Impact of a Food Handler’s Course on Targeted Behaviors among Foodservice Employees in Texas

Food handler (FH) programs can improve knowledge among foodservice workers. Currently eight states require these programs for front-line foodservice workers. Although FH programs increase knowledge, their impact on the adoption of food safety behaviors within the United States is limited. This study was conducted using a retrospective post-then-pre approach to survey how often 141 foodservice employees in Texas were adhering to targeted food safety behaviors before and after completing an online FH program. Ten behaviors in the areas of temperature control, cleaning and sanitizing, and personal hygiene were assessed on a Likert scale (1 = always to 4 = never) before and after the foodservice employees completed the FH program. Change in behaviors was calculated with paired t tests, and effect size was measured with Cohen’s d. Significant improvement in all but one behavior was observed, with a small to medium effect size. The one behavior that did not significantly change was coming to work with vomiting and/or diarrhea; however, the frequency of that behavior was close to “never” (mean = 3.9) before and after completing the program. Results suggest that the knowledge obtained from an online FH program may be helpful for improving targeted food safety behaviors that can reduce the risk for foodborne illness.