The knowledge and practice of food safety by young and adult consumers

Each year, millions of people worldwide suffer from food-borne diseases and illnesses. Therefore, food-related infection is an important health problem in many countries. The study was conducted in Ankara Province of Turkey to determine food safety and food preparation practices of young and adult consumers. The sampling group was composed of randomly-selected 646 young and 815 adult individuals and questionnaires were applied with face-to-face interviews made between April and December, 2006. It was discovered that food safety knowledge of young consumers is at an insufficient level and their practices are inappropriate. It was also revealed that there is a significantly meaningful difference between the food safety knowledge and food preparation practice scores of young and adult consumers in favor of adult consumers (P < 0.001). (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.