Journal
FOOD CONTROL
Volume 37, Issue -, Pages 115-125Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.08.016
Keywords
Home food safety; Mexican-American; Risk perception; Foodborne disease; Home food safety knowledge; Practices among Mexican-Americans
Categories
Funding
- Hatch [1316472]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Little is known about the home food safety practices of Mexican-Americans living in the U.S. The current study examined the knowledge, perception of food safety risk and factors associated with home food safety practices among the Mexican-Americans who cook regularly for their families. Ten focus group interviews in New York and Texas identified a number of issues. Most participants did not defrost properly (i.e., placed frozen meat in the sink or countertop) and did not handle leftovers safely (i.e., cooled down more than 2 h at room temperature). Although participants reported good hygienic practices in the use of utensils when cooking, there seemed to be limited awareness of the dangers of cross-contamination when handling raw meats and produce: unsafe thawing of raw meats by leaving the raw meat in the sink or counter, and handling of cooked meats. Many incorrectly believed that the appearance of cooked meats was an indicator of safety, and that a food thermometer was unnecessary. These focus group findings informed a probability-based web panel survey (N = 468) of Mexican-Americans who cook for their families in the United States. The survey study reports two major findings: (1) Mexican-Americans' perception and awareness about food safety risk were closely related to their reported food preparation practices (except for eating raw eggs) and (2) Mexican-Americans born in the U.S. and those of Mexican origin living in the U.S. differed in their level of risk awareness and in their compliance with some associated food safety practices. Practical implications are discussed for designing targeted communication campaigns to increase compliance with safe home food preparation practices. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available