@article{levine_yavelak_luchansky_porto-fett_chapman_2017, title={Consumer perceptions of the safety of ready-to-eat foods in retail food store settings}, volume={80}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85026206789&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-16-417}, abstractNote={To better understand how consumers perceive food safety risks in retail food store settings, a survey was administered to 1,041 nationally representative participants who evaluated possible food safety risks depicted in selected photographs and self-reported their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Participants were shown 12 photographs taken at retail stores portraying either commonly perceived or actual food safety contributing factors, such as cross-contamination, product and equipment temperatures, worker hygiene, and/or store sanitation practices. Participants were then asked to specifically identify what they saw, comment as to whether what they saw was safe or unsafe, and articulate what actions they would take in response to these situations. In addition to the survey, focus groups were employed to supplement survey findings with qualitative data. Survey respondents identified risk factors for six of nine actual contributing factor photographs >50% of the time: poor produce storage sanitation (86%, n = 899), cross-contamination during meat slicing (72%, n = 750), bare-hand contact of ready-to-eat food in the deli area (67%, n = 698), separation of raw and ready-to-eat food in the seafood case (63%, n = 660), cross-contamination from serving utensils in the deli case (62%, n = 644), and incorrect product storage temperature (51%, n = 528). On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 was very unsafe and 5 was very safe, a significant difference was found between average risk perception scores for photographs of actual contributing factors (score of ca. 2.5) and scores for photographs of perceived contributing factors (score of ca. 2.0). Themes from the focus groups supported the results of the survey and provided additional insight into consumer food safety risk perceptions. The results of this study inform communication interventions for consumers and retail food safety professionals aimed at improving hazard identification.}, number={8}, journal={Journal of Food Protection}, author={Levine, K. and Yavelak, M. and Luchansky, J.B. and Porto-Fett, A.C.S. and Chapman, Benjamin}, year={2017}, pages={1364–1377} }
 @article{levine_chaifetz_chapman_2017, title={Evaluating food safety risk messages in popular cookbooks}, volume={119}, ISSN={["1758-4108"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85018673626&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1108/bfj-02-2017-0066}, abstractNote={
Purpose
Medeiros et al. (2001) estimate 3.5 million cases of foodborne illness in the USA annually are associated with inadequate cooking of animal foods or cross-contamination from these foods. Past research shows home food handling practices can be risk factors for foodborne illness. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the communication of food safety guidance, specifically safe endpoint temperatures and cross-contamination risk reduction practices, in popular cookbook recipes.


Design/methodology/approach
Recipes containing raw animal ingredients in 29 popular cookbooks were evaluated through content analysis for messages related to safe endpoint temperature recommendations and reducing cross-contamination risks.


Findings
Of 1,749 recipes meeting study criteria of cooking raw animal ingredients, 1,497 contained a raw animal that could effectively be measured with a digital thermometer. Only 123 (8.2 percent) of these recipes included an endpoint temperature, of which 89 (72.3 percent) gave a correct temperature. Neutral and positive food safety behavior messages were provided in just 7.2 percent (n=126) and 5.1 percent (n=90) of recipes, respectively. When endpoint temperatures were not included, authors often provided subjective and risky recommendations.


Research limitations/implications
Further research is needed on the effect of these results on consumer behavior and to develop interventions for writing recipes with better food safety guidance.


Practical implications
Including correct food safety guidance in cookbooks may increase the potential of reducing the risk of foodborne illness.


Originality/value
Popular cookbooks are an underutilized avenue for communicating safe food handling practices and currently cookbook authors are risk amplifiers.
}, number={5}, journal={BRITISH FOOD JOURNAL}, author={Levine, Katrina and Chaifetz, Ashley and Chapman, Benjamin}, year={2017}, pages={1116–1129} }