Food safety during pregnancy and postpartum is important for preventing foodborne diseases, while pregnant women are considered vulnerable due to their immunomodulatory condition. The current study aimed to investigate the self-reported food safety knowledge and practices of pregnant women and postpartum mothers in Slovenia using an online questionnaire and to compare the results with nonpregnant women as a control group. The study was conducted with 426 women, of whom 145 were pregnant, 191 were not pregnant, and 90 were postpartum. The online questionnaire consisted of questions related to food safety risk perception, hand hygiene, food purchase, food storage, food preparation and handling of infant formula and breast milk. The results showed that women generally have basic knowledge of proper food handling and are aware of food safety, but some specific gaps were identified in food handling at home, especially concerning microbiological risks. However, the results showed that pregnant women performed better than the postpartum group, and both groups performed significantly better than the nonpregnant group. The media was most frequently cited as a source of food safety information, especially by the pregnant group. Trained health workers should also inform women on how to ensure food safety in the home environment.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate Slovenian consumers’ knowledge and self-reported practices in poultry meat handling during purchase, transport, and preparation in home kitchens and to assess the awareness of the microbiological risk associated with poultry meat, with an emphasis on Campylobacter. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study of consumers’ food safety knowledge, self-reported practices, and awareness of the microbiological risk was conducted from March to April 2015 at supermarkets in different parts of Slovenia. A convenience sample of 560 consumers was obtained. Gender and age distribution were controlled by 28 interviewers, each of whom distributed 20 questionnaires. The questionnaire included 33 questions divided into four parts. Findings: The results revealed consumers awareness of food safety issues. Respondents have some basic knowledge about proper food handling. However, a substantial number of consumers still lacks knowledge of the microbiological risk and has bad habits in domestic poultry meat preparation. Research limitations/implications: The research did not reflect a representative sample of Slovenian consumers. Practical implications: The results indicate some gaps in consumers’ food safety knowledge and self-reported practices. Current Campylobacter preventive strategies regarding retail poultry meat contamination are not yet sufficiently successful. Originality/value: The study provides valuable insight into consumers’ food safety knowledge and self-reported practices in poultry meat handling from shopping to eating. Opportunities for improvement in consumers’ formal and informal education and training should be offered.

The aim of the study was to identify consumers’ food safety knowledge, practices, and hygiene status in the observed home kitchens. The results provide the starting point for evaluating progress or regression in this area compared to the past statewide study. Food safety knowledge was analyzed among 380 consumers with an online questionnaire. Additionally, 16 consumers were observed during their preparation of specified foods. The hygiene conditions in the kitchens were microbiologically examined using contact agar plates, while the cleaning adequacy was determined by measuring the ATP bioluminescence. A lack of knowledge on certain topics regarding food safety was established; the consumers aged from 36 to 55 in general and women demonstrated the highest level of knowledge. In some cases, the observed consumers did not take proper action when preparing the food. Increased total bacteria, coliform bacteria, and Escherichia coli counts were detected in 12.7% of the consumers’ kitchens observed here. Eighty-three (74.1%) out of 112 surfaces examined with either hygiene test sheets or ATP swabs met the standards and were adequately or acceptably cleaned. The kitchen surfaces exceeded the recommended limits for 25% of consumers. Statistical differences in RLU and TCC levels on surfaces between older and younger consumers were not observed, although all (25%) inadequately cleaned kitchens belonged to older consumers. The greatest emphasis has to be put on the cleaning of home kitchens and personal hygiene. Even though consumers have some knowledge on food safety, they often fail to put that knowledge into daily practice.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the compliance of hygienic and technical standards of street food vendors in Slovenia with the requirements of the general hygienic food principals set in the Codex Alimentarius and Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs.Design/methodology/approach: Food vendors were observed directly and discretely using a semi-structured observation sheet that allowed fast evaluation. The employee's behaviour was not affected during the observations because they were not aware of being observed. Each observation lasted approximately 30 min. Food vendors were divided into groups according to their location, type of facility, number of employees and type of food sold.Findings: Depending on the type of street vendor, more inconsistencies were found amongst food stands compared to food trucks and kiosks. Most food trucks and kiosks scored very high in both personal and hygienic-technical standards. Some of the major inconsistencies were lack of suitably located washbasins, improper hand-washing technique, improper waste management, working surfaces that were inadequately separated from consumers, and inconsistent maintenance of the cold chain. Food handlers have been confirmed as a critical risk factor.Research limitations/implications: Despite methodology validation, the data was collected by a single observer, limiting the ability to obtain a more reliable estimate of the observations. The sample was disproportionate according to the type of street food facilities.Practical implications: The results provide a basis for (1) national professional guidelines of good hygiene practices for food business operators, which should cover street food vendors more extensively in future updates, and (2) the development of food safety training programmes tailored for street vendors.Originality/value: The study provides valuable insights into current hygienic-technical conditions of the street food vending sector.

The main objective of this study is to find out how food handlers in catering establishments perceive ensuring food safety and which problems they meet along the way. Using a qualitative approach, ten food handlers in Slovenian catering facilities were included in the case study. A semi-structured approach was applied to provide a deeper insight into food safety barriers perceived by respondents. Participants first read short fictitious newspaper news about a foodborne disease at a tourist farm, which served as a starting point. The results demonstrate barriers which most often originate in a lack of knowledge (e.g. improper food safety training, incorrect food safety knowledge testing, knowledge and maintaining of CCPs), shortage of food hygiene skills (e.g. handwashing, food defrosting) and weak work satisfaction (e.g. insufficient payment, poor interpersonal relationships and weak motivation). Food safety knowledge and consequently training methods were found to be the biggest barrier for the efficiency of the HACCP system in practice. Due to the small sample, the results cannot be generalised to the entire population of food handlers in Slovenia. The results indicate weaknesses in food safety knowledge among professional food handlers. The study provides a deeper insight into implicit opinions of ten food handlers in catering facilities regarding barriers in providing food safety, their knowledge and behaviour in their work with food.

The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into various food safety aspects of future professional food handlers, representing different professions in the food supply chain (FSC), close to the end of their formal education. A total of 15 focus group discussions including 94 participants were conducted. A semi-structured approach was applied to discussions about the comprehension of food safety, the responsibility for food safety, the barriers hindering food safety practices, and the food safety influence of other people. Differences related to the field of study and level of education were identified. The results demonstrate the diversity of interpretations of food safety with control of biological hazards strongly emphasized. The responsibility for food safety is perceived differently by position in the FSC. Different barriers related to the working environment and personal factors were identified. Parental influence on the target population is decreased as focus is shifted to the teachers of practical classes and especially to the instructors in food enterprises. Considering the response rate and the small number of schools offering a specific study programme not all the study fields and educational levels were equally represented. The findings could assist educators, policy makers, and food business operators in their efforts to develop educational programmes that will more effectively contribute to the safety of food. No research thus far has focussed on students being educated as future professional food handlers.