Food Protection Trends - November/December 2020 - 418

TABLE 3. Current and preferred food safety training methods of the food truck owners
and managers
Themes

Role play/ mock
situation

On-the-job training

Smartphone app

Visual aids

Selected Quotes
FG18: "I do a role play and I pretend as if I'm the inspector."
FG5: "We have meetings and I'll role-play or ask questions."
FI3: "We role play on communication it's vital in the tiny environment."
FII7: "Communication is something that should be focused on, in that tight of an environment something
can go wrong if staff is not trained. A mock situation in my experience works well when enhancing training
experience of the staff."
FG21: "I train my staff on cooking techniques and how to cook my food."
FI3: "I think my staff should have training topics every day. This will keep them always thinking about food
safety. I show them new recipes and I think throwing in a little lesson weekly would keep them informed."
FG20: "An app of some sort from ServSafe® would be useful and save time."
FG2: "Time is valuable since everyone has a smartphone or tablet it makes sense for us to have an app.
That would make life easier they could log on take the exam and done."
FI6: "Since time is always valuable and everyone has a smartphone or tablet, I'm surprised there is not a
food safety app. This would make life a lot easier have my employees log on take the exam and complete
the certification."
FG5: "Visualize processes like handwashing."
FG9: "I think visual charts are helpful for temperatures, I use them to remind them if I'm not there
for plating."
FI8: "Pictures can remind staff of what to do."

Notes: FG, focus groups; FI, face-to-face interviews.

(66.6%), with particular attention to the temperature of
the equipment, which includes ensuring that the (cooking
and refrigeration) equipment is able to reach correct
temperatures and maintain those temperatures (23%),
and modifying equipment to fit the needs of a food
truck business (8%). During the discussion, participants
mentioned that, depending on the type of food served
or the previous use of the truck, equipment changes or
modifications were inevitable. One example brought up in
the discussion was an old ice cream truck that needed an
equipment modification because it would be used to serve
hot food items (e.g., "We serve crepes so we had to modify
the electric to have enough power to operate with the
coolers since our truck was an old ice cream truck").
When discussing the food safety practices and concerns
in regard to food trucks, the participants discussed the
modifications made to their kitchen equipment in order
to conform to their own operation. The cleanliness of
equipment was discussed by five interviewees (20%). The
cleanliness of the immediate area outside a food truck was
deemed an important consideration as well. It was noted by
one respondent that consumers view the cleanliness of the
outside of the truck when choosing which truck to purchase

418

Food Protection Trends November/December

food from, just as a consumer would not choose a restaurant
with an undesirable appearance.
Food truck food safety practices and concerns: Cleaning
In addition, cleaning was found to be a critical measure in
operating a food truck. Cleaning (57%) was an important
aspect due to the mobile nature of the food service and
the occasional storage of food outdoors. The participants
discussed that food trucks that are not properly cleaned
after each service and leave food residue would draw
pests. Furthermore, the cleaning of cooking equipment
(41.6%) was identified as a challenge. In some instances,
the appropriate room for a dishwasher is not available
or the power supply to support a dishwasher is lacking.
Another challenge identified was the lack of time to wash
pots and pans by hand, as the customers expected to receive
their food in a short amount of time. One participant
commented that his food truck has extra equipment on
board in order to avoid the extra cleaning work on the food
truck. Participants also noted that they have to be careful
when cleaning the pots and pans on the food trucks to avoid
cross-contamination, since dirty, contaminated pots and
pans can be in close proximity to the food being served.

Food Protection Trends - November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Food Protection Trends - November/December 2020