Testing a Multi-lingual Training Tool to Educate Food Service Workers Regarding Food Safety

At least 76 million foodborne illnesses occur each year in the United States. In an ethically diverse community with a work force for whom English may not be the native language, this creates a language barrier to providing food safety education.

This project will evaluate a multi-lingual food safety educational tool that will be implemented with food service workers. The tool, a CD/DVD, will present food safey information in English, Spanish, and Chinese. A pre-test/intervention/post-test research method.

Voluntary participation will be sought by restaurant owners/managers and by workers in the community. An educational food service CD/DVD in one or more languages will be distributed to each of the restaruant workers. The tool is designed to be self navagtory and easy to use.

The restaurant workers will insert the CD into a computer and only have to click the start button to access the screen. The food service worker will automatically be guided through the pre-test, the food service education material and the post-test.

The worker will have the option of emailing the score directly to the PI or printing it for pickup or mail delivery. There is no identification of the name or ID number of the food service worker when delivery the results. Results will be analyzed.

The educational tool and method will be considered effective if there is a 30% increase or greater in the pre- and post-test scores.