Unsafe food handling and preparation in poor households

Traditionally, the home has been regarded as a place of wellbeing; however, the unsanitary handling of foodstuffs can endanger its occupants’ health. This research aims to determine which high-risk practices occur in the homes of ten families suffering from food poverty. Checklists, field observations, and semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how they purchase, prepare, store, and eat their food. The most widespread, high-risk practice consisted of leaving food unrefrigerated for long periods of time due to punishing work schedules that compel working women to either cook early in the morning or late at night. Additionally, not all women wash their hands properly before handling food and neither do they follow correct procedures when disinfecting fruits and vegetables. Finally, a considerable risk of cross-contamination exists because of an unsanitary handling of raw meat and the use of a single dishcloth for most kitchen cleaning needs. An awareness of these practices will inform the design of teaching materials and courses aimed at safeguarding both health and wellbeing in the homes. Further research will focus on monitoring the effectiveness of this intervention. ©2021 Routledge.