Food Safety Knowledge,Attitudes,and Practices Among Correctional Staff: Results of a National Survey

Incarcerated people are more likely to become ill from foodborne disease outbreaks compared with the general public. Correctional settings face unique challenges when preventing, controlling, and mitigating foodborne outbreaks. To describe knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of correctional staff regarding food safety, food safety training, and barriers to food safety in their facilities, we conducted an anonymous survey of correctional staff through professional organizations and correctional employers throughout the United States. Participants’ food safety KAP was compared by individual and facility characteristics using descriptive statistics, univariable and multivariable logistic regression. Chi-squared statistics indicate respondents from smaller facilities more frequently reported having confidence in preventing foodborne illness than those in medium and large facilities. Food service staff (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 9.9, 95% CI: [3.4–28.8]) and respondents who reported receiving food safety training (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI: [1.7–5.0]) were more likely to report higher confidence in preventing foodborne illness, controlling for other facility and respondent characteristics. Our data suggest that training, smaller facility size, and working in food service are associated with positive attitudes and self-efficacy related to food safety. Food safety training of all correctional staff is an important piece of preventing foodborne illness in correctional facilities.