2021 Conference

1. Microbial Quality of Fresh Produce Acquired from Farmers’ Markets in Central VA

Although sales of local food at farmers markets have been steadily growing, the food safety risks associated with products purchased at farmers” markets have not been adequately addressed. This study is to assess the prevalence and characterization of foodborne pathogens on fresh produce procured from farmers markets in Central Virginia.

Presenter: Chyer Kim, Assistant Professor, Virginia State University

2. Food Safety Education Needs in the Era of COVID-19: A Mixed-Method Needs Assessment in April and May 2020

Researchers focused on assessing food safety behaviors and risk perceptions of consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic (Spring 2020). The pandemic has increased awareness of diseases, but food safety education is needed to help consumers continue following good practices beyond COVID-19 and to eradicate improper practices that may harm them.

Presenters: Merlyn Thomas, Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University; Yaohua Feng, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Dept. of Food Science, Purdue University

3. New Audiences for High Speed Hand Washing

In response to COVID-19 guidelines, new training resources and tools for safe and efficient hand washing were developed to train workers arriving to harvest and process food. In autumn, additional resources were developed for teachers, caregivers and pod leaders of young children.

Presenters: Glenda Hyde, Associate Professor of Practice, Family & Community Health, Oregon State University Extension Service/Deschutes County; Lauren Kraemer, Assistant Professor of Practice in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University Extension Service; Shauna Tominey, Assistant Professor of Practice and Parenting Education Specialist, Oregon State University Extension Service

4. Responding to Consumers During a Pandemic: Food Safety and Program Delivery

The 2020 pandemic spurred interest in gardening and overall safe food handling and preservation among consumers. Interviews with members of a regional food safety/preservation education group were conducted. This presentation will share best practices in regional collaboration to conduct and evaluate food safety education programs throughout a multistate region.

Presenters: Julie Garden-Robinson, Professor and Extension Specialist, North Dakota State University; Rebecca West, Professor, English, North Dakota State University; Barbara Ingham, Professor, Food Science Extension Specialist, University of Wisconsin

5. Enhancing the Consumer’s Understanding of the Four Core Food Safety Practices: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chill during COVID-19 pandemic

Enhancing the consumer’s understanding of the four core food safety practices, clean, separate, cook, chill during COVID-19 pandemic. There is no confirmed evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted via food or food packaging (WHO, 2020). However, COVID-19 can be transmitted via contact surfaces (CDC, 2020; van Doremalen et al. 2020).

Presenters: Basem Boutros, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Sam Houston State University; Valencia Browning-Keen, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Sam Houston State University; Yemisi Oguntuwase, Sam Houston State University

6. Assessment of Food Safety in Temporary Foodservice Establishments at Louisiana Fairs and Festivals

Food purchased from temporary foodservice establishments in fairs and festivals is very popular. This presentation will provide findings of an evaluation of secondary data of food safety inspection reports for the top five critical and non-critical food safety violations at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Presenters: Valerie Salter, Doctoral Candidate, Hospitality Management, Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management, Northwestern State University; Anirudh Naig, Associate Professor, Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality, Iowa State University

7. Using Web-Survey Results to Improve Consumer Education Efforts

USDA FSIS will share the results of its recent national web survey on messaging preferences for foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls. Learn how this data can be used to by public health professionals to target messaging to help improve consumer behavior and awareness of foodborne illnesses.

Presenters: Jesus “Jesse” Garcia, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA-FSIS and Meredith Carothers, Technical Information Specialist, USDA-FSIS

8. Food Safety Education for Extension Volunteer

The Statewide Food Safety in-service training was a multimedia presentation and demonstration that took place across the state of Florida and educated participants on proper food handling to promote food safety

Presenters: Laurie Osgood, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS); Amy Mullins, Family & Consumer Sciences Agent II, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension in Leon County; Jennifer Hagen, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension in Lee County

9. Virtual Transition and Lesson Learned

Online programming provided the opportunity to make consumers aware of safe food preservation during the Novel Coronavirus pandemic. Participants will learn about a successful online programming effort and why this is an effective way to reach consumers about important food safety behaviors.

Presenters: Joyce McGarry, Extension Educator – Food Safety, Michigan State University Extension; Kara Lynch, Food Safety Educator, Michigan State University Extension; Kellie Jordan, Food Safety Instructor, Michigan State University Extension

10. An exploration of opportunities for food-safety education of young children.

Use of children’s’ cookbooks/recipes and co-curricular food preparation classes, targeted for the “younger-audience” may provide a valuable opportunity to convey information about safe food-handling/storage to children and have the potential to positively impact children’s health, however, remain to be an underutilized source of food-safety information.

Presenter: Elizabeth Redmond, Senior Research Fellow, Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University

11. Let’s get personal! Determining the effects of personal narratives in agricultural messaging

Drs. Levy Randolph and Tiffany Rogers-Randolph, Kansas State University, will present a study conducted with University of Florida and Ohio State University which focused on message-driven media. The study focused on identifying effective approaches to delivering food safety information to consumers that increases engagement and attitude while reducing cognitive load.

Presenters: Levy Randolph, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Communications and Journalism, Kansas State University; Tiffany Rogers-Randolph, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Communications and Journalism, Kansas State University

12. Fill your Pantry: Food Preservation in a Digital Landscape

During the 2020 pandemic, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition and Wellness team adapted quickly to provide food preservation webinars and digital resources. Having reached over 1.75 million people through social, print, and virtual media, hear lessons Extension has learned about using various media and delivering consumer food safety information uniquely!

Presenters: Lisa Peterson, Nutrition & Wellness Educator, University of Illinois Extension; Mary Liz Wright, Nutrition and Wellness Educator, University of Illinois Extension

13. Best Practices for a Successful Virtual Food Demonstration

The program delivers training for creating a virtual food demonstration with an eye toward food safety precautions. Drawing on evidence from the 2017 FDA Food Code, the program trains participants to shift a once in-person event to a virtual space for mastering strategies to deliver a successful virtual food demonstration.

Presenters: Keith A. Statham-Cleek, MEd, EFNEP Program Associate II/Management, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension and Research; Leigh Ann Bullington, MS, CEA – Staff Chair, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension and Research; Bryan Mader, DrPH, MPH, CHES, Assistant Professor-Nutrition Family & Consumer Science, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Extension and Research

14. Creating a Valid and Reliable Consumer Food Safety Tool

Kitchen Kaizen is a research-based, consumer food safety program. This session will discuss its development, review elements of the curriculum, and share program results. Participants will better understand how to create a food safety program and partner with the University of Maryland Extension.

Presenters: Virginia Brown, Extension Evaluation Specialist, University of Georgia; Shauna Henley, Senior Agent, Affiliate Agent, Department of Nutrition & Food Science, University of Maryland Extension

15. Penn State Extension Response to Consumer Food Safety Concerns During COVID-19

Penn State Extension Food Safety Educators mobilized immediately when COVID-19 restrictions were implemented, developing research-based information to share with clients. As restrictions continued the team created live webinar trainings on a variety of food safety topics, meeting the continuing needs of our clients for accurate information.

Presenters: Sharon McDonald, Extension Educator, College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University Extension; Amber Denmon, Extension Educator, Food, Families & Health, Pennsylvania State University Extension; Nicole McGeehan, Extension Educator, Food Safety & Quality/Food, Families and Health, Pennsylvania State University Extension

16. Cannabidiol and Pharmacogenomic Considerations

I’m hoping to provide important information on the implications of pharmacogenomic testing relative to consumer safety of the popular cannabinoid CBD, which is now in pharmacies as though it is a dietary supplement and being added to food items such as coffee drinks and bakery items.

Presenters: Caitlin Keefe, Research Assistant, Regis University School of Pharmacy; Leticia Shea, Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions, Regis University School of Pharmacy

17. Examine employees’ motivators and barriers to following food allergy accommodation practices in independently-owned restaurants.

Learn about employees perceived motivators and barriers to following food allergy accommodation practices in independently-owned restaurants in Metro-Orlando, Florida.

Presenters: Nelson M. Placa, Professor, Tenured, Valencia College; Anirudh Naig, Associate Professor in Hospitality Management & State Extension Food Safety Specialist for Retail Foodservice, Iowa State University

18. Evaluate current food allergy policies and procedures and examine differences and similarities in existing policies and procedures in independently-owned restaurants.

This presentation will share results from a study conducted that assessed food allergy policies and procedures in independently-owned restaurants in Metro-Orlando. The study also evaluated the food allergy attitudes and knowledge of owners/managers from independently-owned restaurants.

Presenters: Nelson M. Placa, Professor, Tenured, Valencia College; Anirudh Naig, Associate Professor in Hospitality Management & State Extension Food Safety Specialist for Retail Foodservice, Iowa State University

19. Evaluation of Food Safety Education Program for Low Socioeconomic Families with Young Children.

To protect consumers in low socioeconomic status and their young children from contracting foodborne illnesses, it’s important for the primary food handlers of these families to learn and adopt proper food handling practices. In this study, we developed and evaluated an educational program for low socioeconomic families with young children.

Presenters: Han Chen, Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University; Leah Klinestiver, Public health student, Purdue University; Yaohua Feng, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Dept. of Food Science, Purdue University

20. A netnography study relating to raw meat-based diets for pets

In this netnography study, we utilise the novel method to explore the food safety perceptions and practices of UK pet owners relating to the trend of raw meat-based diets for pets. We also conduct an online review of raw pet food manufacturer/supplier websites to investigate food safety information provision.

Presenters: Veronika Bulochova, Student, Food Science, Technology and Food Safety, Cardiff Metropolitan University; Ellen Evans, Research Fellow, ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University

21. Are food safety messages on flour packages effective?

Researchers focused on evaluating the impact of current food safety messages on flour packages among flour-using consumers. The findings indicated that food safety messages currently available on flour packages were not as effective in communicating safe flour handling practices to consumers, so the content and location need to be optimized.

Presenters: Juan Archila-Godinez, Research Assistant, Purdue University; Yaohua Feng, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, Dept. of Food Science, Purdue University

22. Recipe Redo for Food Safety

This poster presentation shows how a university updated all of the recipes used in their community nutrition education programs to include food safety guidelines and the language they used in the recipes. You will see some of the finished recipes used on social media.

Presenters: Dana Smith, Area Extension Specialist, Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension; Debbie Goddard, Special Projects Coordinator, Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension; Marion Mosby, SNAP-Ed/EFNEP, Tennessee State University Cooperative Extension

23. Going beyond the fridge door to explore domestic food safety risks

In this study, we go beyond the fridge door to explore the potential relationship between cognition, behaviour and domestic food safety risks. We conduct a longitudinal time-temperature profiling study to explore the impact of behaviour upon refrigeration temperature and explore associations between knowledge, attitudes, self-reported data and refrigerator operating temperatures.

Presenter: Ellen W. Evans, Research Fellow, Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University

24. Educational Initiatives for Virginia Extension Agents’ Awareness of Food Processing Technologies

This presentation emphasizes the importance of assessing educators” knowledge and perceptions of food safety topics before they deliver programming to others. Multi-modal educational initiatives (videos, peer-reviewed infosheets, train-the-trainer workshop) were created in response to a survey of Virginia Extension Agents regarding their knowledge of and perceptions towards food processing technologies.

Presenters: Minh Duong, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech; Nicole Arnold, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition Science, College of Allied Health Sciences, East Carolina University; Lily Yang, Manager, Food Safety, The Acheson Group LLC