Purpose: The objective of this research was to explore food safety attitudes and self-reported behaviours of young adults in Canada, by conducting a pilot survey of undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Methods: In February, 2015, we administered an electronic, cross-sectional survey to a random sample of undergraduate students (n=485) at the University of Waterloo and assessed food safety attitudes and self-reported behaviours using questions from existing questionnaires. Data were analysed descriptively and using multiple linear regression.
Results: In general, students had positive food safety attitudes, with over 80% confident or very confident that they can cook safe and healthy meals for themselves and their families. Cooking experience was one of the few demographic variables that was significantly associated with food safety attitudes. Students’ self-reported food safety behaviours varied. For example, the majority reported always (57%) or often (34%) washing hands with warm running water and soap after working with raw meat or chicken; however, the majority also reported never (32%) or rarely (50%) using a thermometer to check if leftovers have been reheated enough.
Significance: Undergraduate students appear confident in their ability to cook safe and healthy meals, but their varied self-reported behaviours indicate a potential need for enhanced food safety skills. The potential role of universities in providing food safety education or enhancing safe food handling in the Canadian context warrants further investigating.