Food Protection Trends - January/February 2015 - 21

Poultry handling
Almost half of the households reported regularly washing
raw poultry (45%) before preparing it, which is higher than
the data from the current observational study (29%). Either
way, a substantial proportion of households continue to
wash raw poultry, thereby contaminating their hands, the
sink, and the counter top around the sink. For this reason,
washing of meats is not recommended (41).
Proper thawing of frozen raw poultry can minimize the
growth of bacterial pathogens and reduce the risk of crosscontamination. Seventy-two percent of households reported
that they thawed frozen raw poultry either in the microwave
oven or in the refrigerator. Fourteen percent of them
reported that they thawed at room temperature, and another
14% reported that they thawed under warm running water.
Neither of the latter methods is recommended for thawing
poultry, since both can increase the risk of Salmonella
regrowth and of cross-contamination. Of the 15 participants
in the study who were observed thawing poultry, microwave
oven thawing was performed 53% of the time, and thawing
under running water 27% of the time. A similar result
was reported in an observational study, in which 16% of
households thawed frozen burgers at room temperature
on the counter, while 56% of households thawed in the
refrigerator (31).
Hand washing
While 100% of subjects reported washing their hands
before preparation of meals, only 5% of the observed subjects actually washed their hands. While 98% of subjects
reported that they washed their hands with soap and hot
water after handling raw poultry, our observations found
that hands were properly washed only 12% of the time
after being directly contaminated with raw poultry.
Previous observational studies have reported lack of
proper hand washing practices among food handlers (18,
20, 31, 34, 36). An observational study evaluating the frequency of hand washing before, during and after poultry
meal preparation found that in only 5% of households
were hands washed before beginning meal preparation,

35% after contact with raw poultry, and 5% after completing meal preparation (18). Our study found compliance
with proper hand washing at only about one-third the rate
reported previously.
In addition to lack of hand washing, the recommended
duration of twenty seconds of hand washing with soap
and water is frequently not met. In the current study, the
duration of hand washing with soap and hot water varied
from as short as two seconds to as long as 33 seconds,
with an overall average of 13 seconds (SD = 7 seconds).
Other observational studies evaluating raw burger handling
reported a lack of compliance for the recommendation that
hand washing include 20 seconds of active rubbing (31, 36).
An observational study by Redmond et al. reported
100% of participants failed to carry out adequate and
immediate hand washing and drying after handling raw
chicken on at least one occasion (34). The risk posed by
lack of proper hand washing can increase if contaminated
bare hands are used to hold snacks during the course of
food handling. In our study, 46% (26/56) of subjects
were observed snacking or tasting cooked meals with
potentially contaminated hands.
Cross-contamination events
Between undercooking and the risk of cross-contamination, cross-contamination events are believed to be the most
dominant pathway for becoming infected with Salmonella
(23, 29, 30). An observational study coupled with microbiological sampling of contact surfaces found that 80-86%
of all unsafe food-handling behaviors were associated with
cross-contamination (34). Similar studies have reported the
ease with which pathogens can be transferred from contaminated raw poultry to various surfaces, including ready-to-eat
foods (11, 24, 32).
Unwashed hands contributed to 85% of all of the crosscontamination episodes observed in the current study,
underscoring the importance of proper hand washing.
Numerous parts of the kitchen environment were directly
or indirectly contaminated. By far the most frequently
contaminated non-food contact surfaces were handles (e.g.,
of cabinets and appliances). In addition, food containers
such as salt shakers, oil bottles and other reusable food
containers are also commonly contaminated objects.
Subjects were observed directly handling these items
without first washing their hands after handling raw poultry.
This finding is consistent with previous observational
studies (31, 34).
In our study, a substantial proportion of households
reported not having separate cutting boards (45%), and
almost all reported never reusing cutting boards without
first adequately cleaning them. When observed, none of the
participants reused contaminated cutting boards to process
ready-to-eat foods. This finding might be a reflection of
the fact that only 21% of households used cutting boards

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Fifty-one percent of the subjects in the study
reported storing raw poultry in the refrigerator for three
or more days, with 10 percent of them keeping raw
poultry in the refrigerator for more than five days. The
recommended storage time for raw poultry products in
home refrigerators is less than two days (41). Extended
refrigeration storage of raw poultry in poorly cooled
refrigerators can increase the risk of re-growth of
pathogenic organisms, resulting in an increased risk of
cross-contamination. An observational study of domestic
refrigeration temperatures found 59% of refrigerators
holding foods at temperatures above the recommended
cold holding temperature of 41°F (5°C) (21).

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Food Protection Trends - January/February 2015

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