Small Business Proprietors: Food Safety Training Programs - Paper Example

Multiple agencies ranging from the international, national, state, and local level have implemented programs relating to training small business proprietors on food safety concepts. Such programs include The Pilot Food Safety Project (PESP) conducted in New South Wales, The Business of Safe Food (BSF) conducted in Victoria, the Implementation of Food Safety Programs in Small Business (ESPSB) conducted in New Zealand, the Food Safety Project (FSP | [ACT]) conducted in the Australian Capital Territory and the Foodsafe Handler Training Program (FSIP) conducted in Western Australia (Walker 2017, p.171). These programs involve interventions, including a basic overview of concepts of food hygiene followed by training about how to identify food hazards under principles of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP).

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According to an article by Dunn (2019, p.32), the evaluation of food safety educational programs is usually informal; however, according to her findings, there are several issues relating to the training and execution of the food hygiene programs in small businesses. She highlighted several issues, including promoting relevant hands-on training, addressing cultural issues (those relating to CALD), and encouraging the commitment of the management and leadership. Further, Dunn (2019, p.33) observed the barriers limiting the success of such educational programs, which include insufficient support towards record-keeping, resistance to change, and failure to understand the basic concepts of food safety combined with connecting the outcomes of food safety to the fundamental benefits. Besides, she identified more positive results such as improved relationships with officers of environmental health, improved consumer confidence, and in some instances, increased understanding of hygiene standards could be generated if food safety programs were effectively implemented (Dunn 2019, p.34). However, she still raises concerns on whether the training provided helped in improving food handlers' adherence to food safety legislation as well as reduced the incidences associated with foodborne diseases. She advocated for food hygiene education to thoroughly consider its operation in the context of promoting healthy environments and achieve sustainable behavior among CALD small business proprietors and ultimately result in reduced foodborne diseases (Dunn 2019, p.36).

Woh et al. (2016, p.65) examined how educational models could be used to improve food hygiene among small business food proprietors. They described that training on food hygiene could be improved if the training is based on an appropriate constellation of approaches developed according to effective health education models. They emphasized that such models could have a significant input not only on providing information focused on changing proprietor attitudes and behaviors but also on the environmental and social factors which impact food safety (Woh et al. 2016, p.67). They also suggested the health action model as an effective education model to help in improving the food hygiene programs, and help in achieving food hygiene goals. The model integrates the knowledge on food hygiene acquired from a course on food hygiene; the effect of the norms which could be changed through support provision for modifications in food handling procedures; some incentives to behavioral change, and the improvement of individual skills to apply the acquired knowledge (Woh et al. 2016, p.70). The model has irrefutable strengths, but there are proposed extensions to their proposed framework. The extensions consider the evaluation of food handlers' needs for hygiene education and the choice and significance of the educational programs to the food handler. Their suggested extensions on the model have a significant effect on growing the food handlers' motivation on undertaking the programs and hence improved behaviors and intentions to undertake safe food hygiene procedures (Woh et al. 2016, p.78).

A study undertaken by Wang and Warn (2019) among Chinese food proprietors in Australia identified that most proprietors react positively to a program if it considers the basic learning needs towards adhering to food hygiene procedures. Further, the proprietors showed an increased interest in the programs if they were administered using the Chinese language as most proprietors are illiterate and do not understand English (Wang and Warn 2019). Besides, the study also established that apart from the issues relating to language and literacy of the proprietors, other cultural practices influenced the proprietors' adherence to food safety procedures, including the Chinese methods of cooking (Wang and Warn 2019). The findings established that food hygiene could hardly occur from the cooking methods among the Chinese proprietors as the food was cooked and served immediately. Therefore, the education programs should also focus on personal hygiene among proprietors, which is the bottom-line risk factor to foodborne illness across different cultures. Moreover, the study established that many immigrant proprietors require extensive programs relating to food hygiene issues, as many did not have previous training on food safety (Wang and Warn 2019). According to the findings, Chinese immigrants lack strong background information relating to food procedures. The study found out that a wider program for Chinese proprietors would help in reducing food hygiene hazards (Wang and Warn 2019).

References

Dunn, L., 2019. Addressing cultural diversity and food safety programme: the Victorian experience. Environmental Health, 2(1), p.31. www.researchgate.net/publication/334783957_Addressing_Cultural_Diversity_and_Food_Safety_Programs_The_Victorian_Experience

Walker, G.S., 2017. Food authentication and traceability: An Asian and Australian perspective. Food Control, 72, pp.168-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.01.028

Wang, Y. and Warn, J., 2019. Break-out strategies of Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs in Australia. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-03-2017-0108

Woh, P.Y., Thong, K.L., Behnke, J.M., Lewis, J.W. and Zain, S.N.M., 2016. Evaluation of basic knowledge on food safety and food handling practices amongst migrant food handlers in Peninsular Malaysia. Food Control, 70, pp.64-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.05.033