The effect of risk management training on food safety violations among Utah's retail food service facilities

This research examined the effect of risk management and food safety training for retail food service managers on the occurrence of food safety violations in Salt Lake County, Utah. Previous studies showed conflicting food safety inspection results when conducted with and without prior training; no study was identified that tested on-site training for managers. Theoretical foundations for this study come from the FDA Model Code for the effects of using food safety training in risk-based inspections and from social marketing theory for identification of barriers that prevent improved food safety practices. The purpose and main research question was to determine if pre-inspection training resulted in fewer food safety violations. An experimental design examined critical and noncritical violations on 2 consecutive inspections among 140 retail food service facilities, officially classified as high risk, divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received training at their first inspection; the control group did not. Stratified data identified differences in violation occurrences between corporate-owned and independently-owned facilities. MANOVA and t tests were used to analyze the comparison of means between populations for both violations. Results indicated training did not increase food safety, clarified training's usefulness for developing managerial controls, and showed inspection scores improved when facilities expect regularly scheduled inspections. This research contributes to the literature and demonstrates positive social change by providing clarification for the need for ongoing managerial training in order to reduce consumers' exposure to foodborne pathogens, a key cost saving benefit and improvement in public health.