The retail business has been negatively affected due to the increasing customer concerns about food safety and the recent events related to microbiological and chemical contamination of food products, such as the melamine in infant formula and the multiple cases of produce pathogen contamination. It has been shown that a scientific-based food safety system, such as, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), help reduce the likelihood of food safety incidents. Nevertheless, companies with these kinds of systems have too experienced public food safety issues. Food safety professionals have created instruments to measure food safety based on lagging indicators, such as pathogen presence or food safety incident reduction. Though, they have not created metrics based on leading indicators to measure the behavior driven by the culture of employees who handle the food. The employees who handle food are influenced by cultural values and behave in a company based on the company's cultural influence; hence, food safety should also be measured in cultural terms as a leading indicator. In order to measure food safety culture of a retail company and understand differences among groups, the researcher used case study methodology to select a USA based retailer. The researcher described the culture of the retailer, as well as the leadership styles. Based on these descriptions, the food safety culture of the company and the employee constructs were defined and piloted for construct validity and construct reliability. Once validated, a food safety culture survey instrument was implemented in the operations area of this retailer. The results showed that the employees agreed or strongly agreed that food safety was part of the corporate culture. One of the factors influencing the food safety culture was service to the customer. The results showed that there were differences in food safety culture across the different groups, but with negligible or small effect size. One of the main contributions of this study was the development of a metric to measure food safety culture in the retail industry. It also suggests that besides food safety audit scores and incident reduction, food safety needs to be measured in terms of the corporate culture of the retailer. In an effort to improve food safety around the world, organizations should consider that culture plays an important role.

Foodborne illnesses place a burden on the entire society. One strategy to lower the costs of foodborne illnesses is to reduce the prevalence of foodborne pathogens through interventions along the food supply chain. There is an ongoing trend that food safety systems are moving towards performance-based regimes, which rely on the implementation of food safety standards. However, the implementation of food safety standards has not garnered much interest in the Canadian policy environment. The assessment of food safety interventions to achieve a standard is challenging as the underlying biological processes are complex, the costs of administering such interventions are not abundantly clear and the set of available interventions is changing. This thesis investigates the cost-effectiveness of food safety interventions and specifically the applicability of a food safety standard. First, a theoretical model is developed to investigate how; in theory cost-minimization can be used to identify the most cost-effective way to reduce foodborne pathogens with the utilization of a food safety standard. Then, a specific framework is developed for Campylobacter in chicken that consists of interrelated simulation models that represent the level and flow of pathogens through a commodity supply chain, the impact of alternative interventions on pathogen load and their costs. The case study focus is Ontario, Canada. Different interventions are compared and evaluated based on their compliance with a food safety standard. The applicability of different cost-effectiveness measures is assessed.

2 pp. / Revision of 2001 title by Misner

<p>One of the main objectives of all food production is to produce foods that can safely be</p><p>consumed without fear of being sick. Despite this hundreds of people are affected in Sweden of</p><p>food poisoning almost every day. Most cases are caused by a small group of so-called pathogenic</p><p>microorganisms. The most frequently affected are the small children, the elderly, persons with</p><p>reduced resistance and pregnant. The reasons behind the food poisoning are often ignorance and</p><p>lack of food hygiene. The majority of food poisoning can be prevented through knowledge and</p><p>control over food operations.</p><p>On January 1, 2006 a new food legislation started to be applied in Sweden, which sets higher</p><p>requirements for food business. The food business responsibility for the food safety is clarified</p><p>and that it is the food business which has the primary responsibility for tracking and recalling all</p><p>products that pose a danger to consumer’s health.</p><p>HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is an internationally recognized process</p><p>control system for food security and also a legal requirement. Under the new Food Act, food</p><p>business operators are obliged to establish, implement and maintain a HACCP system to ensure</p><p>safe food. HACCP is a systematic approach, which aims to assess the risks of food and bring</p><p>them under control. For food industry, HACCP is currently recognized as the best method of</p><p>controlling food safety.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to establish a general HACCP system for all cooking and receiving</p><p>kitchens in Varberg municipality to ensure the production of safe food.</p><p>Today, there are eight cooking kitchens that prepare approximately 11 300 portions a day and 87</p><p>receiving kitchens which supplies the municipal preschools, schools and the old people's home</p><p>with food every day.</p><p>In order to draw up an overall HACCP system, we examined the cooking kitchen in School</p><p>Peder Skrivare, which prepares approximately 4 300 portions every day, and a receiving kitchen.</p><p>Furthermore, we have during the work time been in contact with five other cooking and</p><p>receiving kitchens to be able to compile the HACCP system.</p>

One of the main objectives of all food production is to produce foods that can safely be consumed without fear of being sick. Despite this hundreds of people are affected in Sweden of food poisoning almost every day. Most cases are caused by a small group of so-called pathogenic microorganisms. The most frequently affected are the small children, the elderly, persons with reduced resistance and pregnant. The reasons behind the food poisoning are often ignorance and lack of food hygiene. The majority of food poisoning can be prevented through knowledge and control over food operations. On January 1, 2006 a new food legislation started to be applied in Sweden, which sets higher requirements for food business. The food business responsibility for the food safety is clarified and that it is the food business which has the primary responsibility for tracking and recalling all products that pose a danger to consumer’s health. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is an internationally recognized process control system for food security and also a legal requirement. Under the new Food Act, food business operators are obliged to establish, implement and maintain a HACCP system to ensure safe food. HACCP is a systematic approach, which aims to assess the risks of food and bring them under control. For food industry, HACCP is currently recognized as the best method of controlling food safety. The purpose of this thesis is to establish a general HACCP system for all cooking and receiving kitchens in Varberg municipality to ensure the production of safe food. Today, there are eight cooking kitchens that prepare approximately 11 300 portions a day and 87 receiving kitchens which supplies the municipal preschools, schools and the old people's home with food every day. In order to draw up an overall HACCP system, we examined the cooking kitchen in School Peder Skrivare, which prepares approximately 4 300 portions every day, and a receiving kitchen. Furthermore, we have during the work time been in contact with five other cooking and receiving kitchens to be able to compile the HACCP system.

Using a political economy analysis, this thesis examines the Global Food Safety Initiative and its effects on food safety governance. It begins with a discussion of food safety, an important component of food production systems, which attempts to ensure that food will not induce foodborne illness in the consumer. After outlining how neoliberalism is the current political economy environment in which the Global North operates, it argues that within this environment the Global Food Safety Initiative is rapidly becoming the predominant expression of neoliberalism to promote food safety. A political economic analysis of the Global Food Safety Initiative reveals that it is an indicator of the current neoliberal food regime and has significant consequences for the governance of both Canadian and international food safety.

Using a political economy analysis, this thesis examines the Global Food Safety Initiative and its effects on food safety governance. It begins with a discussion of food safety, an important component of food production systems, which attempts to ensure that food will not induce foodborne illness in the consumer. After outlining how neoliberalism is the current political economy environment in which the Global North operates, it argues that within this environment the Global Food Safety Initiative is rapidly becoming the predominant expression of neoliberalism to promote food safety. A political economic analysis of the Global Food Safety Initiative reveals that it is an indicator of the current neoliberal food regime and has significant consequences for the governance of both Canadian and international food safety.

The emergence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “mad cow” disease has forced new practices in raising of cattle, risk management in abattoirs, marketable cuts of meat and disposal of potentially infective material. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency defines BSE as a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. In 1996 BSE became a human health issue when a link was discovered between BSE and a new variation of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), a devastating and incurable disease with a very low-probability of infection but a high fatality rate (Collinge, 1999). To avert further BSE and potential vCJD cases, new policies need to be implemented (CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2007b; CFIA, 2008; DEFRA, 2004; OIE, 2007). These policies would not only protects the health of consumers in Canada, they are a prerequisite to exporting Canadian meat products. Failure to enact risk reduction measures has had devastating economic impacts (FDA, 2005; Hill, 2005; Mitura & Di Pietro, 2004; Poulin & Boame, 2003). However, not all technologies being used to manage the risk of prion diseases are deemed effective, and many have strong economies of scale which if implemented may well exclude small scale farming and slaughterhouses, unless consumers accept much higher cost products. Creating an effective management plan for animal by-products (ABPs) is a complex issue involving multiple conflicting objectives. In order to meet the objectives, the CFIA has approved five management options that offer varying levels of risk management while imposing different environmental, social and economic costs. The costs of these are linked to the operational scale and technology being considered. Furthermore, stakeholders are likely to be sensitive to different attributes of these options and design of successful policies. The focus of this research is on the tradeoff between managing the human health risk of exposure to the BSE prion and the economics of managing this risk while retaining consumer demand. The challenge lies in discovering alternative means of managing livestock waste tissue that are practical for producers and regulators and are attractive to consumers. This challenge was addressed by asking the following two questions: 1. What is the cost and effectiveness of different waste disposal options for British Columbia? 2. What is the extent of consumer willingness to share in the costs of increased food safety? In answering these questions a two stage methodology was designed. The first stage was a technological analysis whereby each was characterized and compared to the extent in which they satisfied operational objectives. The second stage was conducted through an online survey whereby we gather information on the following three broad categories, demographics, determinants of purchasing behaviour and willingness to pay for varying levels of food safety. The results of the technological analysis show that the technology of choice varies based on stakeholder preference. The survey results confirm earlier results that consumers value food safety and they are willing to pay to mitigate food safety risks (Hammitt, 1990; Latouche, Rainelli, & Vermersch, 1998; Loureiro, McCluskey, & Mittelhammer, 2003; McCluskey, Grimsrud, Ouchi, & Wahl, 2005; Röhr, Lüddecke, Drusch, Müller, & Alvensleben, 2005) Within the context of beef selection survey respondents are willing to pay up close to 184 cents per pound of beef more than they are currently paying and the study has highlighted the following two predictors of for this tendency: 1. Consumer willingness to pay for organic food and: 2. Respondent level of concern regarding food borne illnesses In terms of policy selection, regulations in BC should impose risk reduction measures that achieve considerable levels of risk management, communicate this clearly to the public as well as the impact of these measures on production costs and provide a means whereby consumers can select for this attribute, such as a labeling program.

Purpose: Teaching consumers proper home food safety practices is an important strategy to combat foodborne illness. Food safety educators with limited resources must do a cost-versus-benefit analysis before choosing the optimum medium to reach their target audiences. The objectives of this research were to determine whether presenting food safety information in a video format was more effective than text-only in terms of audience recall of the information one week later; to determine whether an intervention in text or video form increased students’ knowledge of food safety information as compared to no intervention at all; and to identify certain demographic factors that could have influenced performance on a food safety quiz. Methods: One hundred thirty-three Georgia State University undergraduate students were assigned to one of three groups. One group viewed a food safety video (n=59), a second group received the same information in text-only form (n=41), and the third group (n=33) served as the control and received no intervention. Students filled out a demographic questionnaire and completed a pre-intervention and post-intervention food safety knowledge test. Average scores were calculated, and the data were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 for Windows. Results: There was no significant difference between pre-intervention test scores among the three groups (p=.057). The video group scored significantly higher on the post-intervention test (p=.006) than the text group and the control group (p<.001). The video group (p<.001) and text group (p<.001) both scored significantly higher on the post-intervention quiz than the pre-intervention quiz, but the control group did not (p=.466). Video was superior to text overall and in conveying basic food safety principles; however, students in the text group demonstrated a better recall of more detailed food safety information such as proper internal cooking temperatures for poultry and ground beef. Previous food safety education in the classroom or online was found to be the only significant predictor of better performance on the pre-intervention test (p=.004). Conclusion: Video is more effective than text when used to deliver simple, direct food safety messages. More detailed information, such as proper internal cooking temperatures, might be best delivered in text form. Consumers are likely to benefit most from a multimedia approach to food safety education that includes videos, accompanying brochures, and Web site content.

Role in preneoplast progression and transformation.