EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC-HEALTH INTERVENTIONS IN FOOD SAFETY - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Purpose: To summarize evidence on the effectiveness of public health i nterventions regarding food safety at restaurants, institutions, homes and other community-based settings. Method: This systematic review of published and unpublished studies involved a comprehensive literature search, screening for relevance, quality assessment of relevant studi es, data extraction and synthesis. Results: The interventions identifi ed in 15 studies included in this review were grouped into three categ ories: inspections, food handler training, and community-based educati on. The evidence suggests that: routine inspection (at least once per year) of food service premises is effective in reducing the risk of fo odborne illness; food handler training can improve the knowledge and p ractices of food handlers; and selected community-based education prog rams can increase public knowledge of food safety. Discussion: There i s some evidence for the effectiveness of multiple public health interv entions on food safety. Future research needs include evaluation of HA CCP and community-based education programs.