safefood has had a multi-sectoral approach to food hygiene in the funding of research. As well as projects examining food safety in the home, food safety in both the catering industry and food production plants have been addressed. The overall aim of this programme is to assess the status of hygiene in these sectors and to provide tools to the industry for improving food safety.
List of projects:
A risk assessment and Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point (HACCP) for the Irish Catering Industry. (2001-2004)
Project Code: 01-RESR-109
Catering establishments such as restaurants, cafes and canteens are a major source of food poisoning outbreaks. This project aims to identify the hazards associated with food handling, storage, preparation and service in commercial catering premises. This will be achieved by the completion of a microbiological survey and audit of 100 catering establishments throughout Ireland, as well as a knowledge survey of kitchen managers of their current practices and knowledge. A key output from this project will be the development, in consultation with the key food safety stakeholders on the island, of a set of HACCP guidelines for the catering sector.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Dr Declan Bolton
Assessing the effectiveness of HACCP implementation and maintenance in food production plants (2001-2003)
Project Code: 00-RESR-041
The primary objective of this study, which is now complete, was to assess the effectiveness with which Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) has been implemented and maintained in food manufacturing plants in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Where inadequacies in implementation or maintenance of the HACCP system were highlighted the study sought to identify the contributory factors, and make specific recommendations to overcome these limitations. The study was unique in that it involved an in-depth, 2-day evaluation of HACCP at the manufacturing site.
Researcher: Wheelock Verner
Assessment of the standards of food hygiene observed in household kitchens on the island of Ireland. The benefits of providing practical food hygiene instruction and practical food safety kits (2001-2002)
Project Code: 01-RESR-112
Poor food-handling and hygiene practices in domestic kitchens are thought to be the cause of a significant number of cases of foodborne illness. However, there is insufficient information on how food is prepared in the home and how hygienic household kitchens are. This pilot survey was commissioned by safefood in order to investigate the standards of hygiene observed in domestic kitchens across Ireland, and to obtain information about the consumers’ knowledge of food safety issues. An extensive questionnaire was completed by 150 householders across Ireland. The project also assessed the impact of providing the household with information and advice on the best ways to prepare, cook and store food. The project team made two visits to households, six to eight months apart, and compared the hygiene practices at each visit. This study was a detailed qualitative rather than a quantitative study. The useful data that this study generated provided safefood with information to advance its communication strategy. The study confirmed the general impression of ignorance amongst householders about the relationship between food hygiene and illness, and it demonstrated that food-handling practices in the domestic kitchen could be improved by providing basic scientific information and reference guides.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Ms Jean Cahill
Food safety challenges in Irish consumer refrigeration systems (2001-2004)
Project Code: 00-RESR-102
This project, involves a survey of the incidence of a range of significant food poisoning bacteria, including Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria spp., Aeromonas spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7 in domestic refrigerators in households throughout Ireland. It also incorporated a survey by questionnaire of consumer food safety practices and knowledge. The results of this project are being used to enhance safefood communication in terms of support of our new advertising campaign on fridge hygiene.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Dr Declan Bolton
Food Safety Knowledge, Microbiology and Refrigeration Temperatures in Domestic Kitchens on the island of Ireland (2001-2005)
This project involved a survey of the incidence of a range of significant food poisoning bacteria, including Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes., Aeromonas spp. and Escherichia coli O157:H7, in the domestic refrigerators of households throughout Ireland. It also incorporated a questionnaire survey to ascertain consumer food safety practices and knowledge. The survey found that certain food poisoning bacteria were commonly present in domestic refrigerators: E. coli (6%), Listeria monocytogenes (6%) and Staphlococcus aureus (41%). The questionnaire revealed that 78% of people did not know that the correct operating temperature for their fridge should be between 1-5oC. The findings of this project are being used to enhance safefood communication to support advertising campaigns on fridge hygiene and the use of fridge thermometers.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Dr Declan Bolton
Food Safety Knowledge, Microbiology and Refrigeration Temperatures in Restaurant Kitchens on the island of Ireland (2001-2005)
Catering establishments, such as restaurants, cafes and canteens, are a major source of food poisoning outbreaks. The aim of the project was to identify hazards associated with food handling, storage, preparation and service in commercial catering premises throughout the island of Ireland. This was achieved through a microbiological survey, an audit of 100 catering establishments, and a questionnaire survey of kitchen managers’ current practices and food safety knowledge. A number of key areas where catering establishments could improve hygiene and food safety practices were identified in the course of this study and appropriate remedial actions were recommended.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Dr Declan Bolton
Persistence and dissemination of Salmonella and Campylobacter in domestic kitchen environments (2004-2007)
Project Code: 03-RESR-013
A considerable proportion of foodborne illness is acquired from food prepared in domestic kitchens. There is limited information available on where and how food pathogens survive in kitchens, how they adapt and which subsequent food preparation activities are most important in transferring these pathogens to food. This study will generate information on the survival, adaptation and spread of two major pathogens, Salmonella and Campylobacter, in kitchens. The resulting information will lead to better advice to consumers on safe food preparation/kitchen activities, which will reduce the risk of exposing themselves or their families to foodborne illness.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Prof David A McDowell
Temperature abuse in retail outlets (2005-2007)
Project Code: 04-RESR-11
"Safefood has previously conducted research on temperature abuse both in the home and in catering establishments. This project is designed to supplement this work by examining temperature abuse at retail level. Temperature abuse in conjunction with poor operational practices are the dominant factors in the mishandling of chilled food which often results in foodborne outbreaks. As the food service industry handling of perishable foods continues to grow significantly, compliance and safety of temperature-critical practices namely chill storage is essential in ensuring a safe food. The equipment scaling, maintenance and day-to-day operation are important factors to be controlled if microbial risks are to be minimised. The key areas which this project is hoping to target are the control and abuse of refrigeration and freezing in retail premises to include: fitness of equipment for the purpose and volume, defects in equipment and suitability of its position, maintenance and cleaning programmes, temperature monitoring, loading and stock rotation, staff responsibilities and training. The project will involve a survey and risk assessment and work closely with Environment Health Officers in Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland. Information gained will be used to drive safefood safe storage campaign at retail level and assist the environmental health service in discerning risks and targeting inspections at retail level. safefood is funding this project collaboratively with the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) programme under the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF)."
Co-ordinating Researcher: Dr Nissreen Abu-Ghannam
The development of a risk communication model based upon food safety behaviours in the home to facilitate adoption of best practice in disseminating information with a food risk component. (2002-2005)
Prooject Code: 01-RESR-043
The primary aim of this project is to map the factors influencing food safety behaviour in the home and thereby predict consumer responses to food risk communications. The project will involve the production of a food diary by primary school children in the north and south of Ireland in order to collect descriptive accounts of 'normal' food safety practices within the home environment. Subsequently, a novel multimedia approach will be developed and used to assess the ability of consumers to cognitively recognise food risk, thereby indicating their likely behaviour in the home. The project will result in production of a risk communication model and best practice guidelines for risk communication messages.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Dr Roy Nelson
Collaborating Researchers: Dr David McCleery, Prof James Phelan
To determine the Food Hygiene Indicators that can be used by Customers to objectively judge hygiene standards in retail and food services (2007-2007)
Project Code: 04-2007
A safefood campaign commenced in August/September 2007 will aim to promote good food hygiene standards in food outlets and empower customers to address any issues that they may find. Compliance with food safety standards is enforced by other agencies, however, from the perspective of the consumer, a need exists to develop a simple ‘customer checklist’ that could be used by anyone purchasing food in a food premises.
The objectives of safefood are to develop a “Customer checklist” of food hygiene indicators that can be used by customers to help them objectively judge the standards of food safety and hygiene in retail and food service outlets. A key part of the checklist development process is a pilot programme of “mystery shopper” audits in a sample of 60 food operations across the island of Ireland with 30 locations in Northern Ireland and 30 locations in the Republic of Ireland. The pilot programme is to be conducted by experienced auditors with detailed knowledge of the food retail and service sectors.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Mr Martin Roper
Collaborating Researchers: None
Assessment of the critical control points during domestic food preparation on the island of Ireland (2008-2009)
Project Code: 08-2007
Poor food-handling and hygiene practices in domestic kitchens are thought to be the cause of a significant amount of
foodborne illness. In this study, the critical control points during food preparation will be assessed via 1) video observation of consumers in their own homes and in test kitchens, 2) microbiological swabs of key areas in all kitchens before and after food preparation, and 3) an audit checklist for each participant which will be developed and validated in the test kitchens for use during the domestic food preparation. Households of single people, couples, families, males and females from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds will be represented in this study.
The participants who will be preparing food in their own homes will be given a shopping list and asked to purchase their own ingredients. They will also be given a temperature logger which they will be asked to attach to the packaging of the meat/poultry products as soon as they are placed into the shopping basket.
By the end of this study the final outcomes will have identified and assessed the critical control points in domestic food preparation in terms of cross-contamination risk and microbial loading, cooking practices and temperature control (with potential for data relating to cleaning activities). The study will also identify any discrepancies between food safety practice and reported behaviour if they exist.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Prof Patrick Wall , UCD
Collaborating Researchers: Prof David McDowell, UU, Prof Seamus Fanning UCD, Dr Jean Kennedy UCD, Dr Kenneth McKenzie, UCD
Persistence and dissemination of Salmonella and Campylobacter in domestic kitchen environments (2004-2007)
Project Code: 03-RESR-13
A considerable proportion of foodborne illness is acquired from food prepared in domestic kitchens. There is limited information available on where and how food pathogens survive in kitchens, how they adapt and which subsequent food preparation activities are most important in transferring these pathogens to food. This study will generate information on the survival, adaptation and spread of two major pathogens, Salmonella and Campylobacter, in kitchens. The resulting information will lead to better advice to consumers on safe food preparation/kitchen activities, which will reduce the risk of exposing themselves or their families to foodborne illness.
Co-ordinating Researcher: Prof David A McDowell