Systematic review of industry food safety training topics & modalities

Foodborne illness continues to be of major concern In the US. Food handling and proper procedures have a direct impact on the incidence of foodborne Illness. The quality and quantity of training can mitigate the number of foodborne illness outbreaks. The purpose of this review was to evaluate studies published between 2013 and 2018 specific to the topics, modalities and assessment of training interventions for food handlers in foodservice operations. Lecture style was the most common modality. Visual aids were often used to supplement lectures including, photographs, posters, info sheets, brochure/comic book, and videos. The most covered topics were hand hygiene, followed by temperature controls, personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitizing, and cross contamination. The majority of studies used a pre/post intervention questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Direct observation and microbial testing were also used as assessment tools. While most studies reported knowledge increase post intervention, few reported behavior change. A lack of novel approaches to conveying food safety content was noted.