Inspector Use of Chinese Language Retail Food Safety Training Tools
Autumn Schuck
Inspection Manager
Kansas Department of Agriculture
International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI)
2017 Fellow in Applied Science, Law and Policy: Fellowship in Food Protection
Author Note
Autumn Schuck, Inspection Manager, Kansas Department of Agriculture.
This research was conducted as part of the International Food Protection Training Institute’s Fellowship in Food Protection, Cohort VI.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Autumn Schuck, Kansas Department of Agriculture, 1320 Research Park Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502; Email: Autumn.Schuck@ks.gov
Abstract
The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) inspects and regulates over 15,000 food establishments in the state of Kansas with the purpose of preventing foodborne illness. Of those facilities, 12,500 are restaurants and grocery stores (KDA USA Food Safety, 2017). Some of those establishments are owned and operated by individuals who speak English as a second language or do not speak English at all.
Communication involving a language barrier can be difficult between the operator and the inspector. A review of literature was conducted to identify effective training tools and top food safety concerns in ethnic restaurant operations. This study gathered data on which training tools are used nationwide by regulators when delivering food safety training in the Chinese language while conducting inspections. A survey was sent to State and Local Officials nationally to determine training tools used in other jurisdictions and recommendations are presented based on these results.
Background
Agriculture accounts for 42.8% of the Kansas economy. This industry is vital to the growth of the economy. The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) promotes public health and safety and works to support a safe food supply by providing food safety education and inspections to the food industry. KDA has progressive compliance actions that consistently and fairly apply in situations involving noncompliance with the law.
The KDA Food Safety & Lodging Division has many levels of compliance enforcement. Compliance data and research have shown that Kansas has a history of elevated progressive enforcement involving Chinese restaurants. In 2016, additional elevated compliance inspections occurred 34% of the time in comparison to 18% of elevated compliance inspections occurring in other industry segments as a whole (KDA Food Safety database, 2017).
The KDA tries to improve overall compliance in restaurants with handouts and on-site trainings. Current regulations, educational handouts, and trainings developed by KDA have generally not been translated into different languages, thus potentially impacting compliance levels in some facilities.
Research on effective training tools has been conducted. Liu and Kwon (2013) conducted phone interviews with 50 Chinese restaurants from various municipalities and regions across the U.S. and found that Chinese restauranteurs preferred the use of food safety training materials in Chinese over other methods. One type of training tool being used is video. Visual-based food safety training increased attitudes and knowledge among independently owned Chinese restaurants in Iowa (Li, 2015).
There is a need for increased food safety training, specifically for time and temperature control and handwashing (Kwon, Roberts, Shanklin, Liu, & Yen, 2010). Mauer et al. (2006) found that improper food temperatures, cross contamination, and employee hygiene were among the top concerns for food safety professionals when dealing with ethnic restaurant operations. When developing training tools for ethnic restaurants, these food safety concerns should be focused on first.
Problem Statement
The extent and effectiveness of Chinese language food safety training tools for retail food establishment employees in the United States is unknown.
Research Questions
1. What tools nationally do regulatory agencies currently use to train Chinese-speaking employees in food establishments?
2. What tools would agencies use to train Chinese-speaking employees in food establishments if they were given a choice?
Methodology
An electronic survey was distributed through Survey Monkey™ to 50 individuals based on the Directory of State and Local Officials from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) website. A survey link was also disseminated directly by AFDO to the Food Safety Program managers in their database. Direct emails with the link to the survey were sent to 90 recipients. The survey sample consisted of state regulatory officials nationwide.
The survey contained five questions. The questions consisted of multiple choice, ranking, and open-ended question styles. The survey was designed to gather data on what specific food safety training tools each jurisdiction commonly uses. The survey also collected answers on what level of difficulty the inspectors experience with compliance involving food establishments that have Chinese-speaking employees. A question was asked on the survey what compliance issues are commonly reported on inspections, the tools used, and tools preferred. At the conclusion of the survey, a question posed an opportunity to indicate what type of tools the regulatory official would like to utilize if they were able to choose.
Results
Of the 140 survey links that were distributed, 64 surveys were completed, with a response rate of 45.7%. The survey results showed that just under 80% indicated experiencing moderate difficulty or high difficulty with compliance in Chinese and non-English speaking restaurants, as shown in Figure 1. Only 4.7 % experience no difficulty with compliance.
Figure 1. Level of difficulty with compliance.
The most common violations found were hot and cold holding (80.65%). This issue was also stated in a previous study that found similar results in Kwon, et al. (2010). Improper cooling (74.19%) and improper handwashing (66.13%) were other common compliance issues found.
Figure 2 represents preferred food safety training tools by regulatory officials as indicated in survey responses. The preferred method of training is the use of translated handouts, followed by Chinese translated video and finally online food safety training in the Chinese language.
Figure 2. Chinese training tool preferred in order of interest.
Figure 3 represents food safety training tools used as indicated in survey responses. The most common tool used in training food service workers is Chinese translated handouts. The tool used least was video in Chinese or English with only 16% and 12%, respectively. An interpreter is used as a training tool in Chinese operated food establishments 45% of the time as indicated from those who responded to the survey. Three respondents reported an interpreter call service was used. The training tool indicated as “other” represents a variety of responses including, but not limited to, the use of bilingual inspectors, community meetings with owners and operators, and a full-time liaison.
Figure 3. Food Safety Training Tools Used.
The majority of those experiencing moderate difficulty with compliance reported utilizing at least one Chinese educational training tool (80%). Those experiencing moderate difficulty with compliance have most often used Chinese handouts as a tool (65%). The majority of those experiencing high difficulty with compliance reported utilizing at least one Chinese educational training tool (70%). Those experiencing high difficulty with compliance have most often used a Chinese online class (70%).
When asked an open-ended question on the survey of additional suggestions to gain compliance, responses included encouraging involvement of industry associations, educational visits with the use of an interpreter and limiting the teaching to one topic at a time so that the operator doesn’t feel overwhelmed. An understanding of cultural differences by inspection staff was also suggested as a way to improve compliance.
Conclusions
After the distribution of the survey, the responses show that there are training tools available at all local, state, and federal levels. Although tools are available, there is a lack of organization and a centralized library to obtain these tools. Perhaps not all food safety topics are available to all jurisdictions, limiting widespread use. The majority of the respondents use translated handouts for training food service workers; however, over 60% continue to experience moderate difficulty with achieving compliance. Although, the level of success when using these tools could vary dependent on the quality of the content or the delivery method. Previous study from Liu and Kwon (2013) stated that video was the preferred method of food safety training by Chinese-speaking restaurant owners, although the use of English or Chinese video for training was reported to be used least. When choosing a training tool, this study shows that video may be an effective type.
The issue of non-compliance results from more than an absence of handouts and videos. An understanding of cultural differences by the inspector was also suggested as a way to gain compliance. Knowing these differences can impact the operator’s actions based on interactions with their inspector.
Recommendations
1. Development of a focused video/tools training by entities with the background and expertise to properly address the need for this type of training.
2. Provide a central clearing house for the short food safety training videos to allow for broad access to the tools. There are jurisdictions that already use translated video for training. The food safety work force could increase consistency and speak with one unifying voice. All jurisdictions would have access to the same tools for training.
3. Additional research is also recommended to establish ways of connecting cultures to improve relationships and food safety awareness.
4. Additional research to evaluate the effectiveness of the specific training tools would be beneficial.
Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to thank the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Steve Moris, Food Safety & Lodging Program Manager, my supervisor, for encouraging and supporting my participation in IFPTI’s Fellowship program. I would also like to thank the International Food Protection Training Institute (IFPTI) staff for their support and guidance during my participation in the Fellowship Program. In particular, I would like to express sincere appreciation for the IFPTI instructors, subject matter expert, Dr. Paul Dezendorf, and my mentor, Cameron Smoak. And finally, this Fellowship would not be complete without the invaluable relationships built from time spent with my fellow Cohort VI members, thank you.
References
Association of Food and Drug Officials. (2016). Directory of State and Local Officials (database). Retrieved from http://dslo.afdo.org/
Kansas Department of Agriculture. (2017). Food Safety (computer software) database. Retrieved from https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Login.aspx
Kwon, J., Roberts, K., Shanklin, C., Liu, P., & Yen, W. (2010). Food safety training needs assessment for independent ethnic restaurants. Review of health inspection data in Kansas, Food Protection Trends, Vol. 30(7), 412-421.
Li, Dawei. (2015). Development and assessment of visual-based training on Chinese-speaking foodservice workers in independently-owned Chinese restaurants. (Graduate Theses and Dissertations). Retrieved from http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/14938
Liu, P. & Kwon, J. (2013). The exploration of effects of Chinese cultural values on the attitudes and behaviors of Chinese restauranteurs toward food safety training, Journal of Environmental Health, Vol. 75, No. 10, Pages 38-46.
Mauer, W. A., Kaneene, J. B., DeArman, V. T., Roberts, C. A., Miller, R., Dickey, T. E. (2006). Ethnic-food safety concerns: An online survey of food safety professionals. Journal of Environmental Health, 68 (10), 32-38.