Purpose: This study assessed whether the placement of food safety instructions within recipes for chicken breasts and ground turkey patties would improve consumers food safety behaviors.
Methods: A total of 186 consumers were observed while preparing a baked parmesan sesame chicken breast and a mushroom turkey burger following recipes that either did or did not contain specific food safety instructions. Additionally they were interviewed about the perceived burden of the experience.
Results: Participants who followed recipes with food safety instructions demonstrated significantly improved food safety behaviors as they prepared their items. Only 22 to 59% of those who did not have the safety instructions washed their hands at appropriate times when preparing the breasts, as compared to 63 to 90% for those who were told to do so in the recipe. With the exception of washing hands after placing patties in the pan (79% for both groups), handwashing percentages were also lower (20 to 39%) for the group without safety instructions (20 to 39% vs. 53 to 63%) than for the group with the instructions. Food thermometers were used by 85% of those who were told to do so, in comparison to only 20 to 30% of those who followed recipes without the safety information. The majority of consumers thought the recipes with the embedded instructions were easy to use, and that they would be likely to use similar recipes at home if available.
Significance: This study shows that recipes could be a good source of food safety information for consumers, resulting in the potential to improve food preparation behaviors and reduce foodborne illness.