Majority of Canadian teenagers need food safety education

Every year, a total of 4 million Canadians (one in eight) are affected by a foodborne illness, according to the Government of Canada. A new study from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada) highlights a low level of awareness among youth around the proper precautions they need to take when it comes to handling food. The study, published in the Journal of Food Protection, measured 32 different food-handling behaviors among Ontario high school students in grades 10 to 12. It found that fewer than 50% of the recommended practices were followed by students, including basic hand hygiene and procedures to prevent cross-contamination.

“High school students represent the next generation of food handlers, but they are not well studied,” said Ken Diplock, who led the research while at Waterloo. “They are just starting to prepare food on their own and for others, and they’re also beginning to work in the food industry. It’s important to get to students before they develop bad habits.”

The researchers observed the students in high school food and nutrition classes three times, once before the students took an Ontario standard food-handling training program, then two weeks and three months later. The program helped them improve their skills significantly, but many students continued to engage in risky behaviors known to lead to foodborne diseases.

The most significant improvement after the training course occurred on thermometer use, which is the only way to determine doneness. Student use went from 5% at the first observation to 36% and 33% in two weeks and three months, respectively.

“Even though training programs have important benefits, there are obviously still gaps between knowledge and how food handlers behave,” said Diplock. “Food safety education improves knowledge and behavior, but unless the values are reinforced in other areas such as home life and society, the behaviors will not always stick.”

In this study, the behaviors remained consistent between the second and third observations, likely because the students were handling food regularly in the presence of teachers, who reinforced what they had learned.