Food Protection Trends - July/August 2021 - 400

PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE
Food Protection Trends, Vol 41, No. 4, p. 400-408
Copyright©
2021, International Association for Food Protection
2900 100th Street, Suite 309, Des Moines, IA 50322-3855, USA
Lillian Nabwiire,1,2
Gail R. Nonnecke,2
1
Angela M. Shaw,1*
David Minner,2
Ellen Johnsen1 and Louis Petersen3
Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition,
Iowa State University, 2312 Food Sciences Bldg.,
536 Farm House Lane, Ames, IA 50011-1057, USA
2
3
Dept. of Horticulture, Iowa State University,
106 Horticulture Hall, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Cooperative Extension Service, University of the Virgin
Islands, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Addressing Food Safety Educational Needs of
Food Handlers in the U.S. Virgin Islands
ABSTRACT
Between 2009 and 2015, restaurants represented
61% of foodborne illnesses in the United States.
Cultural differences among food handlers have been
shown to pose challenges in compliance with food
safety practices in restaurants. The hypothesis was
that culturally appropriate, needs-based food safety
education intervention for the food service industry in the
U.S. Virgin Islands would increase positive food safety
behaviors. Face-to-face interviews based on the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration 2013 Food Code were
conducted with 28 restaurant managers and seven key
informants to identify food safety knowledge and behavior
gaps. Food safety training flip charts, posters, and signs
addressing gaps were developed and pilot tested before
dissemination. Behavioral change was assessed 6 months
after dissemination. Food safety knowledge and behavioral
gaps included inadequate hygiene and sanitation, time and
temperature abuse of food, cross-contamination, and lowquality
food. Respondents requested that their customs,
food, and people be represented within training materials.
Developed materials were used to train 89 employees
(from 11 restaurants), and personal hygiene practices (n
= 12 incidents), temperature control (n = 7), preventing
cross-contamination (n = 8), and cleaning food contact
surfaces (n = 7) had changed after 6 months. On site,
culturally appropriate food safety education interventions
were found to be effective at promoting food safety
practices in culturally diverse populations.
INTRODUCTION
Tourism is the predominant component of the U.S. Virgin
Islands (USVI) economy (11). In 2018, the total number
of tourist arrivals in the USVI was reduced by 734,780
compared with the previous year because of infrastructure
destruction caused by 2017 hurricanes (7). In 2019, with
the USVI infrastructure recovered, tourist arrivals increased
by 501,862 and stayover tourists increased by 50% (39).
During the high tourism months of November through
March, restaurants in USVI serve more customers, yet the
number of employees may not increase as necessary to ensure
food safety practices. Risk factors contributing to foodborne
*Author for correspondence: Phone: +1 515.294.0868; Fax: +1 515.294.8181; Email: angelaml@iastate.edu
400 Food Protection Trends July/August

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