Cited by 36Food Safety and HygieneCOVID-19 Prevention and ImpactListeria monocytogenes in Food Safety

Food handling practices in the era of COVID-19: a mixed-method longitudinal needs assessment of consumers in the United States

Open access
Thomas, Merlyn S., Feng, Yaohua·2021·Journal of Food Protection

Abstract

Abstract At present, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been shown to be transmitted through food. Even so, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed how consumers view food and food safety. This study assessed consumer food safety practices during the COVID-19 pandemic using (i) surveys and (ii) online focus group discussions. From April to August 2020, five waves of surveys were distributed to an online U.S. consumer panel and screened to include only primary food preparers and grocery shoppers. The online focus groups were conducted via WebEx from May to July 2020. Focus group participants were recruited from the first wave of survey respondents. Both survey respondents and focus group participants reported higher levels of hand washing in response to the pandemic. However, survey participants' anticipated levels of hand washing after the pandemic decreased; some focus group participants noted that human nature "kicking in" could lead to lower levels of hand hygiene practice. For each of the 5 months, the surveys reported increased produce washing, both with water only and with water plus soap. Most focus group participants mentioned using water to wash their produce, but some reported using soap and even vinegar to "kill" the virus. Since consumers were worried that SARS-CoV-2 could survive on food, they started to mishandle food to address these concerns. However, this study also reported an increase in food thermometer use during the pandemic. Social determinants like gender, income, education, and age may have also influenced changes in levels of practice throughout the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic drove consumers to practice proper and improper food safety practices, which may or may not continue after the pandemic. This study's findings provide timely information to guide future food safety education and communication during health crises and pandemics.Highlights

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  • The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered how individuals approach food safety and foodborne illness prevention, leading to increased adherence to hand hygiene practices and a reduction in common food handling errors.

    “The pandemic has significantly altered how individuals approach food safety and foodborne illness prevention. Heightened awareness of contamination pathways has led to increased adherence to hand hygiene practices and a reduction in common food handling errors [12,13].”

    From Assessing food safety practices and foodborne illness risk factors in Brazilian households. (2025) · cites this paper as [13]

    The Abstract and Results (Hand hygiene; page not provided) report increased hand washing during the pandemic, and the Discussion concludes that some safe food-handling practices increased. But the Discussion (Social determinants of health affecting food handling changes; page not provided) also identifies improper practices, including washing produce with soap. It does not establish a general reduction in common food-handling errors. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  1. [16]Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previous U.S. COVID-19 case data. 2020 Available at:. Accessed 17 December 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/previouscases.html 34009769
  2. [31]. Accessed 20 November 2020. Han, J., Meyer B.D., Sullivan J.X. 2020 National Bureau of Economic Research Cambridge, MA
  3. [39]Krueger, R.A. 2014 Sage Publications Los Angeles
  4. [53]Pallant, J. 2010 McGraw Hill Maidenhead, England
  5. [60]Saldaña, J. 2015 Sage Publications Los Angeles

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Authors
Thomas, M. S., & Feng, Y.
Affiliations
Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
Corresponding author
Feng, Yaohua
Venue
Journal of Food Protection
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-07
Volume
84
Issue
7
Pages
1176-1187
ISSN
0362-028X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3135079745
Cited by
36
References
55
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5
FWCI
3.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Food Protection (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Food Safety and Hygiene
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › COVID-19 Prevention and Impact
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biotechnology › Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, food safety practices, consumer behavior, hand washing, produce washing, food handling, food safety education, grocery shoppers
MeSH terms
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Food Handling, Humans, Surveys and Questionnaires, United States, Needs Assessment, Pandemics

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