Consumers' awareness of food safety from shopping to eating

Knowledge of food safety among consumers has various dimensions. Due to a number of food-related incidents and reported outbreaks worldwide, consumer confidence has begun to vacillate. The objective of this quantitative survey (n = 1030) was to determine Slovenian consumers' food safety knowledge and practices during purchase, transportation and storage of food, as well as food handling practices at home. The study highlighted gaps in food safety knowledge and some critical safety violations regarding food handling at home. Half of the respondents never thought of using a cooling bag for the transport of refrigerated or frozen foods. Approximately half of the respondents defrost meat on working surfaces and only one-third wash knives and cutting boards with hot water and detergent before re-use or use clean implements, Forty-four percent of respondents did not know the correct refrigerator temperature for the storage of perishable food. All other determinations concerning food safety knowledge and practices are presented and discussed. Consumer education should be the focus in order to reduce foodborne diseases. Educational material regarding Good Housekeeping Practice should be available to the general public from many sources. Only safety-conscious consumers can become active partners within the food safety circle. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.