Increasing Food Safety Compliance With Online Resources

Abstract

Food-borne illness is a top concern for public policy and public health in the U.S., causing nearly 48 million incidents yearly. The number of confirmed food-borne illness outbreaks has declined over recent years as regulation and control measures of the Food and Drug Administration have increased. However, despite increased regulations and decreased outbreaks, there are still a large number of food safety violations, and it is imperative that food service employers continue to encourage good food safety practices. Mandated training has produced varying results on the improved inspection scores of restaurant establishments, but understanding the barriers to food safety and employing food safety intervention measures has had positive results on improving the employees’ food safety compliance behaviors. There is an opportunity to explore new interventions and mediums to increase safe food handling behaviors. This project describes the development of a food safety resource, FoodSafetyKmowledge.org. The site exists as a singular location for managers to find all of the necessary safety and sanitation resources in one accessible and convenient place. The discussion and analysis includes feedback from other food service professionals, and I offer recommendations to improve the site for future use.