Food Protection Trends - November 2009 - 796

In an annual survey repeated over several years, consumers were asked to volunteer practices they follow to keep food safe. In 1990, no consumers volunteered that they wash their hands (32). In 2005– 2007, between 74 and 76% identified washing hands as something they do “every time” (18). Further, a review of select safe-handling practices indicates that more consumers report washing their hands with soap after handling raw meat or poultry, with 66% reporting washing in 1993, 76% in 1998 and 82% in 2001 (4). In 2009, 87% reported washing their hands with soap and water, but this percentage had decreased from 92% in 2008 (23). Do consumers really wash every time? The American Society for Microbiology has repeatedly shown that actual behavior is frequently different from reported behavior. For example, 92% of Americans say they wash their hands after using a restroom, but when observed, only 88% of women and 66% of men actually wash their hands (5). Video taping consumers in their homes while preparing a meal revealed that 45% of subjects attempted to wash their hands before starting meal preparation, of which 38% used soap (2). This indicates that consumers know that hand washing is important, but people may not always wash as frequently as food safety authorities recommend. plate between using it to hold raw and cooked meat (14). People may overstate what they perceive as the recommended behavior. Actual observation again reveals that consumers do not always follow recommended practices. When consumers were observed during meal preparation, over 477 cross-contamination events occurred. Most of these, 84%, involved contamination of ready to eat foods with raw meat or poultry (2). Thorough cooking of ground beef A national telephone survey conducted between December 1992 and February 1993 found that 23% of consumers served home prepared hamburgers rare or medium (24). In 1996 and 1997, 10% of consumers interviewed said they had eaten undercooked hamburger in the five days prior to the interview, while 30% said they preferred undercooked hamburger (39). In 1998 and 2001, those who said they had eaten rare or medium burgers decreased to 17 and 18%, respectively (4). Use of meat thermometer to determine doneness More consumers reported owning a meat thermometer in 2001, at 60%, compared to only 46 in 1998 (4). In 1998, 22% of consumers reported using a meat thermometer to determine when roasts or large pieces of meat are done. This percentage increased to 32% in 2001. Use of a thermometer is not an ingrained behavior. In 2009, 71% responded that they cook food to the required temperature. However, only 25% said they used a thermometer to check doneness of meat and poultry items (23). The percentage using a meat thermometer when cooking hamburgers is much lower. Only 3% indicated that they used a thermometer in 1998, and 6% in 2001 (4). Consumers can accidentally undercook ground beef that is used as part of a large meal item. Even though consumers believed their meatloaf was fully cooked, 46% of the meatloaves had not reached the recommended temperature of 160°F (2). Cross-contamination Consumer response to a question on cleaning cutting boards indicates an increasing percentage respond with recommended behavior. In 1996 and 1997, 7% of consumers acknowledged that they do not always wash their hands after handling raw meat or poultry, and 7% also admitted that they do not always wash the cutting board after cutting these raw foods (39). Proper cleaning of cutting boards or other surfaces after cutting raw meat or poultry was reported by 68% of consumers in 1993, 79% in 1998, and 85% in 2001 (4). In contrast, in 2009, only 50% of consumers reported using different or freshly cleaned cutting boards between raw meat and poultry and produce (23). Others found that in 1999 and 2002, 18% of consumers did not wash the Popular sources of recipes do not encourage use of a thermometer but rather rely on time of cooking and color. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay describes several tasty ways to cook burgers in the Sunday newspaper insert, Parade magazine (17). Readers are told to “Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked medium inside.” The September 2009 issue of Saveur magazine featuring The Burger Bible focuses on flavorful ingredients. Readers are advised to “cook burgers, flipping once, until cooked to desired doneness, about 12 minutes total for medium rare”(6). In the article “Ultimate Burgers,” Sunset Magazine advises readers to grill burgers 4 to 6 minutes, turning once for rare, and ten minutes for medium to well-done burgers (42). Cooks are advised to “check doneness,” but use of a thermometer is not mentioned. Perhaps the most shocking advice comes from the New York Times (40). The writer interviewed several chefs from around the country, gleaning tips from each to share with the reader. None mention use of a thermometer. The paper reports that Seamus Mullen, the chef and an owner of the Boqueria restaurants in the Flatiron district and SoHo, uses a wire cake tester to determine doneness. “We stick it in the middle through the side,” he said. “If it’s barely warm to the lips, it’s rare. If it’s like bath water, it’s medium rare. The temperature will never lie. It takes the guesswork out of everything.” Knowledge and behavior Surveys indicate that consumer knowledge of several key messages on safe handling has increased, but knowledge gaps still exist (4, 36). In some cases, people are not familiar with details of the recommendation. They do not know the appropriate end-point temperature for cooked hamburger or the appropriate temperature for the refrigerator. People do not realize the importance of hand washing, and they think that rinsing hands or a cutting board with water constitutes adequate cleaning. Even if they know the recommendations, people do not always follow them. People say that the recommendations do not apply to them, or that they are too busy 796 FOOD PROTECTION TRENDS | NOVEMBER 2009

Food Protection Trends - November 2009

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