A Matter of trust: A quantitative study to explore allergen awareness and compliance in takeaway food businesses in the Borough of Knowsley
Journal Title: Sanitarno Inženirstvo - Year 2018, Vol 12, Issue 1
Abstract
With the number of people suffering from food allergies increasing globally and food allergies accounting for more hospital admissions than food borne diseases, food allergens pose a significant public health threat. In december 2014, the European Union (EU) introduced legislation which aimed to ensure that customers with food allergens could make informed choices and safely consume food, without the risk of a potentially life-threatening reaction. Using a questionnaire and allergen audit (designed to provide a consistent and standardised means of measuring food safety practices within food businesses), the aim of the research was to explore the awareness, understanding and practices of 21 randomly selected food business in the Borough of Knowsley, located in the North West of England. The findings revealed a significant gap between the level of confidence expressed by food business owners and their practices and understanding. Whilst all (n=21) felt confident in providing a safe meal and 90% (n=18) were aware of the need display allergen information, none of the food businesses owners demonstrated a high level of allergen control in their premises and 43% (n=9) did not display any allergen information within their premises. In addition, the research established that there appeared to be no direct link between the levels of food hygiene found in a food business and the awareness and practice of the food business owner regarding food allergens. This gap leaves customers exposed to a significant level of risk, as it appears that the confidence food business owners have in producing a safe meal is misplaced.
Authors and Affiliations
Sarah Fox, Graeme MITCHELL, Michael PASCUCILLA
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP482647
- DOI -
- Views 110
- Downloads 0
The organochlorine pesticides in food samples
Nowadays the concept of food is changed, because food is no longer considered as a source of energy alone, but must provide a sense of pleasure and satisfaction with eating meals. But the unwillingness to develop awarene...
Health safety of water for human consumption in the city of Čabar in the period of 2012-2016
With the number of people suffering from food allergies increasing globally and food allergies accounting for more hospital admissions than food borne diseases, food allergens pose a significant public health threat. In...
The influence of temperature, disinfection and water softening of drinking water on the multiplication of Legionella pneumophila
The influence of temperature, disinfectant and water softener for drinking water preparation on the bacterial growth of Legionella pneumophila was examined. The optimal temperature for bacterial growth was 36 °C. At the...
A Matter of trust: A quantitative study to explore allergen awareness and compliance in takeaway food businesses in the Borough of Knowsley
With the number of people suffering from food allergies increasing globally and food allergies accounting for more hospital admissions than food borne diseases, food allergens pose a significant public health threat. In...
Trend analysis of “garbage codes” as the underlying cause of cancer death: Joinpoint Analysis
Introduction: The quality of cause-of-death data is commonly assessed by determining the percentage of unspecified, ill-defined or “garbage” causes of death. The objective of the paper was to determine percentage of the...