Shannon Coleman, PhD
Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Iowa State University
“Development, Dissemination, and
Evaluation of Two Food Safety Trainings for Exempt Home Food Operations and
Home Bakeries in Iowa”
Understanding
safe food practice is essential for home‐based food operators to prevent foodborne
illness. The objective of the in-person study is to assess participants’
attitudes and behaviors towards food safety practices using seven constructs
from the Theory of Planned Behavior. The objective of the online study was to
evaluate the effectiveness of one online food safety education module for
home‐based food operators in Iowa through learning assessments. Two pilot
training both in-person and online was developed and addressed topics including
Iowa laws, food safety basics, and application to the home kitchen, production,
and at the point-of-sale. Participants of the in-person study were assessed on
areas of attitude, behavior, intention, perceived behavioral control, and
willingness to conform to social pressures related to food safety. The assessment
was disseminated via a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up evaluation. Results
of the in-person evaluation show that participants (n=51) had positive feelings
(5.00 or ≥) for six constructs except for a slightly lower rating for attitude
(4.00 or ≥). Significant differences were observed between pre-test and
post-test times within behavior towards preparation environment and perceived
behavioral control constructs. Participants (n=21) of the online study were
assessed on the effectiveness of the online module by examining the
first‐attempt average scores on learning assessments, the number of attempts
required to achieve 100%, and the first‐attempt performance by question type.
The three learning assessment tools from the online study resulted in first‐attempt
averages of approximately 86%, 90%, and 83%, surpassing our standard of the
effectiveness of 75%. The results from these studies will provide researchers
and educators with the guidance of areas within food safety training for home
food producers.
Zoom Recording ID: 93012495314
UUID: fHl764ycTleRjqjl7oBqww==
Meeting Time: 2020-09-08T20:00:02Z