Purpose: To identify gaps in food safety knowledge among restaurant food handlers in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Methods: Between November 2010 and February 2011, an oral 54-question survey that included 46 knowledge questions was administered in French and English to 100 food handlers in 100 randomly sampled Neuchâtel restaurants. Restaurants were selected if the local food safety officers believed the restaurant was likely to participate.
Results: The mean age of food handlers was 43 years (range 18 to 65 years). Sixty-seven percent were males and 11% had attained no higher than high school education. The mean knowledge score was 32.7/46 (71%). Twenty-seven percent of the food handlers knew that it is a safe food practice to transfer a large pot of hot soup into small containers and place those small containers in a refrigerator to cool. Only 7% knew that raw beef may cause hospitalization or even death. None of the food handlers knew the correct temperatures for cooking chicken and holding potentially hazardous hot foods, the time and temperature recommendations for holding potentially hazardous cold foods (such as mayonnaise) without temperature control and the range of temperatures for pathogen growth.
Significance: We observed substantial food safety knowledge gaps among restaurant food handlers in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, that may place restaurant consumers at risk for food poisoning. Data from this study demonstrate that time and temperature issues and understanding the consequences of consuming incompletely cooked meat and poultry should be priorities for food handler education.