Educational Programs to Translate Food Safety Knowledge

Abstract

Education is an important component of all food safety and food securityprograms. To achieve food security, food has to reach the entirepopulation and involves not only growing or importing food, but alsostorage, transportation and marketing. Food safety and quality programsdesigned around the HACCP concept, that incorporates good manufacturingpractices helps ensure that food is stored and distributed in a mannerto avoid safety hazards and minimize losses due to spoilage, pests andcross-contamination. Embedded within HACCP regulations of the UnitedStates and the European Union are requirements for training farmers,workers, supervisors, and regulatory officials. This educationaltraining must be ongoing and tailored to each specific audience, whichmay range from college educated to illiterate workers. Food safetyeducational programs are best translated when a holistic approach tolearning objectives is used. It is important to encourage alearner-centered approach to food safety education, which encouragesinnovation and collaboration. If the instructor is committed to qualityand continuous improvement, it is easy to incorporate new food safetyknowledge into any educational program. The cooperative extensionprogram in the United States is the most successful model for takingknowledge from discovery to the end user.