Food safety knowledge of elderly persons receiving home-delivered meals

The purpose of this study was to use a telephone administered questionnaire to identify elderly persons who receive home-delivered meals food safety knowledge and identify which food safety concepts were misunderstood. The social marketing theory provided the framework to target a specific audience and use descriptive statistics to analyze their food safety knowledge. The results indicated 40% of the participants (n = 90) had adequate food safety knowledge. Most seniors misunderstood food safety concepts: cooks food adequately (26%) and avoid foods from unsafe sources (18%). This study concludes a majority of seniors who receive home-delivered meals have less than adequate food safety knowledge. This study and corresponding research indicate seniors need more information on food safety and a better understanding of the importance of food safety for the prevention of foodborne illness.