Foodbome disease outbreaks have a tremendous impact on society, including foodbome illnesses, hospitalizations, lost work time, and deaths. These food-safety events have a significant influence in shaping consumers' perception of risk. Outbreaks of foodbome illnesses also have an effect on the development of public health policy. Due to these safety-related uncertainties in the food supply chain, various regulatory, safety, and health policies are implemented to decrease harm to potential victims. The total effect of such food-safety policies looked at in terms of reduction of foodbome illness, mortality, and food-related diseases may possibly be smaller than the forecasted effect because of failure to consider offsetting behavior. Attenuation and possibly reversal of the direct policy effect on expected injuries may arise because of offsetting behavior. This study combines both theoretical and empirical models to test the presence of dominant or partial offsetting behavior (OB) in the preparation and consumption of vegetables if a food-safety policy such as the Pathogen Reduction/Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (PR/HACCP) is mandated in the vegetable sector. Our findings indicate that food-safety information that has an effect on outrage and locus of control, both factors which have an effect on consumers' perception of risk, will lead consumers to become lax in response to this food-safety policy.

MPH / Department of Public Health / Introduction: Street food vending is a source of income for billions of people around the world. In most developing countries, including South Africa street food is popular. However, most street food has been linked to outbreaks of foodborne illness. The assessment was based on the general hygiene requirement stipulated in R962 of November 2012 framed under Foodstuff cosmetics and Disinfectant Act of 1972 Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess compliance of street food vendors with food and safety regulations in Thulamela Municipality. Method: The study used a quantitative, cross- sectional survey, descriptive design. A convenience sampling was used to sample 155 street food vendors. Data was collected using two instruments; namely, a self-administered questionnaire and an observation checklist. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.Validity and Reliability will be ensured and measures to ensure ethical considerations were adhered to. Results: A total of 155 street food vendors participated in the study. Most of the street food vendors were in the age group 25- 30 years. There were more females than males. Furthermore, the majority of street food vendors had experience of 5-10 years. The majority (n=61; 39.4%) of street food vendors were operating in Thohoyandou, while some (n=25.8%)operated in Sibasa and forty others (25.8%) operated in Shayandima. Forty-five (29%) of them were illiterate, fifty (32, 3%) did primary education, thirty two (20.6%) had secondary education, four (2.6%) had a matric certification and twenty- four (15.5%) had vocational training. More than half of the In regard to knowledge items on preventing foodborne vendors (n=100; 64.5%) did not attend food hygiene training while (n=55; 35.5%) did. Lastly about a third most (n=48; 31%) of the street food vendors were selling their food in the transport terminals. The survey results indicate that street food vendors exhibited high levels of knowledge regarding items pertaining to hand hygiene. Therefore street food vendors were highly knowledgeable with regard to how much time should be spent when washing hands with soap, the correct way of stopping bleeding while at work, important measures to keep germs away from the food, hand washing and methods of drying hands. However, the street food vendors displayed poor knowledge with regard to reasons why they should dry their hands. Regarding knowledge items on preventing foodborne illnesses, the street food vendors were knowledgeable about the symptoms that make a street food vendors stay away from the workplace, that the best way to destroy any harmful germs is to cook food to the right temperature, that a combination of washing hands, using gloves and keeping food at the right temperature are ways of preventing food borne illnesses. However, street food vendors displayed some knowledge gaps with regard to the correct detergents for washing vessels and why food handlers require some knowledge on food hygiene. A total of 155 vending stalls were observed. The results from the checklist indicated that three quarters (n=116; 75%) of the stalls were protected from the sun, wind and dust. In addition, about (n=136; 87.7%) of the stalls did not have direct access to potable water. Furthermore, about (115; 74.2 %) did not have adequate hand washing facilities and 141(91%) did not have waste disposal facilities. Animals, flies and insects were indeed evident around the stalls in 124(80%) of the 155 stalls. In addition the majority of street food handlers (136; 87.7%) did not wash their hands before preparing food. Regarding hand washing after using toilet, all of the vendors said that they washed their hands each time after visiting the toilet. This was not confirmed as the researcher did not follow the vendors into the toilets. More than three quarters (120; 77%) of the food handlers operated in clean clothes. However, only 39(25%) used an apron when handling food, while 124(80%) did not use gloves to handle food and only 24(15%) used disposable gloves. Although the street food vendors complied with wearing clean clothes, they did not consistently wear aprons and they also used bare hands to touch food. Conclusion: Although the street food vendors were knowledgeable about food hygiene and safety practices, the majority displayed poor hygienic practice and prepared food on unhygienic sites. / NRF

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In Brazil, the good practices in food handling are not yet fully widespread in Food Services, even though it has been a mandatory program for more than a decade. In hotels, this scenario is not different, on the organization of events worldwide increased the concern of the Ministry of Tourism, regarding the quality of food served to tourists, both sensory, as sanitary conditions, the latter being considered the most critical, because it is associated with health, and could jeopardize the country's image abroad in the event of an outbreak of Foodborne Disease. In this scenario raised a concern in the diagnosis of the implementation of the Good Practices, as well as forms of adequacy of the hotels. The aim of this thesis, it was perform the diagnosis of the food and beverage area of hotels, evaluated the interference of outsourced professional trained in food safety in the adequacy of the procedures and verify the costs associated with the implementation and maintenance of the Good Practices. As a result it was found that the food and beverage area of hotels were classified with low hygienic-sanitary level in the first evaluation. In the second evaluation it was found that the establishments with outsourced professional monitoring showed significant improvements over the implementation of the Good Practices, while establishments unaccompanied only showed improvements, but not significant. The establishments that had outsourced professional monitoring presented data related to the cost of implementation and maintenance of the Good Practices, demonstrating that the greater the investment, the greater the percentage of adaptation will be, however these costs are not as high taking into consideration the quantity of public served. / No Brasil, as Boas Práticas na manipulação dos alimentos ainda não estão totalmente difundidas nos Serviços de Alimentação, mesmo sendo mandatórias a mais de uma década. Em hotéis este cenário não é diferente, diante da realização de eventos em nível mundial cresceu a preocupação do Ministério do Turismo, com relação a qualidade dos alimentos servidos aos turistas, tanto sensorial, quanto higiênico-sanitária, sendo esta considerada a mais crítica, pois esta associada a saúde das pessoas, e pode colocar em risco a imagem do país no exterior no caso de um surto por Doença Transmitida por Alimentos. Neste cenário surgiu a preocupação no diagnóstico e implementação das Boas Práticas, assim como a necessidade da adequação dos hotéis. O objetivo desta tese foi realizar o diagnóstico da área de alimentos e bebidas de hotéis, avaliar a interferência de profissional terceirizado capacitado em segurança de alimentos na adequação dos procedimentos, assim como os custos inerentes a implementação e manutenção das Boas Práticas. Como resultado verificou-se que a área de alimentos e bebidas dos hotéis foram classificadas com baixo nível higiênico-sanitário na primeira avaliação. Na segunda avaliação os estabelecimentos com acompanhamento de profissional terceirizado apresentaram melhorias significativas em relação a Implementação das Boas Práticas, enquanto os estabelecimentos sem acompanhamento apenas apresentaram melhorias, porém não significativas. Os estabelecimentos que tiveram o acompanhamento de profissional terceirizado apresentaram dados relativos ao custo da implementação e manutenção das Boas Práticas, demonstrando que quanto maior o investimento, maiores os percentuais de adequação atingidos, porém que estes custos não são tão elevados levando-se em consideração a quantidade de público atendido.

Foodborne diseases are a major challenge to school feeding programmes because inadequate food safety knowledge and skills of staff can result in unsafe food handling practices and cross-contamination, thus causing foodborne disease outbreaks. The aim of this study was to investigate the food safety and quality assurance measures of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The research design was cross-sectional quantitative in nature. A total of 300 NSNP food service managers/coordinators and 440 food handlers were selected to participate in the study. Data collection was by means of a selfadministered structured questionnaire and 192 food contact surface swap samples from 32 primary and secondary public schools.The majority of schools offering NSNP meals were located in informal settlements and most were found to lack basic resources such as electricity and potable tap water in their kitchens. 93% of food handlers did not know about Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). The NSNP food service managers in some schools, especially in schools located in rural settlements, were found to have little knowledge or awareness of HACCP. No school was found to have implemented the HACCP, and only a few staff had received food safety training. Inadequate food safety knowledge was worst in schools located in informal settlements due to a lack of training. Up to 60% of food handlers did not know the correct procedure for washing a cutting board after it had been used. In addition, just over 95% of the food handlers did not know how to sanitise utensils and cutting surfaces after cutting up raw meat. The lack of hygiene was confirmed by the presence of Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, E.coli 015:H7, Salmonella and Shigella species on food contact surfaces. A total of 22 different bacteria genera were identified. It is essential to monitor NSNP kitchen hygiene practice to ensure the minimal contamination of food products and newly recruited food handlers should be trained on food handling practice and principles to ensure the safety of prepared food for school children. / Health Studies / D. Phil. (Consumer Science)