How do Consumers Handle Meat & Poultry Products? It's Not How You Think?

Recorded on 06/16/2020

About the Webinar

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service is conducting groundbreaking multi-year research in test kitchens to understand how consumers handle food compared to their self-reported behaviors. The first year of this study examined how consumers prepare turkey burgers and a side salad, and the second year examined how self-reported poultry washers handle chicken thighs and a side salad. Researchers observed whether consumers followed the recommended safe food handling behaviors, like handwashing, using a food thermometer, and cleaning and sanitizing during and after food preparation. Researchers also tested the effect of food safety messages on how consumers actually prepared the foods in the study – year 1 tested exposure to a video about using a food thermometer, and year 2 tested exposure to messages about not washing poultry used on social media. Participants were asked about their observed food handling behaviors in a post-observation interview. These insights will inform future consumer food safety messages.

About the Presenters

Chrystal Okonta, MSPH, CHES

Chrystal Okonta is a Technical Information Specialist with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. She completed a Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH) in Health Education & Health Communication from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

Education Benefits

Participants of this webinar will receive 1 CEU for live attendance. The webinar provides information on the following:

SNEB Nutrition Educator Competencies

Basic Food and Nutrition Knowledge

Behavior and Education Theory

CDR Performance Indicators

8.3.5, 8.4.5, 12.1.1

CDR Learning Need Codes

4040, 6010, 8040