Article Figures & Data
Figures
- Figure 1
- Flow chart of the process adopted when developing the survey instrument. FDA: Food and Drug Administration, USDA: United States Department of Agriculture, CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019, CVR: content validity ratio, SLQ: source language questionnaire
Tables
- Table 1
- Correlation coefficients of items that evaluate the food safety perceptions and practices of food service staff.
Statements Correlation coefficient P-values Correlation coefficients of items that evaluate the food safety perceptions of food service staff - Food safety is an important public health issue. 0.507** 0.00 - The health status of workers should be evaluated before employment. 0.697** 0.00 - There is no problem with allowing my fingernails to grow because wearing gloves prevents germ transmission. 0.444** 0.00 - Washing fruits and vegetables reduces the amount of contaminants that lead to food poisoning. 0.446** 0.00 - Cleaning and sanitizing all food contact surfaces is important to reduce food poisoning. 0.520** 0.00 - Preparing food in advance and holding it without temperature control (namely, between 5-60°C) contributes to food poisoning. 0.476** 0.00 - Freezing food kills harmful microbes or germs. 0.153 0.347 - Foods stored at incorrect temperature are considered damaged and must be discarded. 0.608** 0.00 - It is unsafe to leave food inside the temperature danger zone (between 5-60°C) for more than 2 hours. 0.401* 0.00 - Encoding the colors of cutting boards, equipment, and utensils, reduces cross-contamination.† 0.738** 0.00 - Defrosted foods can be refrozen. 0.408** 0.00 - Multi-use dishtowels can be a source of food contamination. 0.564** 0.00 - Knives and cutting boards should be properly sanitized to prevent cross-contamination. 0.812** 0.00 - Food handlers such as chefs and food preparation area workers generally can be a source of foodborne diseases. 0.595** 0.00 - Raw and ready-to-eat foods should be stored separately to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. 0.765** 0.00 - Wearing masks, gloves, and hair restraints is an important practice to reduce the risk of food contamination. 0.801** 0.00 - Practicing good personal hygiene prevents foodborne diseases. 0.764** 0.00 - Hand washing prevents foodborne diseases. 0.787** 0.00 Correlation coefficients of items that evaluate the perceptions of food safety among food service staff during COVID-19 - There is a high risk of transmitting COVID-19 virus through food. 0.361* 0.022 - It is necessary to use antibacterial soap when washing hands to prevent COVID-19 virus transmission. 0.236 0.143 - Regular cleaning throughout meal preparation is only needed when there are COVID-19 cases. 0.714** 0.000 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, using hand sanitizer should replace washing hands with soap and water. 0.475** 0.002 - COVID-19 virus can be transmitted once food containing the virus is touched, even without touching the nose, eyes, and mouth. 0.854** 0.000 - Improving hygiene practices is important during the COVID-19 pandemic only. 0.854** 0.000 Correlation coefficients of the items that evaluate the food safety practices of food service staff - Do you clean your workplace before and after each stage of food preparation? 0.483** 0.002 - Do you use the same cutting board to prepare raw and cooked food? 0.703** 0.000 - Do you wash your hands before and after using gloves? 0.270 0.092 - Do you wash your hands after coming back from breaks? 0.342* 0.031 - Do you wash your hands after handling raw meat, fish, or chicken? 0.435** 0.005 - Do you prepare food during lunchtime and leave it until dinnertime? 0.725** 0.000 - Do you wear personal protective equipment (PPE), such as an apron, mask, and head covering, when preparing or distributing food? 0.756** 0.000 - Do you wear gloves when preparing ready-to-eat food, such as salads and sandwiches? 0.687** 0.000 - Do you allow your fingernails to grow long as you use gloves to protect food from the transmission of germs? 0.490** 0.001 - Do you measure and record the temperature of refrigerators/freezers at least 3 times per day? 0.512** 0.001 - Do you check the internal temperature of food while cooking using a food thermometer? 0.636** 0.000 - Do you thaw frozen food by leaving it in the kitchen or submerging it in hot water? 0.562** 0.000 - When you finish cooking, do you serve the food immediately? 0.496** 0.001 - When you finish cooking, do you cool the food within 6 hours to reach 5°C or less? -0.278 0.083 - When you finish cooking, do you keep the food at the kitchen temperature for more than 2 hours? 0.600** 0.000 - When you finish cooking, do you keep hot food in hot boxes (63°C or higher) until serving? 0.648** 0.000 - Do you check whether meat is cooked properly by visually inspecting it or touching it? 0.325* 0.040 Correlation coefficients of the items that evaluate the food safety practices related to COVID-19 among food service staff - If you suspect COVID-19 symptoms, do you report your symptoms to your supervisor? 0.550** 0.000 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, do you use an alcohol sanitizer with a 70-80% concentration to clean your hands? 0.573** 0.000 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, do you use an alcohol sanitizer with a 70-80% concentration to clean all food contact surfaces? 0.543** 0.000 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, do you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds using warm water and soap before touching food? 0.507** 0.001 - If you suspect COVID-19 symptoms, do you take medicine and complete your work? 0.502** 0.001 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, do you sanitize your hands before touching food? 0.761** 0.000 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, do you check if there is any damage to food packaging upon receipt? 0.644** 0.000 - During the COVID-19 pandemic, do you check if there is any damage to food packaging before preparing the food? 0.688** 0.000 Scales Number of items Cronbach’s alpha Evaluation of food safety perceptions among food service staff 17 (37.0) 0.875 Evaluation of food safety perceptions among food service staff during COVID-19 5 (11.0) 0.712 Evaluation of food safety practices among food service staff 15 (33.0) 0.830 Evaluation of food safety practices related to COVID-19 among food service staff 8 (17.0) 0.727 Overall reliability of the scales 45 (100) 0.914 Values are presented as numbers and precentages (%). COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019
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