POR study, 2010)• Only 7% reported always washing reusable shopping bags, while

38% reported never washing them

Hand-washing (7 POR & 2 peer-reviewed studies, 2001-2011)

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Results: Behaviour – Cook • In general, 42-51% reported never using a food

thermometer to determine if foods are cooked to the correct temperature

(based on 2 POR studies, 2010-2011)

• From a peer-reviewed study (2009)» 64% visually assess the doneness of meat, followed by » 33% time» 14% thermometer» 10% taste

• Focus group respondents (3 POR studies, 2007)

» Most did not use thermometers, only to verify food was not overcooked;

» Not likely to change behaviour after reading information on thermometers

www.hc-sc.gc.ca

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Results: Behaviour – Chill Cold Storage (3 POR studies, 2004-2011)• 65-95% reported refrigerating or freezing leftovers

within the recommended 2-hour limitFridge temperature (3 POR studies, 2010-2011)• 30% reported having a thermometer in their fridge; • 80% reported not using a thermometer to determine

fridge temperature• However, one study showed 94-95% reported

keeping their refrigerator clean and set to a temperature <4C

Thawing/Defrosting Methods • Refrigerator – 51%• Microwave – 31%• Kitchen counter/room temperature - 26% • In water – 8% (based on 1 peer-reviewed study, 2009) http://www.befoodsafe.ca

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Results: Behaviour - Separate• Reported behaviours of separating raw meat and

juices from other foods were in-line with recommended practices» 40% reported putting meat, poultry and seafood on

the bottom shelf of the refrigerator» 48% reported never putting meat or poultry and

fresh produce in the same shopping bag» 61% agree with keeping separate cutting boards for

raw meats and vegetables» 72% reported discarding marinade used for meats,

poultry, fish and seafood » 92% reported always switching to a clean plate for

cooked meat after barbequing or cooking

www.hc-sc.gc.ca

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Conclusions• There is a breadth of research investigating

consumer food safety practices in Canada.

• Despite variations in study designs, methods and scope among the studies, a summary of all the knowledge to date has provided insight into common perceptions, knowledge and behaviours of Canadian consumers.

• Overall, there is a relatively high general awareness of food safety among Canadian consumers, although there remain areas that need improvements and further education.

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Gaps and Recommendations• Gaps:

» Few studies used consistent wording or a standardized set of food safety questions to allow for comparisons across studies and over time

• Recommendations:» Establish standard set of survey questions in order

to benefit from this existing baseline knowledge and to allow comparisons over time to assess the effectiveness of food safety interventions on the reduction of food-borne illness.

» Together with government, industry and academia, critical review of questions and recommendations for standardized wording would support higher quality, more meaningful results

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Next Steps: Foodbook – Canadian Food Exposure Study to Strengthen Outbreak Response• A national population-based telephone survey

determining what Canadians eat over a seven-day period

• Module on consumer food safety practices to be developed » Questions will address food safety knowledge & practices

in the home » Baseline for consumer food safety knowledge and

behaviour in Canada will form the basis of the consultation material

• Stakeholder consultations via short online survey to prioritizes food safety themes to inform question development

• Consultations with various stakeholders including The Partnership board of directors, government, academia, and industry

» Survey data collection: 6 months; November 2014 – April 2015

Baseline Consumer Food Safety Practices in Canada

Published Manuscript

• Published in the journal Food Control, available by open access» http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095671

3513005331

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Thank you!

Questions?andrea.nesbitt@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Baseline Consumer Food Safety Practices in Canada