Young Adult Food Safety Knowledge Gaps and Perceptions of Roommates’ Food Handling Practices: A Survey of University Students in Indiana

Abstract A lack of safe food handling knowledge and practices can contribute to a higher risk of foodborne illnesses from meals prepared at home. Young adults, an important consumer group, can be at an increased risk for foodborne illness due to their risky food behaviors. This study surveyed university students, as examples of young adults, to identify food safety knowledge, reveal knowledge gaps, and explore perception change resulting from living with roommates. The survey included questions about food safety knowledge, self-efficacy of safe food handling practices, and participants’ perceptions of their roommates’ safe food handling capabilities. A total of 2,678 students completed the survey. Gender, age, previous food safety training, college major, and ethnicity have a significant impact on students’ food safety knowledge. White (non-Hispanic) students had a higher knowledge score (7.68) than Asian (6.19) or Hispanic (6.57) students. Similarly, students in biology-focused majors had higher scores (7.78) than those not in biology-focused majors (7.11). Most students (65%) did not know that meat and poultry should not be washed under running water. Many students failed to practice food safety recommendations, such as using food thermometers, even if they knew it was the correct thing to do. Most students (57%) believed they did a better job of keeping the kitchen clean than their roommates (23%). As the number of roommates in the house increased, participants were 1.60 times more likely to believe that their kitchen would be in better condition if they did not have any roommates. Future food safety education programs should be developed to fill the knowledge gaps and address challenges facing young adults especially when living with roommates. Educators can create food safety materials for those who are entering university which will prepare them for ahead of time. Materials can also target current university students, those who are not in biology-focused majors, and those from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.