Food Protection Trends - July/August 2021 - 407

some food handlers, which made it easier for food handlers
to comprehend and apply food safety knowledge (27, 34).
The impact assessment was conducted 6 months after the
dissemination of materials, which allowed more time for
managers to accomplish multiple training sessions. Food
handlers also had more time to internally process the food
safety information and integrate new ideas with what was
already known, thereby giving the opportunity for longterm
knowledge retention and behavioral change. Having a
postassessment after 6 months is contrary to most food safety
training interventions, which are given once and provide a
pretest and a posttest, usually less than 2 months apart (33,
50). A one-time training session may not be sufficient for
long-term knowledge retention (29), and the short period
between the intervention and the posttest may not allow
sufficient time for changes to be noticed.
This study had limitations, which included a convenience
sample of respondents who were not proportionally representative
of the three islands of the USVI; therefore, findings
may not be generalized to all retail food establishments in
the USVI. The results of the impact assessment phase were
gathered from the managers' self-reported observations and
how they felt the interventions influenced behavior, not independently
observed by researchers, which could have caused
bias. A food handlers' view of the extension materials could
be valuable in confirming managers' response. Nevertheless,
the food safety extension materials from this study could benefit
all restaurants within the USVI.
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CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall, this study showed that food handling practices
in the USVI retail food establishments changed following
use of an onsite food safety education intervention with
culturally appropriate materials based on managers' self
reports. Extension educators in food safety who work
with culturally diverse populations should incorporate
appropriate attributes when designing educational
materials, because these promote continuous learning and
change in practices. As the USVI Department of Health
strives toward adhering to the recently adopted 2017
version of the FDA Food Code (42), it could provide food
safety education resources to retail food establishments, in
addition to requiring a health card for food handlers.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank the Iowa State University Education
and Resiliency Through Horticulture Program for partially
funding the research project; Vanessa Forbes, Dale Morton,
and staff of the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative
Extension Service; and Ellen Johnsen and Ana Lorena Monge
of Iowa State University for their assistance in development,
translation, and dissemination of extension materials.
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/feeding-virgins/ https://www.hakaimagazine.com/news/feeding-virgins/ https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R45235.pdf https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R45235.pdf http://www.usviber.org/home/ http://www.usviber.org/home/
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