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Foodborne diseases in Malaysia: A review
Abstract
This paper reviews foodborne diseases occurring in Malaysia and the strategies taken by the Malaysian government. Half of the foodborne related diseases from the early 1990s until today were associated with outbreaks in institutions and schools, mostly due to unhygienic food handling procedures. Outbreak surveillance and monitoring, training and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) implementation at food service establishments all play a vital role to prevent and/or reduce foodborne diseases. Some of the key agencies from the Malaysian Ministry of Health, academia, industries and research institutions continue to strengthen their collaboration and networking in order to coordinate the prevention and control of foodborne diseases and thus improve public health. Developments to date have shown improvement in surveillance and monitoring. In Malaysia, the main contributing factor to foodborne diseases was identified as insanitary food handling procedures which accounted for more than 50% of the poisoning episodes. Food handlers play a major role in the prevention of food poisoning during food preparation; hence, food handler training is seen as one of the main strategies to increase food safety practices. There are 125 accredited food handlers’ training institutes as of September 2010. The application of knowledge and skills from training into the workplace is important and reasons for limitations of training initiatives are discussed.
... In 2020, 99 cases were reported and after investigation, it was found that the vendor had used expired eggs to make "puding buih" and 1 death was reported while in 2022, 2 cases involving children were reported (Mustafa, 2022). It was worth noting that the number might be higher but not reported due to their mild symptoms, and also their complicated chain monitoring systems (Soon et al., 2011;Abdul-Mutalib, 2015). ...
... It is also reported that the real number of citizens that had been sick from food poisoning might be higher but not reported due to their mild symptoms, misinterpretation of the symptoms and its complicated chain monitoring systems (Soon et al., 2011;Abdul-Mutalib, 2015). A study by Meftahuddin (2002) revealed that more than half of food poisoning occurrences were in elementary and secondary schools while 0.4 per cent of food poisoning episodes are caused by food served in public food courts. ...
... A study by Meftahuddin (2002) revealed that more than half of food poisoning occurrences were in elementary and secondary schools while 0.4 per cent of food poisoning episodes are caused by food served in public food courts. His claims then were supported by Soon et al. (2011) who stated that the major cause of food poisoning in Malaysia is always related to food vendors that are closer to educational places or food vendors that work in schools. Nevertheless, Abdullah and Ismail (2021) affirmed that food poisoning is one of Malaysia's top five communicable diseases. ...
Food safety is a crucial issue in every country. Without a good food safety system, a country will suffer economically and socially. This paper aims to revisit the literature on food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice in Malaysia and globally. Foodborne illnesses are caused by food that has been contaminated at any stage of the food production, delivery, and consumption chain. Non-compliance with food handling guidelines linked to a lack of food safety awareness was the leading cause of foodborne illnesses. This paper highlighted consumers’ role in preventing foodborne diseases by following food safety recommendations when preparing food at home. Hence, studies on consumers' food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice are very important for future development programs on food safety guidelines, and to ensure successful implementations.
... However, the official FBD incidence figures are likely to be underestimated. Incidents may go unreported as individuals may not consult medical professionals, considering their symptoms as a common occurrence and transient inconvenience rather than signs of a potentially life-threatening disease [3,5]. ...
... Globally, approximately 70% of all FBD are linked to catering and food service establishments [6]. In Malaysia, the percentage of food premises shut down due to unsanitary practices rose from 1.80% in 2018 to 2.58% in 2020 [7,8], and more than 50% of the food poisoning incidents were due to unhygienic food handling procedures [3,5]. This association between FBD and restaurants is worrying as 67% of Malaysians dine out at least once a week [9]. ...
... This may be due to personal bias, as 60.3% of respondents worked in the service industries and likely did not consider themselves as potential threats to public health. Globally, 70% of all FBD are linked to food service establishments and more than 50% of all food poisoning incidents in Malaysia result from unhygienic food handling procedures [3,5,6]. Thus, it is vital to ensure that respondents understand the potential role of food handlers in FBD transmission, so that they can take appropriate precautionary measures. ...
Background:
Annually, 600 million individuals are affected by food-borne diseases (FBD), alongside 425,000 fatalities. Improving the general public knowledge of, attitudes towards, and practices in, (KAP) food safety is necessary for minimizing FBD transmission. In Malaysia, migrant workers account for 11.1% of the workforce, with a high proportion involved in food and beverage services. Therefore, this study aimed (i) to evaluate the current food safety KAP, and (ii) to identify the strategies to promote food safety awareness, among migrant workers across occupational sectors in Klang Valley.
Method:
A survey was conducted with 403 migrant workers through phone interviews and online self-administered questionnaires. Piecewise structural equation modelling and multinomial regression were applied to identify predictor variables for food safety KAP and to explore differences across nationalities.
Results:
The respondents were Nepalese, Filipino and Indonesian. The majority were male, working in the services industry, had completed high school, aged between 30 and 39 years and had worked in Malaysia for less than ten years. Knowledge was significantly correlated with attitudes and practices. Female respondents had lower knowledge and attitude scores while younger respondents had lower knowledge scores. Indonesian and Filipino respondents had lower knowledge and attitudes scores than Nepalese respondents. Understanding food safety information from social media was positively correlated with the respondents' food safety knowledge and practices.
Conclusion:
These findings highlighted: (i) the need to target female, younger, Indonesian and Filipino migrant workers, and (ii) the potential of social media to improve public awareness of food safety and hygienic practices.
... In South Korea, the approximate number of patients warded for foodborne diseases is estimated to be 20 times higher than the number of reported cases by the Ministry of Health of South Korea [2]. It was reported that in Malaysia the cases of food poisoning are increasing by the rate of 62.47 cases in 100,000 people [3]. Many microbes are now resistant to the antibiotics and antifungals that are available in the market. ...
... For example, the seeds can be boiled, roasted, eaten like chestnut or cooked in other dishes, the wood chips can be used as a dye to give colour to the robes of Buddhist priest but the rind is always discarded [2]. The rind contained cellulose up until 27.75% depending on the type of extraction [3]. The aim of this study is to extract cellulose from JR by using bleaching treatment and alkaline treatment and to characterize the cellulose contents. ...
Food poisoning is one of the most common diseases in the world in which are caused by ingesting foodborne pathogens. Study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity of Murayya koenigii leaves extract on foodborne pathogens namely Salmonella typhi ATCC 14028, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778, Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Candida albicans ATCC 10231 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404. The antimicrobial activity was determined at four different concentrations of 150 mg/mL, 200 mg/mL, 250 mg/mL and 300 mg/mL S. typhi was the most sensitive to M. koenigii extract at concentration 300 mg/mL with zone of inhibition diameter mean value of 8.67 ± 0.67 mm followed by E. coli, S. aureus and B. cereus with zone of inhibition diameter mean values of 8.33 ± 0.88 mm, 8.00 ± 0 mm and 7.67 ± 0.33 mm. C. albicans and A. niger were resistant to the extract. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) against S. typhi, S. aureus, B. cereus and E. coli were 75 mg/mL, 150 mg/mL 125 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL respectively. There were no significant differences on the concentrations of M. koenigii extract on the zone of inhibition diameter produced (p=0.056). M. koenigii leaves extract exhibit antibacterial activity but no antifungal activity.
... The risk is compounded by the lack of environmental regulations, inadequate facilities, and unsafe street food practices (23)(24)(25). In Malaysia, foodborne diseases are caused by unhygienic food handling practices and poor environmental sanitation (26)(27)(28), with incorrect holding temperatures and extended holding times, resulting in severe food poisoning and foodborne outbreaks (29). This is because street food vendors often sell pre-cooked and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods (30,31) prepared in advance (4-8 hours). ...
... Food safety training showed a positive relationship (β = 1.220) with food safety practices, indicating that street food vendors who attended such training were 3.387 times more likely to adhere to safe food-handling procedures. Addo-Tham et al. (54) recommended continuous training for food handlers to ensure compliance with regulations, reduce the incidence of foodborne illnesses, and cultivate positive attitudes towards food safety knowledge (28). Typhoid injection (β=1.194) also significantly influenced food safety practices, with vaccinated vendors exhibiting a 3.299 times higher adherence to safety practices. ...
Street food in Malaysia is gaining popularity due to its competitive pricing and accessibility for consumers. However, unsanitary methods and processes have raised concerns about foodborne diseases, making it a major food safety concern. This study aims to: 1) investigate the levels of food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices among street food vendors; 2) determine the associationbetween demographic characteristics and food safety practices; and 3) investigate the factors influencing food safety practices among these vendors. The study was conducted in the Klang Valley area, and a purposive samplingmethod was used to select 268 street food vendors. Descriptive, Chi-square, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyse the data. The findings reveal that most street food vendors possess adequate knowledge, favourable attitudes and follow food safety practices. Key factors influencing food safety practices included knowledge, attitudes, education level, type of stall, monthly revenue, food safety training, and typhoid injection. Most notably, monthly revenue emerged as a significant factor, where vendors with higher incomes were more likely to implement good food safety practices. Hence, authorities should offer incentives such as equipment procurement subsidies and microcredit schemes to street food vendors to empower them to overcome financial constraints and invest in necessary practices that ultimately lead to improved food safety standards
... According to Soon et al. (2011), nearly half of all foodborne diseases from reported food poisoning cases were caused by unsanitary food handling practices. However, foodborne disease cases in Malaysia are often underestimated because most incidents are not reported, and many procedures must be completed before any cases can be reported to the authorities (Soon et al., 2011). ...
... According to Soon et al. (2011), nearly half of all foodborne diseases from reported food poisoning cases were caused by unsanitary food handling practices. However, foodborne disease cases in Malaysia are often underestimated because most incidents are not reported, and many procedures must be completed before any cases can be reported to the authorities (Soon et al., 2011). Hence, a lack of accurate data on foodborne diseases has made it difficult for policymakers to improve the current food hygiene policies or regulations (Salleh et al., 2017). ...
Street food vendors are proliferating in Malaysian communities because the foods are reasonably priced and accessible since they are typically found in crowded areas. Due to informal observation of food handling practices, street food vendors have been noted as a common cause of foodborne diseases. Hence, the objectives of this study are 1) to determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of food safety among street food vendors, 2) to examine the associations between the level of food safety practices and socioeconomic characteristics of street food vendors, and 3) to investigate the relationship between level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of food safety among street food vendors, A purposive sampling method was used, and 268 street food vendors were involved in this study. Several statistical analyses, including descriptive analysis, Chi-square analysis, and Pearson correlation analysis, were used to analyze the data. Out of 268 street food vendors, 219 (81.7%) had adequate knowledge, 239 (89.2%) had a favourable attitude, and 245 (91.4%) vendors implemented good practices in their food handling procedures. Street food vendors’ practices were associated with education level (p=0.069), type of stalls (p=0.030), monthly revenue (p=0.006), license (p=0.027), food safety training (p=0.001), and typhoid injection (p=0.005). The study revealed a positive correlation between the street food vendors’ knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) regarding food safety. This investigation suggests that the street food vendors demonstrated a commendable proficiency in food safety KAP. However, relevant authorities must prioritize rigorous enforcement and educational interventions. This proactive approach is essential to elevate food safety standards further and effectively address the potential risks of foodborne diseases.
... Most of the food poisoning cases investigated in other studies were related to cases of Salmonellosis food poisoning, while cases in Malaysia are cumulative cases of all causes of food poisoning. Variations in geography, culture, eating behaviour and technology, food type, and hygiene are also essential factors that can trigger food poisoning for example in Malaysia, the least cases were found among Chinese due to the preference to serve food hot from the wok [23][24][25][26]. Due to limited research specifically on the role of climatic variations on food poisoning, this research uses diarrhoeal research as the comparison. ...
... In addition, most of the communities in these areas are working and eating outside in restaurants. People can easily get infections through foods either during preparation, storage or serving [3,24,25] and the temperature can accelerate the food poisoning infection in these areas. The situation in Melaka is similar to Selangor where food contaminations most possibly occurred in food premises. ...
This study is an attempt to investigate climate-induced increases in morbidity rates of food poisoning cases. Monthly food poisoning cases, average monthly meteorological data, and population data from 2004 to 2014 were obtained from the Malaysian Ministry of Health, Malaysian Meteorological Department, and Department of Statistics Malaysia, respectively. Poisson generalised linear models were developed to assess the association between climatic parameters and the number of reported food poisoning cases. The findings revealed that the food poisoning incidence in Malaysia during the 11 years study period was 561 cases per 100 000 population for the whole country. Among the cases, females and the ethnic Malays most frequently experienced food poisoning with incidence rates of 313 cases per 100,000 and 438 cases per 100,000 population over the period of 11 years, respectively. Most of the cases occurred within the active age of 13 to 35 years old. Temperature gave a significant impact on the incidence of food poisoning cases in Selangor (95% CI: 1.033–1.479; p = 0.020), Melaka (95% CI: 1.046–2.080; p = 0.027), Kelantan (95% CI: 1.129–1.958; p = 0.005), and Sabah (95% CI: 1.127–2.690; p = 0.012) while rainfall was a protective factor in Terengganu (95% CI: 0.996–0.999; p = 0.034) at lag 0 month. For a 1.0°C increase in temperature, the excess risk of food poisoning in each state can increase up to 74.1%, whereas for every 50 mm increase in rainfall, the risk of getting food poisoning decreased by almost 10%. The study concludes that climate does affect the distribution of food poisoning cases in Selangor, Melaka, Kelantan, Sabah, and Terengganu. Food poisoning cases in other states are not directly associated with temperature but related to monthly trends and seasonality.
... More recently, Aik et al. (2020) found that food catering services' failure to adhere to appropriate hygiene standards contributed to up to 22% and 18% of foodborne illnesses in the United States and Australia, respectively. Research on this subject in Malaysia is limited and the available evidence is inconsistent, with reported percentages ranging from 8% to 62% (Soon et al., 2011). ...
... Despite these measures, food poisoning remains relatively common and can be particularly severe in patients with a weakened immune system, such as those in nursing homes and hospitals (Valero et al., 2016). Therefore, since 2008, the HACCP has also been applied to Malaysian hospital food service providers (Soon et al., 2011). This was followed by extensive food safety awareness campaigns, educational efforts, advances in food safety knowledge, and rising consumer expectations; the bar for food safety management has continued to increase. ...
... Foodborne diseases remain a global public health concern that affects disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which results in the loss of 33 million healthy life years, 420,000 deaths, and nearly one in 10 people worldwide falling ill each year (Havelaar et al., 2015). In addition, this number may be much greater given that the exact incidence of foodborne diseases is often unknown due to undetected and unreported cases (Codex Alimentarius, 2018;Soon et al., 2011). ...
... The ongoing improvements to the FOODAlyzer© function can be implemented over time with easy navigation features for a huge impact on the users' behaviour (Prabhu & Soodan, 2020) and become the up-to-date option for food safety information with the latest scientific information (Bougioukas et al., 2020). Practically, the use of FOODAlyzer© should be introduced widely at the community level with support from the collaborative governance network (Soon et al., 2011), requiring the government, relevant authorities, local leaders, and stakeholders to play an important role in promoting active food premises Table 8 Post-hoc test using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test on the knowledge, attitude, and perception scores among the students, (N = 118). Note: Mdn = Median; IQR = Interquartile range; z = z-score; p = significant level. ...
... It remains a significant morbidity among foodborne and waterborne diseases with 15,023 cases, and mortality rate of 0.02 was reported in 2018 (MOH, 2019). The risk of contracting food poisoning is much higher from food bought outside the home (Soon et al., 2011;Zarina and Faisal, 2012;Wahida et al., 2017). This is due to improper handling of raw food during food preparation, which can transmit foodborne pathogens from food handler to the food (EFSA, 2014). ...
... With this respect, consumers should be regarded as the final gatekeeper to ensure the safety of the food consumed. This is because 50% of food poisoning reported among consumers who bought outside food is from food malpractice (Soon et al., 2011;EFSA, 2014). ...
Most food poisoning outbreaks are caused by consumers’ poor knowledge, attitude, perception, and behaviour in relation to food safety. A valid and reliable tool is thus needed to measure these factors among the consumers. A total of 79 respondents participated in this pilot survey using convenient sampling, and participants self-completed the questionnaire given. Item analysis was conducted to determine the difficulty and discrimination indices of 40 items involved in knowledge construction. Construct validity and reliability were performed on 33 items which measured attitudes, preventive practices, and perceptions. Item analysis showed that more than 80% of respondents answered 19 items correctly. The discrimination index revealed that 16 items scored below 0.20. The Average Variance Extraction for all latent constructs, namely attitude, practice, and perception met acceptable threshold values of 0.527, 0.517, and 0.535, respectively. The Fornell-Larcker criterion suggested that three latent constructs were acceptable for discriminant validity. The internal consistency and reliability for all scaled items in each construct were good, with Cronbach’s alpha values of more than 0.7 (0.820, 0.809, and 0.799 for attitude, practice, and perception, respectively). In conclusion, the present work indicated that the knowledge, attitude, practice, and perception (KAP2) questionnaire used could be a valid and reliable measure to evaluate consumer’s knowledge, attitude, preventive practice, and perception on food poisoning.
... Although more than half of the vendors lacked formal food handlers' training, no statistically significant relationship existed between training and microbial contamination. This is consistent with literature indicating that while training can improve food safety outcomes, it alone may not sufficiently reduce contamination if broader infrastructural issues, such as access to clean water and proper sanitation, are not addressed [24][25][26]. A more holistic approach is necessary, incorporating vendor education, regulatory oversight, and infrastructure improvements [4,13,24]. ...
Street food is vital in global culture's economic, social, and nutritional aspects. However, as is typical among developing countries, various factors combine to compromise the safety of these foods, leaving residents susceptible to exceptionally high levels of microbial contamination. Chief among the numerous approaches and steps developed and employed to improve this situation is a clear understanding of the existing and potential extents of pathogens found in street foods. This is particularly true in jurisdictions like Guyana, where street food vending is unregulated. Therefore, this study investigated the microbiological safety of night street foods in the Demerara-Mahaica region of Guyana, focusing on contamination levels and demographic factors associated with street food contamination. Ninety food samples were collected and analyzed for Aerobic Plate Counts (APC), coliforms, and the presence of pathogens like Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. The study found a high prevalence of unacceptable APC levels and a relatively low prevalence of unacceptable coliform limits. No Salmonella was detected, and S. aureus was found at minimal levels in one of the food samples. These findings, while indicating significant public health risks related to lapses in food handling, also point to the need to improve food safety through comprehensive interventions that reduce contamination risks and safeguard public health. Recommendations include establishing the regulatory authority for food safety, making food safety standards mandatory, improving vendor training, enhancing infrastructure, and improving access to clean, potable water.
... The integration of metagenomics with culture-based methods, while explored globally, has not been extensively applied in the Malaysian context, where unique dietary habits, agricultural practices, and environmental conditions shape the microbial profile of food [95,96]. This study provides novel insights by focusing on foodborne pathogens and ARGs in the Kinta Valley, an agricultural hub with diverse produce and centralized markets. ...
Foodborne illnesses pose a significant global health threat, often caused by pathogens like Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains further exacerbates food safety challenges. This study combines shotgun metagenomics and culture-based approaches to detect foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in Malaysian produce and meats from the Kinta Valley region. A total of 27 samples comprising vegetables, meats, and fruits were analyzed. Metagenomics provided comprehensive microbial profiles, revealing diverse bacterial communities with species-level taxonomic resolution. Culture-based methods complemented these findings by identifying viable pathogens. Key foodborne pathogens were detected, with Listeria monocytogenes identified in meats and vegetables and Shigella flexneri detected inconsistently between the methods. ARGs analysis highlighted significant resistance to cephalosporins and penams, particularly in raw chicken and vegetable samples, underscoring the potential public health risks. While deli meats and fruits exhibited a lower antimicrobial resistance prevalence, resistant genes linked to E. coli and Salmonella strains were identified. Discrepancies between the methods suggest the need for integrated approaches to improve the pathogen detection accuracy. This study demonstrates the potential of metagenomics in advancing food safety research and supports its adoption as a complementary tool alongside culture-based methods for comprehensive foodborne pathogen surveillance and ARG profiling in Malaysian food systems.
... From the above cases, it can be seen that the issues of foodborne illness in the university are still happening. There were some incidences where the issue was not reported by the victims due to complicated procedures of bringing up the cases to the authority (Soon, Singh, & Baines, 2011). Therefore, the exact data are underestimated as not all of the victims obtained treatment at the medical centre and made a report of their situations. ...
Foodservice outlets in universities are the main dining platform for students, and it creates a high dependency on the food sold on campus. However, episodes of food poisoning in Malaysia are still occurring in universities and colleges due to improper practices among food handlers. The concern arises when the students are exposed to the risk of foodborne illness. Therefore, this study aims to assess the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practice on food safety and hygiene among food handlers at foodservice outlets in five campuses of UiTM Selangor branch. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 90 food handlers who met the criteria set in this study. The data gathered were analyzed using SPSS software version 24. Through Pearson's correlation analysis, a weak and positive correlation was observed for knowledge and practice, and knowledge and attitude whereby attitude and practice resulted in moderate, positive correlation. Further analysis through linear regression proved that attitude had mediated the relationship between knowledge and practice on food safety and hygiene. The finding of this study may help in monitoring and improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice on food safety and hygiene among food handlers. Thus, reducing the risk of food contamination and foodborne diseases.
... This catering sector has the potential to offer essential nourishment to a significant portion of the population, especially children and the elderly. However, the increasing scale and complexity of these operations raise concerns about hygiene lapses, which can have severe public health consequences if strict hygiene standards are not maintained [3][4][5]. The global food service sector has seen substantial growth due to changing lifestyles and increased incomes [6]. ...
The engagement of a large number of people in big-scale cooking raises the danger of food contamination due to incorrect handling, whether deliberate or unintentional. Contamination during large-scale production poses a serious hazard to consumer health and has significant financial implications for a nation. This study aimed to investigate the food safety knowledge and practices of institutional food handlers in Bangladesh, considering the growing concern surrounding this issue and the lack of available information on foodborne illnesses related to institutions. In addition, the study aimed to determine the factors influencing both knowledge and practices. A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to September 2022, involving 408 institutional food handlers. The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula, and data was collected through purposive sampling. The participants were interviewed in person and completed a pilot-tested questionnaire. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the factors related to food safety knowledge and practices. The majority of participants were female (71.3%) and aged between 26 and 35 (mean age 34.53 ± 9.06 years). They were most knowledgeable about hand hygiene and food separation but lacked knowledge about foodborne pathogens and food storage. Thawing food at room temperature was the most inappropriate practice (86%). The mean scores for knowledge and practice were found to be 16.11 ± 2.76 on a 26-point scale (61%), and 9.59 ± 2.07 on a 15-point scale (64%), respectively. Rural food handlers, those with higher education, working more than 10 h per day, and being familiar with HACCP, had higher knowledge. Food handlers aged 18 to 25, with higher income, working in private institutions, having food safety authority knowledge, actively engaging in food safety training, working more than 10 h per day, and having a positive health perception, had better food safety practices.The results of this study reinforce the notion that institutional food handlers would benefit from enhanced exposure to food safety interventions, active participation in training sessions, and strict adherence to food hygiene regulations in their food handling knowledge and practices.
... Food industry workers are defined as individuals who are directly involved in food preparation, come into contact with food or food contact surfaces, and handle packaged or unpackaged food, or appliances, on any food premises [1]. Since 1996, the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) has been organising food handler training courses to provide exposure and awareness to food industry workers regarding food safety, hygiene, self-hygiene, and premises hygiene, mainly to prevent food poisoning incidents in the country [2]. Subsequently, under the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, all food industry workers are mandated to attend Food Handler Training Courses organised by any schools or institutes that have been certified by the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia, namely Food Handler Training Schools. ...
Introduction
The significant contribution of the food and beverage industry to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product is projected to increase in the upcoming years. With the industry’s expansion, the demand for workers on food premises would also continuously increase. The food industry workers are exposed to risks arising from physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards while performing their duties. Thus, it is essential for these workers to be equipped with proper knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) in safety and health.
Aims
This study aims to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the safety and health programme TRIMOSH (Theory-Based Intervention Module on Occupational Safety and Health) in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practice among food industry workers.
Methods
TRIMOSH intervention study is a two-arm randomised, single-blinded, controlled, parallel trial that will be conducted among food industry workers in Selangor, Malaysia. In a partnership with Food Handler Training Schools in Selangor, 10 pairs of Food Handler Training Schools with 12 participants per group (n = 240) will be recruited for balanced randomisation intervention and control conditions. Furthermore, data collection of all participants was conducted at four time points: baseline (T0), immediately (T1), one month (T2), and three months (T3) post-intervention. Generalised Linear Mixed Model (GLMM) will be conducted to determine the effects of intervention within and between study groups. Subsequently, the primary outcomes increase the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of safety and health at food premises. Clinical Trial Registry registration was approved by the ClinicalTrials.gov committee on October 2022 with the ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05571995. This study has also been approved by the Ethics Committee for Research Involving Human Subjects of Universiti Putra Malaysia (JKEUPM-2022-346). All participants are required to provide consent prior to participation.
Conclusions
The characteristics of the respondents are expected to show no difference between the groups. It is hypothesised that TRIMOSH is effective in improving the knowledge, attitude, and practices of food industry workers in Selangor. The results will be reported and presented in international peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and other platforms. In addition, the TRIMOSH programme will be offered at the national level by the relevant authorities for the benefit of food industry workers.
... Hence, each stakeholder is accountable for performing different roles accordingly in assuring the quality, safety, and healthiness of tea products. For instance, food handlers' committed role in the prevention of foodborne diseases (Soon et al., 2011) or reducing the effect of occurrences of foodborne illnesses because they can become a vector of transferring possible harmful microorganisms to cause foodborne illnesses (Abdul-Mutalib et al., 2012). Though food handler has a deliberate enormous role in mitigating the effect of occurrences of foodborne illnesses, the manager is the accountable person for creating a "food safety culture" within the whole working environment (Al-Kandari et al., 2019). ...
Sri Lankan black tea is renowned for its high quality and regarded as a brand that is chemically safe, ozone-friendly, and ethically acceptable with accountable stakeholders in the supply chain. Meantime, food safety has become one of the mandated food attributes that is heavily concern by stakeholders even at the estate level. Hence, this study aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) of managers at black tea manufacturing in the Uva region of Sri Lanka regarding basic food safety concerns. Data were collected from 30 respondents at 30 black tea manufacturing factories in the Uva region using a stratified random sampling technique. A pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire based on KAP of basic food safety was utilized and collected data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and correlation analysis. The study indicated that the mean percentage of knowledge was satisfactory (93.1%), and the mean score for attitudes and practices of food safety was 4.7±0.4 (X±SD) and 4.6±0.5 (X±SD), respectively. However, this study depicted that the knowledge of food safety influenced managers’ attitudes (0.421, P<0.05) but not their food safety behaviour. Further, they believed that food safety management systems would be a means of directing their black tea to the international market (76.7%), while pledging the concerns of food safety (70%). However, it was depicted that constraints with food handlers (100%) and financial difficulties (73.3%) hugely affected the implementation of food safety management systems at the black tea manufacturing factories in the Uva region of Sri Lanka. Hence, this study suggests continuous, periodical but short training to sustain the practice of handling teas safely in the Uva region of Sri Lanka.
... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) pada tahun 2017 mengumpulkan dan menganalisis informasi dari berbagai sistem pengawasan memperkirakan bahwa penyakit bawaan makanan menyebabkan 5.000 kematian di Amerika Serikat setiap tahun. Penelitian yang dilakukan di Malaysia didapatkan faktor utama penyebab penyakit bawaan makanan diidentifikasi sebagai prosedur penanganan makanan tidak sehat yang menyumbang lebih dari 50% episode keracunan (2,3) Direktorat Kesehatan Lingkungan dan Public Health Emergency Operation Center (PHEOC) Kemenkes mencatat KLB keracunan pangan berjumlah 163 kejadian, 7.132 kasus dengan Case Fatality Rate (CFR) 0,1 persen. Kejadian Luar Biasa (KLB) keracunan pangan sebagian besar masih bersumber dari pangan siap saji dengan pangan olahan rumah tangga sebanyak 12 insiden keracunan dengan jumlah korban 792 orangpangan jasa boga sebanyak 9 insiden keracunan dengan jumlah korban 354 orang dengan 2 korban diantaranya meninggal (4) Berdasarkan ...
Makanan sehat adalah makanan yang higienis dan bergizi, mengandung zat hidrat arang, protein, vitamin, dan mineral. Agar makanan sehat bagi konsumen diperlukan persyaratan khusus antara lain cara pengolahan yang memenuhi syarat, cara penyimpanan yang benar, dan pengangkutan yang sesuai dengan ketentuan. World Health Organization (WHO). Pada tahun 2017 di temukan data dalam satu tahun terdapat 420.000 orang meninggal karena keracunan makanan dan terdapat 200 penyakit yang ditularkan melalui makanan yang dikonsumsi. Berdasarkan laporan Dinas Kesehatan Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara pada tahun 2017 terdapat 39.913 (53,72%) kasus, data ini lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan tahun 2016 sebanyak 35.864 (46,77%) kasus. Sedangkan Kasus diare di Kota Kendari pada tahun 2016 sampai 2017 mengalami peningkatan yang signifikan. Dimana pada tahun 2016 terdapat 1.099 kasus dan pada tahun 2017 terdapat kasus dan laki-laki sebanyak 6.449 kasus. Adapun yang meninggal sebanyak 7 orang. Tujuan dalam penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui gambaran higiene dan sanitasi makanan siap saji (bakso) di Kecamatan Baruga Kota Kendari Tahun 2020. Metode penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif observasional dengan pendekatan crosssectional yaitu mengetahui gambaran hygiene sanitasi makanan jajanan siap saji (Bakso) di Kecamatan Baruga Kota Kendari. Kesimpulan dalam penelitian ialah variabel personal higienen penjamah makanan jajanan,pemilihan bahan makanan,peyimpanan bahan makanan, pengolahan bahan makanan, penyimpanan makanan jadi, pengangkutan makanan, penyajian makanan sebagian besar memenuhi syarat.
... In Malaysia, the GMP and HACCP requirements respectively refer to Standard MS 1514-Good Manufacturing Practice for Food and MS 1480: 2007 HACCP is a safety and quality management tools developed by Pillsbury Corporation in the 1960s (Bennet & Steed, 1999). HACCP system development is intended to reduce the dependence on testing of the end product (Soon et al., 2011). Application of the HACCP system has been received well in developed countries as well as developing countries like Malaysia. ...
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a food safety system through seven principles to control a biological, chemical and physical hazard. Principles 1 and 2 are the backbones of the HACCP system. However, there are some misinterpretations in practice HACCP Principles 1 and 2 of the identification stage, analysis of hazards, control measures and CCP determination. The usage of a multi-hazard analysis form without a standard format has led to inconsistencies in the analysis of hazard analysis; determination of controls and subsequent determination of CCP affect the implementation of HACCP document and product safety to the consumers.© 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Food safety; food hygiene; GMP; HACCP
... Presently, public confidence in healthy food is growing more than ever before, as their awareness of food safety issues continues to expand. Most of the foodborne illnesses and outbreaks occurring in Malaysia are associated with unsanitary and improper food handling practices with food poisoning accounting for more than 50% of the cases reported (Soon et al., 2011). Persistent occurrence of the outbreak incidence can be attributed to the lack of adherence or violation of food safety and hygiene guidelines, lack of quality control in food services as well as lack of systematic inspection and supervision by authorities on foodborne diseases where most of the outbreaks often went undetected (Beattie and McCabe-Sellers, 2004). ...
At present, consumers are more concerned and cautious with their food intake, especially regarding food safety. Considering the majority of headlines of food safety controversies involving the meat industries, the calls for traceability systems to protect consumers from potential health risks while assuring the quality and safety of the food are deemed necessary. This requires the prompt establishment of comprehensive food traceability systems in the meat industries. Thus, this study aimed to determine consumers’ preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for traceability systems while purchasing meat and meat products. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire with 503 respondents that were selected through random sampling in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data collected was analyzed using the contingent valuation method (CVM) and binary logistic regression analysis. More than half of the respondents (290; 57.7%) indicated their WTP at a higher price for traceable meat and meat products. Out of the 290 (57.7%) respondents that are willing to pay at a premium price for traceable meat and meat products, the majority (182) indicated their WTP a premium price of less than 5%, followed by 62 respondents with an indication of WTP between 5-10% premium prices. Further analysis using binary logistic regression to predict the most influential factors on consumers’ WTP for meat and meat products with traceability systems revealed that gender, income, Halal certificate, and transparency are significant with positive relationships. The results showed that a traceability system will be accepted by consumers as a mechanism that enhances food safety as well as meets their demand for a consistent supply of high-quality meat and meat products. In an effort to increase consumers’ preferences for safer meat and meat products, the relevant stakeholders need to execute the practice of traceability systems in the meat supply chain.
... They are the result of ingestion of foodstuffs contaminated with micro-organisms and chemicals. Schools have been implicated as one of the sources contributing to foodborne disease outbreaks (Ababio and Lovatt, 2015;Gillespie et al., 2005;Kunadu et al., 2016;Soon et al., 2012Soon et al., , 2011. The risk factors identified for these outbreaks of foodborne diseases include improper time/temperature control, improper food handling practices, and poor personal hygiene (Khor et al., 1998;Tutu and Annison, 2017;Wu et al., 2018). ...
The purpose of this study was to explore food safety practices among university students in Ghana using University of Cape Coast (UCC) students as a case study. Three research objectives guided the study which sought to examine the awareness, perceptions, and practices of food safety among the students. Ko's (2013) KAP model was used as the conceptual framework for this study. The cross-sectional descriptive survey method with a quantitative approach for data collection and analysis was employed. All 2020/2021 final year students (n=88) of the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in UCC were used for the study. Primary data on the students’ food safety awareness, perceptions, and application of food safety practices were collected electronically through the use of questionnaires transformed into Google form surveys. Findings revealed that students demonstrated high levels of awareness of proper food safety measures. The students had positive perceptions about food safety measures outlined and adopted to prevent cross-contamination of diseases associated with food. Some students demonstrated appropriate and adequate application of food safety practices, while others were not unbreast with them. It was therefore recommended that food safety measures should be intensified so that those students who reported low levels of food safety awareness can be made aware of the dangers that come with contamination.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter presents a study on the identification and recognition of knowledge, skills and competencies required to convert and maintain green enterprises in a Philippine context and in the light of Philippine policies, legislation and investments to stimulate the development of new green markets. It examines the use of ‘green’ practices in enterprises, the benefits and challenges in the application of such practices, the extent to which respondent micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have identified the green skills requirements and whether skills recognition mechanisms such as job cards or other portfolio systems have been put in place as part of recognition processes and workplace training programmes. This chapter begins by giving an overview of the Philippine economy and society and the role of MSMEs in four dynamically developing industry sectors namely, automotive, catering, PVC manufacturing and waste management. Given the environmental challenges and problems faced by enterprises in these sectors, the study looks at the extent to which the government’s green job policies, laws, qualifications framework, training regulations and standards address environmental challenges and problems faced by enterprises. The study thus examines connections between macro policies, rules, laws and regulations and micro-level application through practices and green skills and their recognition through recognition mechanisms.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
The development of procedures for the recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of skills, learning and work experience obtained in non-formal and informal settings is a priority of UNESCO, central to lifelong and life-wide learning. The aim is to make visible and give value to the hidden and unrecognised competences that individuals have attained in various settings, strengthen lifelong learning pathways and increase labour market inclusion.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter analyses the results of a study on recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) of non-formal and informal learning outcomes based on interviews with staff from five enterprises, two in the automotive sector, two in catering services and one in PVC manufacturing. Both formal and informal enterprises were interviewed. Interviews with the enterprises across three sectors showed that most employers in both formal and informal enterprises were not familiar with the term ‘green skills’. However, they were aware of environmental policies and regulations related to their respective sectors, and they encouraged the implementation of certain green practices in their enterprises by creating awareness among staff, promoting attitudinal changes, monitoring compliance with rules and regulations as well as integrating green skills into staff training programmes and RVA. Findings highlighted the importance of the need for employers to have guidelines on how enterprises can affect environmental sustainability. Results of the study also showed the centrality of the role of stakeholders—including both public and private enterprises as well as NGO sectors, consumer associations and government departments—in pushing for the inclusion of green skills in staff training and RVA mechanisms.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter focuses on the recognition of green skills and upskilling of employees in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) dealing with waste management and renewable energy. In case of India, government pays a special attention to establishing and supporting a renewable energy (RE) sector, thus to contextualise this case study, RE is included in the analysis. It argues that recycling and reduction of waste, reuse of waste water, as well as the reduction of the negative impacts of climate change through renewable energy and energy-efficient devices, are key to all sectors—including catering, automotive and PVC manufacturing. India is one of the youngest nations in the world with more than 62% of its population in the working age group (15–59 years), therefore, to benefit from this demographic dividend, India needs to equip its workforce with employable skills and knowledge for sustainable growth. For the micro-level analysis, the study reported in this chapter was carried out with 47 enterprises. The results demonstrate a potential for recognizing ‘green skills’ that employees acquire non-formally and informally. The reported study was carried out by the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), an autonomous body under the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). SCGJ acts as a bridge between the Government of India and industry sectors in the implementation of skills development programmes considering industry needs and standards and relating them to the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) levels.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter gives readers an understanding of the need for establishing recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) mechanisms in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as well as the ways in which MSMEs support and promote RVA. It is based on research results from 191 MSMEs across four industries—automotive, PVC manufacturing, catering and waste management—in seven countries and one territory. Ninety-eight enterprises were studied in the formal sector, and ninety-three in the informal sector. The key issues investigated through the empirical study were: the need and potential for recognising formal, non-formal and informal learning in enterprises; the mechanisms and processes used to recognise skills; challenges, gaps and concerns regarding recognition in enterprises; ways for promoting and supporting recognition; the inclusion of green skills in RVA mechanisms; the perspectives of enterprises on making RVA a part of staff training and the anticipated benefits of green skills through RVA.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
The greening of all industries in order to help reduce their ecological footprint is an important factor in transitioning to an environmentally sustainable world and meeting many SDG targets. Governments in the Asia and the Pacific region (APR) have recognised these challenges and have taken a range of measures (including the introduction of laws and regulations) to work towards green economic restructuring.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter presents and analyses the results of a Hong Kong SAR, PRC, study. Sixteen micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were interviewed in Hong Kong SAR, PRC: four in automotive, four in waste management and eight in the catering sectors. Data collection on PVC manufacturing was not feasible due to the inactivity of that industry in Hong Kong SAR, PRC. The automotive and waste management industries are regulated by the government, so all results were obtained from the formal sector. Regarding the catering industry, both formal and informal companies were interviewed and visited for observations. Results revealed that some green practices have been applied by MSME, and employers stated that the successful implementation of environmentally friendly operations greatly depends on the attitudes and behaviour of staff, in many cases even more than on particular skills. Across three sectors the majority of owner/managers had not heard about recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) mechanism. They believed that adding RVA processes could be somewhat unhelpful, particularly for the automotive industry, as an apprenticeship scheme was in place and was used to certify obtained skills. MSME believe that the inclusion of green skills in RVA might negatively affect the hiring processes in the industry. The findings demonstrate that inclusion of green skills in RVA mechanism in Hong Kong SAR, PRC, requires a strong political push from the government. An awareness campaign for industries and the private sector is vital to clarify the benefits of RVA and greening. Key performance indicators, clearly defined targets and available support for MSME are essential. Education has a clear role to play in developing green mind-sets.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter explores the status of environmentally friendly practices and the use of recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) mechanisms to recognise skills in four major sectors of the Nepalese industry—catering, PVC manufacturing, automotive and waste management. A field survey was conducted on 20 enterprises in the aforementioned sectors. The Nepalese industrial sector is in a very early stage of its development and the level of environmental awareness among employers and employees is very low. Although the present status of the Nepalese industrial sector is at a nascent stage in the creation of green jobs, there seems to be potential for the creation of such opportunities in the future. However, to make use of these opportunities, it is necessary to understand workers’ skills and learning needs that will enable them to work in a way to overcome environmental degradation and mitigate climate change. Green skills that promote greater responsibility towards minimising the negative impact of industrial activities are vital for job creation and sustainable development. The recognition of green skills in the workplace and industry is an area for research that could bring green transformation to the Nepalese economy. The joint efforts of government, enterprises, occupational sectors and training providers, as well as international development partners, are important to institutionalise recognition of green skills in enterprises and industry.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
The analysis of the cases presented in Chap. 2 reveals that the richness of individual experiences, developed through environmentally friendly practices, should be captured in the RVA practices. Based on this analysis, this chapter recommends principles for the inclusion of green skills in the recognition, validation and accreditation of non-formal and informal learning in MSMEs. More specifically, it suggests a multi-dimensional approach (macro, meso, micro) that can be included in lifelong learning policies in the seven countries and one territory that participated in the study, but also to be used more broadly by policy makers. The proposed approach goes beyond narrow task-related skills and knowledge to include value-based behaviour and attitudes that are particularly relevant to green skills. Therefore, this chapter proposes recommendations that address the need to provide broad descriptors of knowledge, skills and competences as well as learning objectives that guarantee the future design and further development of RVA policies and practices based on the new opportunities offered in green economic restructuring and SDGs.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter presents the results of a study that examined environmentally friendly practices at the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Although nearly 80% of the People’s Republic of China’s employment is found in MSMEs (Yi, 2018), very often MSMEs are characterised as entities that waste resources and do not use environmentally friendly production processes. For this reason, advocating an environment-friendly upgrade, or green development, of industries and enterprises is of great importance. Another area of exploration for the reported study is the use of recognition, validation and accreditation (RVA) mechanism by MSMEs. RVAs of competencies and work experience in all learning settings—formal, non-formal and informal—are not a well-known concept in PRC. However, its importance in educational reforms has grown, especially in the field of adult and vocational education. PRC generally uses recognition practices to motivate adult learners to continue learning by factoring in their previous education, thus reducing the costs incurred by learners. Thus, this study examined the extent to which enterprises involved in the study know, or use, RVA and what RVA requirements they have for job applicants. Application of RVA at the enterprise level is important, as the lack of systematic use of RVA means that workers’ talents are not made sufficiently visible or optimally used for improving production and promoting ‘green competitiveness’. To develop a systematic understanding of the above two areas, this chapter reports on a PRC case study that follows the overall methodology for the study by analysing issues at the macro-, meso- and micro-levels. This chapter recommends a combination of policies, rules and regulations, as well as a design of an RVA model that can closely match the needs of enterprises to facilitate their development of green competitiveness.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This chapter examines the potential for including ‘green skills’ in the processes of recognition of learning outcomes from all learning settings—formal, non-formal and informal learning. The chapter opens with a discussion on Kazakhstan’s stated objectives to realise a green economy and society and in this context challenges faced by the industry are highlighted. The chapter then examines the need for recognition of green skills as well as policy and legislation in relation to green economy and environmental protection and proceeds to clarify concepts of competence-based learning and ecological competences. The authors consider issues and challenges of green skills inclusion in the recognition of formal, non-formal and informal learning results in relation to the development of the National qualifications system, which in Kazakhstan includes four main elements: the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), Sector Qualifications Framework (SQF), Occupational Standards (OS) and a system of professional qualifications evaluation (or system of independent certification). The chapter argues that within formal education the emphasis is on developing environmental knowledge but not on its application, therefore this might have a direct implication on a lack of green practices in the industry and on the interpretation of green skills. The results of the study among 12 enterprises on the use of eco-friendly practices and recognition of green skills in the context of qualification requirements in the workplace in catering, automotive and waste management sectors are reported in the chapter. Finally, the chapter presents conclusions and recommendations on the inclusion of green skills into the system of prior learning recognition.
... In addition to waste treatment, the threat of food-borne diseases is another issue for catering services. Soon, Singh and Baines (2011) revealed that most of the reported food-borne diseases are associated with unhygienic procedures during food preparation (see also Abdul-Mutalib et al. 2015;Ministry of Health 2014;Shahrul Amri and Sarimah 2015). Shahrul Amri and Sarimah (2015) designed a food handling course that is compulsory to pass for all food handlers in the catering sector-both formal and informal. ...
This first chapter presents the nature of the regional research study on recognising green skills through non-formal learning across seven countries and one territory in Asia and the Pacific Region (APR), the methodology and approach to data collection, and the analytical framework. Furthermore, this chapter establishes the rationale for the book by detailing the argument that implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the key aspects of sustainable development and lifelong learning, is closely related to green skills development and recognition in enterprises. As such, the two starting points for this study are the invisibility of the decisive role of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) (definition included in the glossary) in promoting green practices and green skills development, and the need for making visible the invisible outcomes of workers’ participation in learning activities through green skills recognition (definition included in the glossary). This chapter also introduces the analytical framework that is used in the study to develop a holistic understanding of the principles and approaches required for green skills recognition. To frame the analyses presented in Chap. 2 of the book and the model presented in Part III, macro, meso, and micro-levels are included in this framework: political decisions and policies that countries, and, in the context of this study, one territory, use to move towards green transition and greening of education and training; the role of standards, learning outcomes, and quality assurance mechanisms related to green skills and their inclusion in RVA; and actions at the level of enterprises.
... Furthermore, cases in Malaysia are often underestimated as most FBD cases go unreported, primarily because victims often do not seek appropriate medical treatment in a health facility [4]. The lack of accurate data on the occurrence of FBD makes it difficult for policymakers to improve current regulations [5]. ...
Foodborne diseases are one of the greatest public health threats, but they can be prevented by maintaining food safety practices. Although the food safety literature has been awash with studies from various food operations, there is very limited information on food safety in the food truck business. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices related to food safety among food truck vendors. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 396 Malaysian food truck vendors using convenience sampling. Data was collected during the Recovery Movement Control Order due to the COVID-19 pandemic through a validated self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 25. The findings indicated that food truck vendors generally have fair knowledge (M = 78.8, SD = 9.09), a positive attitude (M = 94.8, SD = 5.95), and good practices (M = 84.7, SD = 6.62) regarding food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression analysis further showed that food truck vendors’ level of education and knowledge of food safety are significant predictors of their food safety practices. This study provides an initial understanding of the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices among food truck vendors and yields important information in promoting the food safety culture.
... In this review, the overall proportion of food handlers who had good food hygiene practices was 50.2%. Although improper food handling techniques are the root cause of the vast majority of foodborne diseases [23,60], barely half of the Ethiopian food handlers adopt good food hygiene. This finding may be due to inadequate training of food handlers, poor infrastructure, and the regulatory team's irregular/weak supervision of food establishments. ...
Background
Food-borne diseases are a major public health concern worldwide, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as Ethiopia. Poor food hygiene practices primarily exacerbate food-borne illness transmission. Prior studies on the food hygiene practices among food handlers in Ethiopia were inconsistent. Therefore, this meta-analysis and systematic review aimed to estimate the pooled proportion of good food hygiene practices and identify the determinants in Ethiopia.
Methods
The preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) instruments were used, and a systematic search was performed in the PubMed/MEDLINE, POPLINE, HINARI, Science Direct, Cochrane Library databases, and Google Scholar were systematically last searched on the 24th February 2022 for relevant articles. Only the observational studies that reported the proportion of good food hygiene practices and their associated factors among food handlers were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed by two independent authors. Articles with unclear methodologies and did not report the overall proportions of good food hygiene practice were excluded. The effect estimates for pooled proportion and pooled odds ratio (POR) along with a 95% confidence interval (CI) were determined conducting using DerSimonian–Laird's random effect model.
Results
Among 817 retrieved studies, 23 eligible articles with a total sample size of 7153 study participants were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled proportion of good food hygiene practices among food handlers was 50.5% [95% CI: (41.6, 59.4%]; I ² = 98.7%, p value = 0.001]. Food handlers with formal education (POR = 4.60, 95% CI: 3.05, 6.93), good knowledge (POR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.26, 3.11), training (POR = 3.52, 95% CI: 2.35, 5.28), and a positive attitude (POR = 3.41, 95% CI: 2.52, 4.61) about food hygiene components, as well as regular medical checkups (POR = 6.75, 95% CI: 4.49) were significantly associated with good food hygiene practice.
Conclusions
Only half of Ethiopia's food handlers had good food hygiene practice.
Implication of the study
The key elements of effective food hygiene practice that will aid in the development of feasible interventions to increase food handler compliance with food hygiene components have been identified.
... In low-and middle-income countries, foodborne diseases impact the socioeconomic development representing substantial productivity loss and medical expenses (World Bank Group, 2019). In food service establishments, the high noncompliance to adequate food safety and hygiene practices has been identified as the root cause for foodborne diseases (Da Cunha, De Oliveira, et al., 2014;Soon, Singh, & Baines, 2011;Todd et al., 2007;Walsh & Leva, 2019). ...
Food safety (FS) culture has been recognised as a phenomenon that can shape food safety behaviour. Specific educational actions can improve food safety behaviour. This study aimed to build a roadmap to guide the development of educational actions based on the assessment of the prevailing FS-culture. The study was conducted in an institutional food service in the Brazilian air force. A previously-developed mixed-methods and data triangulation approach was used to assess the FS-culture based on eight elements (leadership, communication, knowledge, commitment, risk perception, work pressure and normative beliefs, work environment, and management systems, styles, and process). The roadmap was designed based on a combination of the FS-culture element score (1-reactive, 2-active, and 3-proactive) and priority levels (highest, moderate, lowest, and no priority) of proposed topics to be included in educational actions. Such topics were based on specific literature about food safety culture and the behaviour of food handlers. The FS-culture diagnosis in the air force food service demonstrated an “active to proactive” FS-culture; the element “work pressure and normative beliefs” showed the highest score (3 – proactive), whereas “risk perception” and “management systems, styles, and process” indicated the lowest scores (1-2 – reactive to active). Based on the weaknesses and strengths in the prevailing FS-culture, the roadmap revealed that the topics showing the lowest scores, “risk perception” and “management systems, styles, and process,” had the highest priority to be included in the educational actions. The designed roadmap may support food services in making decisions about food safety education towards a proactive FS-culture.
... It can be seen that the issue of foodborne illness in the university is still happening even until today. In fact, there were also some incidences where the issue was not reported by the victims due to complicated procedures of bringing up the cases to the authority (Soon, Singh & Baines, 2011). Therefore, the exact data were underestimated as not all the victims obtained treatment at the medical centre and made a report of their situations. ...
... This available evidence suggests that food adulterants can have serious consequences on public health and safety, and therefore, an affront to individual wellbeing. Accordingly, [14] opined that food safety is a worry and should be given the needed attention as it poses risks to the population, especially to vulnerable groups such as infants and young children, elderly individuals and those with immunodeficiency disorder. ...
Ingestion of unsafe/adulterated foods is on record to have caused devastating health conditions and deaths around the world. Accordingly, an investigation to unearth this revelation is crucial in saving lives. This study, within the context of the Theory of Planned Behaviour investigated the awareness level, affordances and effects of food adulterants from the perspectives of market women and food vendors in the Bolgatanga Municipality. The study employed a sequential explanatory mixed-method design including both questionnaire and semi-structured interview guide in data collection. Using purposive, convenience and simple random sampling techniques, 106 respondents comprising 46 food vendors and 60 market women were sampled for the study. Quantitative data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics while the qualitative data followed the thematic approach. The study discovered that respondents were moderately aware (3.34±0.82) of the use of food adulterants. Again, factors such as, improve food colour, desire to increase profits, quest to improve food appearance, adding to weight and improvement of taste predominantly trigger food adulteration. Furthermore, the study revealed that food adulterants pose various health threats to consumers as perceived by respondents. Finally, the study established that there was no statistically significant difference between food vendors and market women on their level of awareness on the use of food adulterants [t(104)=0.670,p=0.504]. Hence, the study recommends that, the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly and health directorate should embark on intensive public education campaigns to educate the entire populace to increase awareness levels and improve food safety knowledge to curtail the predominant use of food adulterants.
... Lee et al. (2017) stated that Malaysia recorded 49.79 cases of food poisoning per 100,000 population in 2014, and approximately 43% of the total foodborne poisoning incidents in Malaysia were contributed by outbreaks in academic institutions. In most cases, the causes of the contamination were inappropriate storage, unhygienic food preparation area, unhygienic personnel, or inappropriate food handling practices (Soon et al., 2011). ...
The purpose of the study was to examine the consumption practices and perception of ready-to-eat food among university students and employees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Through random sampling, a total of ninety-three respondents participated by answering questionnaires. The results showed that majority of the respondents (52%) consumed RTE food two to four times a week, and most of them (44%) consumed RTE food during lunch. The biggest motivator for the respondents to purchase RTE food was convenience (46%). It could be highlighted that majority of the respondents felt that fast-food restaurants to be very safe (11.8%), and that street foods to be very risky (34.4%). Most of the respondents were very worried about human spread diseases (such as Hepatitis B) and human spread bacteria (such as E. coli) when buying food (43%). When buying RTE food, consumers were most concerned about the cleanliness of the store they were buying their food from (66.7%). The present study indicated that university students and employees showed food safety awareness and concerns especially regarding RTE food. This study could benefit food marketers, and also public health organizations in their efforts to develop more effective education and dissemination of information to the public.
... Unfortunately, food handlers of the present study did not attend any training program associated with food safety. Soon et al. (2011) andPowell et al. (2011) stated that proper food safety knowledge is useful to minimize food-borne diseases and to improve the positive attitudes towards the practice of food safety knowledge, adequate training on food safety would be helpful to food handlers. ...
The study was conducted to assess the present status of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning the food safety and hygiene issues among fish farmers and food handlers in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Data were collected from 100 respondents (50 fish farmers and 50 food handlers) through face to face interviews. All the respondents agreed that training on hygiene practices was necessary and they were interested to attend training in their spare time. Food handlers (88%) agreed that raw foods must be kept separate from prepared foods and 68% of them believed that improper preservation of foods is harmful to health. About 52% of farmers used a face mask when spreading insecticides, fertilizers, and chemicals. Food handlers were wearing protective clothing (32%) and masks (12%) when touching and distributing unwrapped foods, however no handlers used a cap. A significant strong correlation coefficient (r s) was found between knowledge with attitudes, knowledge with practices and attitudes with practices of 0.73-0.99 among the three domains for fish farmers and food handlers. The correlation among the three levels was satisfactory, however, some food safety concepts and practices regarding hygiene were still insufficient. Therefore, an effective and appropriate training program on food safety and hygiene should be launched in a holistic approach for all fish farmers and food handlers to increase awareness and ensure safe food for consumers with a view to reducing the possibility of disease outbreak.
... However, Nik Husain et al. (2016) showed in their meta-analysis that there is no significant correlation between the provision of food safety training and any reduction of outbreaks. There may be multiple reasons for the low effectiveness of the current food safety training, including employees' low motivation (Baş et al., 2007), changes in food technology (Howton et al., 2016), short learning retention (Medeiros et al., 2011), lack of adequate follow-up monitoring (Soon et al., 2011), and cost and time (Reynolds and Dolasinski, 2019). ...
Food safety training is essential to reducing foodborne illness; however, limited research has investigated the effects of food safety training content on training effectiveness. Therefore, drawing on the model of domain learning theory, the current study examined the influence of explanatory-based training (EBT; i.e., microbiology and epidemiology knowledge introduction) on the effectiveness of food handlers’ training. Adopting a longitudinal between-subject experimental design and multilevel linear modeling, the study showed that food handlers attending EBT demonstrated significant progress in food safety knowledge acquisition and reported high generalization ability, while only food handlers with high levels of mastery goal-orientation showed increased motivation to learn food safety after attending EBT. Additionally, food safety domain knowledge mediates the relationship between EBT and food handlers’ training effectiveness. This study provides theoretical and practical contributions to food safety training literature by explaining the underlying mechanism that operates between domain knowledge and food safety training effectiveness.
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... Weather extremes such as storms, floods, and droughts cause the emergence of climate-sensitive diseases from the contamination of water and environment (Alhoot et al. 2016). In Malaysia and in particularly Sabah, the major factor contributing to food and waterborne diseases is insanitary food handling procedures which accounted for more than 50% of the poisoning episodes (Soon et al. 2011). ...
Food and waterborne disease (FWBD) epidemic can produce devastating public health outcomes. From 1990 to 2006, the annual notifications for FWBDs in Malaysia ranged from 2,000 to about 10,000 cases. The purpose of this study was to describe the spatial epidemiology of FWBDs in four districts of Sabah from the year 2011 to 2014. This study was a retrospective review of four years (i.e. 2011 to 2014) worth of data from Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan, and Papar districts. All reported cases of cholera, dysentery, food poisoning, typhoid, and viral hepatitis A from these areas and district health offices were included. Coordinates for the locations of the cases were based on home addresses. Among a total of 1997 cases of FWBDs, food poisoning was the highest reported disease with 1787 (89.4%) cases. Kota Kinabalu had the most reported cases of FWBDs with 1368 (68.5%). In the year 2012, FWBD incidence was the highest at 16.44 per 10,000 populations. Kernel density estimation demonstrated hot spots of food poisoning and cholera in the western areas near the coast, while typhoid and viral hepatitis A cases had minimal hot spots and appeared to be dispersed. Average nearest neighbour analysis showed clusters of food poisoning and cholera cases. Further analysis with the nearest neighbour hierarchical spatial clustering presented 32 clusters of food poisoning and 7 clusters of cholera. Food poisoning and cholera usually occur in clusters. From these findings, it can be concluded that these areas, food poisoning, and cholera have significant spatial clustering and patterns. Meanwhile, other FWBDs did not occur in clusters for this study. This indicates the possibility of under-reporting or real dispersion of cases brought about by an efficient mechanism of spread from a common source. ABSTRAK Epidemik penyakit bawaan makanan dan air (FWBD) boleh mengakibatkan masalah kesihatan awam. Dari tahun 1990 hingga 2006, dilaporkan bahawa bilangan kes tahunannya berada dalam lingkungan 2,000 hingga 10,000 kes. Tujuan kajian ini adalah untuk menghuraikan epidemilogi ruang bagi penyakit bawaan makanan dan air di empat buah daerah di Sabah dari tahun 2011 hingga 2014. Sorotan retrospektif ini melibatkan data selama 4 tahun (2011 hingga 2014) yang dikutip daripada Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Putatan dan Papar, Sabah. Semua kes kolera, disentri, keracunan makanan, tifoid dan hepatitis A virus yang dilaporkan oleh pejabat kesihatan kawasan dan daerah dikaji. Koordinat bagi lokasi kes adalah berdasarkan alamat rumah. Daripada sejumlah 1,997 kes FWBD, keracunan makanan dilaporkan sebagai kes yang paling tinggi dengan 1,787 (89.4%) kes. Kota Kinabalu merekodkan bilangan kes yang paling tinggi, iaitu 1,368 (68.5%). Bilangan kes FWBD adalah paling tinggi pada tahun 2012 dengan catatan 16.44 per 10,000 populasi. Anggaran kepadatan Kernel menunjukkan bahawa kawasan yang mencatatkan kes keracunan makanan dan kolera tertinggi adalah di bahagian barat berhampiran pantai. Kes-kes tifoid dan hepatitis A virus tidak banyak dilaporkan di kebanyakan kawasan dan kelihatan berselerak. Analisis jiran terdekat purata menunjukkan kelompok bagi kes-kes keracunan makanan dan kolera sahaja. Analisis lanjut melalui pengkelompokan ruang hierarki jiran terdekat menunjukkan 32 kelompok bagi kes keracunan makanan dan 7 kelompok bagi kes kolera. Keracunan makanan dan kolera biasanya berlaku secara berkelompok. Keputusan daripada kajian ini menunjukkan kes keracunan makanan dan kolera mempunyai ciri-ciri kelompok dan corak reruang yang signifikan. Sementara itu, penyakit bawaan makanan dan air lain bagi kajian ini tidak berlaku secara berkelompok. Ini mungkin disebabkan terdapat kes yang tidak dilaporkan atau kes berselerak sahih berlaku dan merebak dengan cepat berasal daripada punca yang sama.
... Vast majority of foodborne cases are undiagnosed, however in the United States it has been estimated that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illness with 325000 hospitalization and 5000 deaths each year. Consumption of contaminated poultry meat with Salmonella will contribute to the elevation of foodborne cases since poultry meat consumption is the highest record per capita meat consumption (10,11). According to the data documented by Laboratory Based Surveillance, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, S.enterica serovar Albany was listed in top 10 non-typhoidal Recent study, there has been isolation of S.enterica serovar Albany from poultry meat samples which is collected from wet markets Pengkalan Chepa with antimicrobial sensitivity test show resistance towards Streptomycin and Tetracycline. ...
Salmonellosis remains an important zoonotic disease and public health concern, Salmonella enterica serovar Albany is one of the motile serovars which has been identified from poultry and humans. However, its pathogenic potentials and shedding probability and duration from infected/colonized chickens have never been reported. To assess its pathogenic potentials and shedding probability 6 SPF BALB/c mice was inoculated with 0.1ml volume for each mice bacterial solution of 10 8 CFU/ml of Salmonella entrica serovar Albany after 24 hours the segments of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caecum and colon were fixed to study the histopathology and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to confirm the Salmonella entrica serovar Albany in the intestinal mucus swabs. The control group consist of 6 SPF BALB/c mice were inoculated with 0.1ml of 0.9% normal saline, The pathogenesis incidence rate of the disease caused by S. entrica serovar Albany revealed that prominent blood vessels on caecum 100%, red intestinal serosal 100%, infiltration of inflammatory cells in the crypt of liberkhun and submuscular layer of small intestine 100%, enterocyte necrosis 100%, haemorrhagic enteritis 83.3%, cecitis 33.3%, colonitis 66.6%, villus atrophy 100%, crypt atrophy 100%, and detachment of epithelial tissue 50%, can occur as soon as 24 hours post infection. Infected S. entrica serovar Albany was also successfully re-isolated from the intestinal swabs which revealed that the mice is potentially shed the bacteria through feces.
Penyakit yang ditularkan melalui makanan (foodborne disease) merupakan masalah kesehatan global yang signifikan, terutama pada anak-anak di bawah 5 tahun. Vaksinasi terbukti efektif dalam mengurangi angka kejadian dan kematian akibat penyakit ini. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi hubungan antara foodborne disease dan efektivitas vaksinasi dalam menurunkan tingkat mortalitas pada anak-anak. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah tinjauan pustaka, dengan mengumpulkan dan menganalisis berbagai sumber literatur, termasuk artikel jurnal dan laporan dari organisasi kesehatan dunia. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa vaksinasi dapat mengurangi risiko komplikasi dan koinfeksi terkait imunitas anak. Selain itu, vaksinasi foodborne disease dapat membantu menurunkan angka kejadian penyakit secara signifikan. Implikasi penelitian ini menyoroti pentingnya strategi vaksinasi sebagai langkah pencegahan yang proaktif, tidak hanya untuk melawan foodborne disease, tetapi juga untuk mengurangi resistensi antibiotik. Dengan demikian, penelitian ini memberikan kontribusi penting terhadap kebijakan kesehatan masyarakat dan perlunya peningkatan kesadaran mengenai vaksinasi di kalangan orang tua dan masyarakat luas.
Globally, foodborne illnesses pose a substantial threat to public health, contributing significantly toillness and death. The behaviors, awareness, and attitudes of food handlers are critical determinantsof food safety. This research aimed to investigate the comprehensiveness and scope of food safetyand hygiene training initiatives targeting food handlers in Lusaka, Zambia. To this end, weconducted a two-phase qualitative analysis and evaluation of available training materials. Thisincluded interviews with 18 food establishment managers/ Human resource officers" should not becapitalized unless it is part of a proper noun. The analysis was conducted manually to identifyemerging themes and understanding the materials to assess the entry requirements for participants,duration of training, qualifications of trainers, topics covered and the delivery methods used. Thestudy found no uniform format for the training materials which also lacked important topics on foodsafety systems and Good Agricultural Practices and Good Agricultural Practices topics.Additionally, the study found poor uptake of the training due to a lack of awareness of legalrequirements, high attrition, training costs, and a lack of established institutions offering the trainingon a regular basis. This study recommends the standardization of food safety and hygiene trainingprograms in Zambia, tailored to the local context. Specifically, the development of a Participant'sHandbook and a Facilitator's Manual is recommended. These resources should outline qualificationsand competencies required for trainers, duration and format of training and entry requirements andprerequisites for trainees
Thoughtful planning and support are essential to rebuild and recover cities from the economic and social crisis that are impacted by the Covid-19. The main aim of this study is to understand the impacts of the pandemic on cities and to highlight innovative policies and strategies on the practice of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) among food handlers before and after pandemic. Despite having no evidence showing that infected people could spread the virus through the food they prepared, there is a theoretical risk that sneezing on food and direct touch on the food could transmit the virus. This current perspective outlines level of awareness on KAP among food handlers especially with the increasing trend of food business during Covid-19. For this study, questionnaire surveys were distributed to gain feedback on the food handling regulation’s awareness among food handlers in Malaysia. Based on the results, it can be reassured that knowledge of food handlers does make a difference during food handling regulations. However, the results showed that the attitude and practice of food handlers during Covid-19 doesn’t necessary reflect their attitude and practice before the pandemic. This study is to contribute to the enrichment of knowledge on the adoption of KAP model among them, thus increase the level of awareness on the food hygiene before and during food handling and regulation especially increasing trend of food business during Covid-19. It is vital to ensure that the regulations are effective in addressing the desired public health conservation; thus, will provide higher returns to the government to take transformative action towards creating cities that are most just, resilient and sustainable.KeywordsCOVID-19Food handlingFood borne diseaseFood handlers and innovative policies and strategies
A number of foodborne disease outbreaks (FBDOs) involving school-aged learners and their teachers have been reported in the Philippines, and this may be the result of the lack of strategic and sustainable interventions to put a halt to this public health threat. This study investigates the epidemiologic data on FBDOs concerning school-aged learners and teachers that were documented in the various leading online news platforms in the Philippines. It also examined the food safety policies and guidelines issued by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) as a means of controlling FBDOs in basic education. The period covered in the study is from January 2005 to September 2021. In the 17-year time period, there were a total of 63 outbreaks, 4354 hospitalizations, 635 home medications, and 38 reported deaths. Of those affected, 4964 were school-aged learners and 25 were school teachers. In about 58% of the outbreaks, the implicated food was bought from outside the school but then eaten within the school premises, which resulted in 3919 hospitalizations involving Kindergarten and Grade 6 learners. On average, there were four FBDOs each year, impacting 21 of 100,000 school-aged learners. Despite policies implemented by DepEd, the records of FBDOs that have occurred show an alarming data that require urgent attention. Based on the findings, policy implications were put forward, where integration of food safety education in the present curriculum and implementation of stricter policies on the operation of food sources within and outside school premises are emphasized.
Food borne diseases cause millions of deaths every year around the world. The major factors contributing to food borne diseases and the prevalence of food poisoning among students are the food preparation process, lifestyles, physical cleanliness and water supplies. Food mismanagement by food handlers and students’ and food handlers’ poor knowledge of food hygiene are the factors that lead to food poisoning among school students. The objectives of this study are to: investigate how food handlers carry out food preparation; determine students’ and handlers’ standards of food hygiene assess the physical cleanliness of school canteens and the purity of their water supplies; and develop guidelines for the prevention of food poisoning. The aspects investigated in this study are the food preparation process, knowledge of food hygiene, physical cleanliness and food poisoning prevention methods.
The objectives of the study were twofold, i.e. to evaluate methodological approaches of analyzed papers and to identify, cluster, and classify barriers to HACCP system implementation using meta-analysis as methodological tool. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a science-based system of risk management designed to control food safety. HACCP is based on seven basic principles, which present an important tool in combating food borne disease. Articles for analysis were initially selected in the major on-line database for the field, namely "Food Science and Technology Abstract". Other databases were also used, including Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau and Co-operative Online Bibliographic System and Services. Selection was based on scientific excellence of the journal as well as on the method applied within the study.-Main keywords to select appropriate scientific and technical articles were "HACCP", "barrier" and "implementation". Main results of methodological inquiry revealed that the most frequent methods used in scientific articles were quantitative ones. Among qualitative methods, the "narrative interview" was used most often, while among quantitative methods survey was used most frequently. Whereas narrative interview enables in-depth analysis of implicit role of individual actor in HACCP system, survey methods estimate frequency distributions of particular behaviours or attitudes in observed population. Lately, when analyzing implicit role of an individual in ensuring food safety, a psychological approach became important. The main goal of methodological analysis is to propose advances in research models that would tackle both qualitative and quantitative issues at the same time and offer new insights into barriers in HACCP system implementation. After analyzing the barriers to efficiency of the system, we identified elements that enabled us to cluster barriers into groups and identify the influence of specific elements on HACCP system efficiency. This paper is offering a novel approach to terminological classification of identified barriers, which will open new dimensions in assuring common language among food safety professionals in the future.
An important element in the effectiveness of food hygiene training is the support given by managers, both pre and post training, to motivate food handlers to enact the safe food handling practices learnt during training. This study explores the personal views of food handlers, their managers, and accredited training providers towards the provision and evaluation of food hygiene training in the South-West London region, exploring the pre and post training support given to food handlers, and its effects on the attitude and behaviour of food handlers to enact safe food handling practices in the workplace. In total seventy telephone interviews were conducted.Findings demonstrate that most food industry managers are aware of their responsibilities to train food handlers, but often do not provide adequate support to promote the enactment of safe food handling practices, or evaluate its effectiveness. Thus, any positive effects gained from food hygiene training programmes, are ephemeral.
This paper reviews the literature pertaining to the role of food hygiene training in a strategy to manage food safety.Traditional assumptions that the provision of knowledge alone will lead to changes in attitudes and thus performance has been shown to be ill founded. A multitude of factors relating to the course itself, and events pre- and post-training have been shown to mitigate the effectiveness of training in bringing about desired changes in behaviour. Effective and relevant food hygiene training delivered with the support of the organisation, adequate resources and the peer support of colleagues will have a greater effect on intention and actual behaviour of the food handler, increasing the likelihood that safe working practices are carried out at all times. Such approaches are necessary if hygiene training is to have an impact on food safety management. Further investigation into the motivational factors and beliefs of the food handler in relation to food hygiene training, its relevance in their working environment and its effectiveness are needed to aide the development and delivery of more effective food hygiene training methods.
The practical implementation of hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) and in particular the definition of the critical control points (CCPs) in the food industry is usually a complex structured task. This is particularly the case of small medium enterprise (SMEs), where quality/safety manager ability, knowledge of the production processes and “sensitiveness” is usually the discriminate for the proper identification and prioritization of risks. The same applies for the definition of causes which may lead to food safety hazards.This paper addresses the issues of how quality/safety managers can objectively and automatically implement the first and second principles of hazard analysis in the application of HACCP, which is the identification of risk priorities and of the related CCPs, by means of a structured, quantitative and qualitative methodology. The proposed methodology combines fault tree analysis (FTA) approach, for the analytical decomposition of the relevant steps in the manufacturing process of a food product, and fuzzy logic, for quantitative measures of occurrence likelihood.The practical implications of the methodology are finally tested through a real case application.
This article discusses the nature and role of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) as a food safety control system and, in particular, its role as an element of public food safety regulation. The notion of efficiency in food safety regulation is discussed and related to the nature of food safety controls. It is suggested that, if appropriately applied, HACCP is a more economically efficient approach to food safety regulation than command and control (CAC) interventions. The economic implications of HACCP are discussed with reference to estimates of the costs and benefits, in particular for the food industry. Finally, the use of HACCP as an international trade standard and the facilitation of trade in processed food products is considered.
Four hundred and forty-four food handlers, employed in 104 small food businesses, were personally interviewed with regard to their knowledge of food hygiene. Fifty-seven percent of food handlers thought that they could tell if food was contaminated with food poisoning bacteria by sight, smell and taste and 25% thought bacteria readily multiplied at −10, 75 or 120 °C. Sixteen percent thought the correct temperature of a refrigerator was −18 °C or below. The study demonstrated that the basic lack of hygiene knowledge and understanding could prove to be a major barrier to the effective implementation of hazard analysis critical control point in small food businesses.
A mail survey was designed and distributed to 1,650 managers of food businesses across the manufacturing, retail, and catering sectors of the United Kingdom food industry. Respondents were asked about the food hygiene practices of their business, their use of systems such as hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP), and their attitudes toward a range of food hygiene-related issues. Complete responses were received from 254 businesses, a response rate of 15.3%. The results showed that 69% of manufacturers were using HACCP systems, significantly more than the 13% and 15% in the retail and catering sectors, respectively (P < 0.05); 53% of manufacturing, 59% of retail, and 48% of catering managers thought that their business represented a low risk to food safety. Among businesses using HACCP, specific training in the system was significantly related to the likelihood that businesses had adopted all seven of the HACCP principles (P < 0.05). Business size was a significant factor in the use of HACCP in both the manufacturing and retail sectors. Higher levels of food hygiene qualifications among business managers, business status, and higher perceptions among managers of the risk to food safety of the business were also significantly related to HACCP use in all sectors (P < 0.05). The results from this survey have implications for the future development of HACCP, particularly within the UK retail and catering sectors. Risk communication and training are highlighted as areas of concern for marketing HACCP within these industry sectors.
To better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60, 000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths. Overall, foodborne diseases appear to cause more illnesses but fewer deaths than previously estimated.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and behavior concerning foodborne diseases and food safety issues among food handlers in Italy. Face-to-face interviews were conducted within a random sample using a structured questionnaire. Of the 411 food handlers responding, 48.7% knew the main foodborne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae or other Vibrio spp., Clostridium botulinum, hepatitis A virus), and this knowledge was significantly greater among those with a higher education level, in practice from a longer period of time, and who had attended education courses (P < 0.05). A vast majority (90.4%) correctly indicated those foods classified as common vehicles for foodborne diseases, and only 7.1% of food handlers were able to name five different food vehicles, each of which transmit one of the five pathogens. The proportion of those who were able to specify a food vehicle that transmitted hepatitis A virus was significantly higher for those with a higher educational level and with a longer food-handling activity. A positive attitude toward foodborne diseases control and preventive measures was reported by the great majority of food handlers, and it was more likely achieved by those who had attended education courses. This attitude was not supported by some of the self-reported safe practices observed for hygienic principles, because only 20.8% used gloves when touching unwrapped raw food, and predictors of their use were educational level and attending education courses. Results strongly emphasize the need for educational programs for improving knowledge and control foodborne diseases.
Considerations for food safety, quality assurance and the increasing importance of credence attributes are directly influencing market access for developing country producers in the world's most developed markets. Voluntary quality assurance systems building on and additional to the regulatory requirements (for safety) increasingly define end market requirements. While some schemes offer superior characteristics in addition to management advantages in the supply chain, other schemes are regarded as deficient and sometimes misleading in delivering proclaimed quality and safety criteria. Producers and exporters in developing economies must understand and recognise the appropriateness of these various schemes and their value in the growing international trade for agri-food products.
* Introduction * Detecting new and emerging pathogens * Range of methods used for surveillance in the United States * Use of surveillance data * Future trends * References.
In the last decade there appears to have been an increase in the number of outbreaks of foodborne disease associated with fruits and vegetables in Europe. This chapter elucidates the regulatory issues in Europe regarding fresh fruits and vegetables, and discusses some dried products, especially dried fruits due to problems with mycotoxins. It also sheds light on microbiological issues of human concern in fresh produce. In this context mycotoxins are studies. As in all other parts of the developed world, Europe has also encountered problems and outbreaks with respect to microbiological contamination of fruits and vegetables. There have been large multinational outbreaks and small national outbreaks involving numerous different commodities, thus reflecting the variety and complexity of production and distribution systems. In January 2000, the Commission of European Communities launched its White Paper on Food Safety, in which a radical new approach to food safety was proposed. This process was driven by the need to ensure that food safety was and is a priority of the EU. The key points in the White Paper were the establishment of an independent European Food Authority and the set up of a new legal framework covering the whole food chain, including animal feed production. Focus was also directed at food-safety controls, especially controls of imports at the borders of the community, consumer information, and an international dimension with respect to an effective presentation of the actions to trading partners.
During the last three decades, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) has been progressively introduced and applied for the benefit of the food industry. However, it should be recognised that HACCP systems have not been homogeneously implemented across all food industry sectors. Reasons for not implementing, maintaining and updating HACCP programmes cannot be explained purely in terms of unwillingness by manufacturers but rather by the presence of technical barriers that may impede the application of the system. Technical barriers represent all those practices, attitudes and perceptions that negatively affect the understanding of the HACCP concept and hence the proper and effective implementation and maintenance of the HACCP principles. This paper describes the potential barriers that may impede the correct use of HACCP before it has been implemented, during the process of implementation and after it has been implemented. Until barriers impeding HACCP have been resolved, HACCP systems will not be implemented throughout the whole food chain and it will not be able to reach its full potential as prerequisite for the international trade of foodstuffs.
The increasing incidence of food-borne diseases emphasises the importance of improving and maintaining a high standard of food safety in food service establishments. Currently, a proposal to develop an Australian national food hygiene standard based on the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP), principles, is being discussed by major stakeholders with a view to improving the standard of food safety. Notes that food service representatives are naturally supportive of high standards of food safety, but feel the costs associated with HACCP-based food safety are prohibitive for small businesses, and they advocate that the costs of staff training in food safety be borne by the entry level employee. Reports on the diverse standards of hygiene found in a cross-section of food service establishments in south-east Queensland, Australia. Hygiene standards were found to be satisfactory in only ten of the 19 sites surveyed. Small restaurants and hotel/clubs compared unfavourably with larger food service providers, (which included cafeterias, hospitals, resorts and a contract airline caterer). As the food service industry is still dominated by small operations, these findings suggest that there are major challenges ahead in devising a national food hygiene standard which will be accepted and be implemented by this sector.
In September this year, the Government issued its draft Regulations on
Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) 1995, which acknowledges for the
first time the importance of a programme to make food handlers, their
supervisors and managers, properly aware of the importance of food
hygiene for the protection of the consumer and what they can do to
prepare food safely. However, the regulation is specific neither about
how training should best be implemented nor on the most important aspect
of the policy, its end result. The standards of food hygiene awareness
to be achieved through training have not been specified. The Department
of Health, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF)
cannot delegate their responsibility to protect the public health.
Therefore, levels of food hygiene awareness, regardless of industrial
sector, should be their prime concern. If the departments could set
their minimum required standard of food hygiene awareness, the national
framework of training which has evolved could naturally regulate the
quality of training itself.
Background The Economic And Physical Burdens Of Foodborne Disease History Of Haccp Moving Toward An Improved System Conclusion
Despite the acknowledged contribution of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to the food industry there is increasing evidence that Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) implementation is limited in this sector, with the burden of implementation perceived as potentially insurmountable. Using an action research methodology, this in-depth, government funded research project took the form of a two stage, 18 month investigation into methods of reducing burdens of HACCP on SMEs. Stage one indicted that SMEs see HACCP as a difficult, complex set of activities requiring great amounts of time effort and with few, if any, perceived benefits. In stage two, however, with the help of research tools developed, a number of SMEs completed HACCP and many made good progress on a tight timescale. This research thus concludes that SMEs can achieve HACCP if they are provided with sufficient guidance and support in a context of general consensus of HACCP terminology and requirements. Recommendations are made, many of which have been subsequently adopted by the UK Food Standards Agency.
This study examines the relationship of motivation to transfer skills and knowledge learned in a computer-based training programme with five groups of variables: individual or general attitudes, situational specific attitudes, reactions, learning, and work environment factors. Hierarchical regression analysis produced a model which explained 60.5% of the variance in motivation to transfer. Individual attitudes and environmental variables explained most of the variance in motivation. A number of mediated relationships were suggested.
Food safety education is most effective when messages are targeted toward changing behaviors most likely to result in foodborne illness. The five major control factors for pathogens are personal hygiene, adequate cooking, avoiding cross-contamination, keeping food at safe temperatures, and avoiding foods from unsafe sources. Pathogens associated with poor personal hygiene have the highest incidence and costs. Inadequate cooking and cross-contamination have lower incidence. Keeping food at safe temperatures and unsafe food sources have the lowest incidence, although costs per case are sometimes very high. We recommend that consumer food safety educators primarily focus on hand washing, adequate cooking, and avoiding cross-contamination. Secondary messages should focus on keeping food at safe temperatures and avoiding food from an unsafe source. Evaluation tools are needed to evaluate self-reported behavior changes. The evaluation questions must focus on salient behaviors that are most likely to result in foodborne illnesses and must withstand rigorous standards of reliability and validity.
This study determined the impact of culture and environment on knowledge and attitudes of hawkers towards food safety, foodborne illnesses and their prevention. One hundred hawkers in Kuala Lumpur (KL) were interviewed, using a structured interview schedule. Environment did not effect hawkers’ knowledge and attitudes. Education influenced knowledge and attitudes scores of the interviewees. Differences in knowledge of the ethnic groups were in cross-contamination, equipment, utensils and premises, personal hygiene, hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) and food regulations and control. Malay and Indian hawkers had better educational background, hence better knowledge and attitude scores than Chinese. The findings highlight the importance of education to bridge cultural gaps in food safety knowledge and attitudes. A strong relationship exists between the knowledge and attitudes of hawkers.
Food-related infection is an important health problem in many countries. This study was designed as an interventional study and carried out between December 1999 and August 2000. All 83 staff, handling food at the kitchens, were included in the study. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate the level of information and self-reported behaviours of the participants before and after the training. The bacteria density of the left hand was analysed as a quantitative indicator of the subjects’ self-reported behaviours on food and personal hygiene. Following the training, the only behaviour showing a statistically significant change (p < 0.04) was using watches, jewellery, etc. during work. Total number of colonies, growing on the participants’ hands, had decreased (p > 0.05). The main way of preventing or decreasing this problem is educating food handlers and repeating this training periodically, in addition to inspection.
Each year, an estimated 76,000,000 persons experience a foodborne infection in the United States. Preventing foodborne infections requires sustained efforts along the entire chain of production. Public health surveillance drives a number of disease prevention programs, including tuberculosis control, polio eradication, and foodborne disease prevention. CDC has launched several new approaches to foodborne disease surveillance, including FoodNet, PulseNet, and the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System for Enteric Bacteria (NARMS). The capacity of public health surveillance in the United States to detect and investigate dispersed foodborne disease outbreaks has been improving dramatically in recent years. Investigation of such outbreaks can yield important insights in how to improve prevention strategies. Many foodborne diseases are preventable, though prevention will require a number of control efforts along the chain from production to consumption. Although progress has been made to date as a result of recent improvements in food safety, further prevention efforts are required in the United States if we are to reach the public health objectives set for 2010.
The effect of food handlers' training on food hygiene has been evaluated on board 22 “ro–ro” merchant ships carrying wheeled vehicles, with small numbers of passengers. The level of application of HACCP rules was assessed by a microbiological evaluation at the beginning of the study, after a cycle of training of food handlers and after the crew change that periodically occurs on each vessel. The results showed a clear improvement of the food hygiene quality after the refresher course, and a worsening after the crew change. Continuous education is needed to assure constantly a good hygienic quality of food.
Since the early 1990’s, HACCP-based programs are being implemented as a means of preventing food hazards in fish and seafood products. From an engineering perspective, a system designed to control a manufacturing process is expected to result in final product that consistently meet requirements. Although audits are used to verify program implementation, there is a need for some product monitoring to measure the effectiveness and performance of the control systems. This paper discusses the need to monitor final product in seafood HACCP-based programs to measure effectiveness from a systems approach. Information time series of audits and inspections conducted are shown to be more indicative of program performance than snapshot inspections of the final product.
The reported food related illness per year was 76 millions cases in the US [Food Control 13(6–7) (2002) 363] and 9.4 millions in the UK [Food Control 14 (2003) 169], and this data indicated that there are still needs for improvement in the food production chain. The food service area is one of the last hurdles for food items in the food chain and, millions of people eat out or utilize catering services each year which stresses the need for an improved system of food safety in food service. Also, in the food service area, especially in small or medium size food business there visually appears to be a tremendous need for a better system than is currently in place.Research [Food Control 14 (2003) 169; Food Control 11 (2000) 447] showed that education with knowledge of food safety and proper food handling are needed and will help the food service personnel (workers and managers) with a better understanding in food service and better hygiene practices which resulted in safer foods. Besides, risk assessment, HACCP has been applied in most of the food production areas. For most of the food chain, HACCP is mandatory by law and government's regulations. There appears to be needs for applying Pre-requisite Programs (PRP) [Food Control 14 (2003) 169; Irish J. Agric. Food Res. 39 (2000) 221] and later HACCP in food service areas to ensure the safety of food consumption in the total food chain [Food Control 12(3) (2001) 165] since a chain is no stronger than its weakest link. This paper will discuss the needs, current applications and the prospects of HACCP in food service areas.
This review summarises the methods and results of studies conducted worldwide on the effectiveness of food safety and food hygiene training in the commercial sector of the food industry. In particular it focuses on those studies that have tried to evaluate the effectiveness of such training. Forty-six studies of food hygiene training are included which used some outcome measure to assess the effectiveness of training. The short-term nature and variety of measures used limited the majority of studies. The need for the development of evaluation criteria of effectiveness of food hygiene training is discussed.
Food safety compliance amongst ethnic minority food retail businesses has been identified as being less than satisfactory. In order to identify barriers to compliance, a research project was undertaken which identified 40 food retail businesses which had a record of nonconformance to acceptable food safety standards. These businesses were risk assessed by environmental health officers (EHOs) and given an appropriate category commensurate with their performance. Over a six month period the businesses were offered advice and cultural and communication issues were addressed. Seminars and one to one support were offered to the businesses. After a six month period a further risk assessment was undertaken. The results showed 26 (65%) of businesses had improved their risk assessment, 6 (15%) had remained the same, 4 (10%) exhibited some deterioration in standards and 4 (10%) had deteriorated a full category. In conclusion, the research recognizes that language difficulties and lack of knowledge and understanding of the principles of food safety are a major barrier to promoting food safety however when support is offered it can make a significant difference to working practices.
Between 1992 and 1999, 1,426 foodborne general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease (IID) were reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC). Sixteen percent were linked with the consumption of red meat. Over 5,000 people were affected, with 186 hospital admissions and nine deaths. Beef (34%) and pig meat (32%) were the most frequently implicated meat types, with lamb implicated in 11% of outbreaks. The organisms most frequently reported were Clostridium perfringens (43.4%) and salmonellas (34.3%). During the summer, outbreaks were mainly of Salmonella spp. and attributed to the consumption of pig meat. In December, outbreaks of C. perfringens linked with beef predominated. Most outbreaks occurred as a result of food cooked on commercial catering premises (46%). The highlight of this surveillance period is a fall in the number of outbreaks linked with foods containing red meat. This corresponds with a steady decline in red meat consumption over the last two decades, as well as a transient though marked decline in the purchase and consumption of red meat in the UK during the BSE crisis in the early to mid 1990s. As cited in the Pennington Report, further reducing the morbidity and mortality from red meat outbreaks means targeting meat production at various points along the food chain from abattoir and butchering, to cooking and holding of cooked food, especially on commercial catering premises.
In 2000, the OzFoodNet network was established to enhance surveillance of foodborne diseases across Australia. OzFoodNet consists of 7 sites and covers 68 per cent of Australia's population. During 2001, sites reported 15,815 cases of campylobacteriosis, 6,607 cases of salmonellosis, 326 cases of shigellosis, 71 cases of yersiniosis, 61 cases of listeriosis, 47 cases of shiga-toxin producing E. coli and 5 cases of haemolytic uraemic syndrome. Sites reported 86 foodborne outbreaks affecting 1,768 people, of whom 4.0 per cent (70/1,768) were hospitalised and one person died. There was a wide range of foods implicated in these outbreaks and the most common agent was S. Typhimurium. Sites reported two international outbreaks; one of multi-drug resistant S. Typhimurium Definitive Type 104 due to helva imported from Turkey, and one of S. Stanley associated with dried peanuts from China. The National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health conducted a national survey of gastroenteritis. Preliminary data from interviews of 2,417 people suggests that the incidence of foodborne illness is significantly higher than previously thought. OzFoodNet initiated case control studies into risk factors for Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria, and shiga-toxin producing E. coli. OzFoodNet developed a foodborne disease outbreak register for Australia; established a network of laboratories to type Campylobacter; prepared a survey of pathology laboratories; reviewed Australian data on listeriosis; and assessed the usefulness of sentinel surveillance for gastroenteritis. This program of enhanced surveillance has demonstrated its capacity to nationally investigate and determine the causes of foodborne disease.
Commitment to food safety is evidenced by high profile governmental initiatives around the globe. To measure progress towards targets, policy makers need to know the baseline from which they started.
To describe the burden (mortality, morbidity, new presentations to general practice, hospital admissions, and hospital occupancy) and trends of indigenous foodborne disease (IFD) in England and Wales between 1992 and 2000.
Routinely available surveillance data, special survey data, and hospital episode statistics were collated and arithmetic employed to estimate the burden and trends of IFD in England and Wales. Adjustments were made for underascertainment of disease through national surveillance and for foreign travel. The final estimates were compared with those from the USA.
In 1995 there were an estimated 2,365,909 cases, 21,138 hospital admissions, and 718 deaths in England and Wales due to IFD. By 2000 this had fallen to 1,338,772 cases, 20,759 hospital admissions, and 480 deaths. In terms of disease burden the most important pathogens were campylobacters, salmonellas, Clostridium perfringens, verocytotoxin producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) O157, and Listeria monocytogenes. The ratio of food related illness in the USA to IFD in England and Wales in 2000 was 57:1. Taking into account population rates, this ratio fell to 11:1 and converged when aetiology and disease severity were considered.
Reducing IFD in England and Wales means tackling campylobacter. Lowering mortality rates however also requires better control and prevention of salmonellas, Cl perfringens, L monocytogenes, and VTEC O157.
To determine the burden of Salmonella infections in the United States, Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) investigators conducted population-based
active surveillance for culture-confirmed Salmonella infections during 1996–1999 at FoodNet laboratories. In addition, all clinical microbiology FoodNet laboratories were surveyed
to determine their practices for isolating Salmonella. Telephone interviews were also conducted among residents of the FoodNet sites to determine the proportion of persons with
diarrheal illness who sought medical care and the proportion who submitted stool specimens for bacterial culture. Using our
model, we estimated that there were 1.4 million nontyphoidal Salmonella infections in the United States, resulting in 168,000 physician office visits per year during 1996–1999. Including both culture-confirmed
infections and those not confirmed by culture, we estimated that Salmonella infections resulted in 15,000 hospitalizations and 400 deaths annually. These estimates indicate that salmonellosis presents
a major ongoing burden to public health.
Between 250 and 350 million Americans are estimated to suffer acute gastroenteritis annually, with 25% to 30% thought to be caused by foodborne illnesses. Most vulnerable to foodborne diseases are elderly people, pregnant women, immune-compromised people, and children. While bacterial causes such as Salmonella are widely recognized and monitored as foodborne infections, other important bacterial causes such as Clostridium perfringens , Bacillus cereus , and Staphylococcus aureus are less well known. While the majority of cases of foodborne diseases are of unknown cause, bacteria and viruses are the most likely causative agents. Caliciviridae (Norwalk-like) virus cases are more difficult to identify, but represent the most common cause of known and probably unknown cases. Fresh produce has to be added to the traditional list of foods requiring careful selection and handling to prevent foodborne disease. To assess the disease burden in the United States, morbidity and mortality surveillance activities are done by several networks and systems with collaboration among federal agencies and health departments. Not all important causes are being equally monitored. Critical behaviors by food processors, food retailers, foodservice personnel, and consumers can reduce the risk of foodborne illness episodes. Dietetics professionals can more readily monitor new developments and update knowledge and practice through online resources.
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