A&T Study Tackles Food Safety and Poverty

For Immediate Release
January 7, 2002

Greensboro, NC: Not only do economically disadvantaged people have a more difficult time purchasing food, they are also more prone to foodborne illnesses, says a North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University researcher, who has made this segment of the population the target of a new study.

Dr. Kofi Adu-Nyako, an associate professor with A&T’s Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education, leads the study, which received $300,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture.

“It’s important to ascertain the perceptions, knowledge and behaviors of population subgroups whose behavior may predispose them to food safety problems,” said Adu-Nyako. “We have found that it is often difficult to reach low-income populations with food safety information. That, and a number of other factors, including living conditions and financial limitations, make this segment of the population particularly susceptible to foodborne illness.”

The A&T study will build upon earlier national studies, while focusing on the Southeast, where poverty is a particularly acute problem and foodborne illness continues to plague disadvantaged and minority populations.

To address this problem, Adu-Nyako and other researchers will execute a multi-pronged approach with project, which includes both research and education efforts. Their first step is attempting to understand the link between this population segment’s perception of food safety and their food handling behavior.

In an earlier study, Adu-Nyako determined that African Americans, as a group, are as aware of the importance of food safety as any other group, but that they don’t necessarily adhere to safe food-handling practices. In the new study, he is attempting to define the barriers to food safety for economically disadvantaged people, including those receiving government food assistance.

“Before any intervention can take place, you have to understand the situation you’re trying to change,” said Adu-Nyako. “In this case, we have to understand what is standing between economically challenged people and safe food handling.”

To move toward this understanding, Adu-Nyako will lead an effort to reach this audience through mailed surveys, telephone interviews using A&T’s Applied Survey Research Laboratory, cooperative agreements with agencies serving this population, and face-to-face interviews at social gatherings.

At the same time, researchers will assess the effectiveness of current consumer education efforts in regard to food safety. Once data regarding consumer behavior and the effectiveness of food safety educational efforts are tabulated, researchers will begin the task of revising educational materials to reflect what they learned through the study.

Project personnel also plan to use the data gathering process as an educational opportunity where they will provide study subjects materials, and in some cases, counseling, on food safety issues.

According to Dr. Alton Thompson, dean of the A&T School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the new project complements several other food safety projects currently underway in the School.

“We have long been a leader in the area of food safety, especially as it pertains to limited-resource audiences, and we have recently bolstered our efforts by adding key faculty and embarking on exciting new projects,” said Thompson, who cites research efforts in the area of harmful microorganisms such as Campylobacter spp. and e. coli, and the development of a biosensor to detect harmful pathogens in poultry products.

Dr. Willie Willis, an A&T poultry scientist; Dr. Ipek Goktepe, an A&T food microbiologist; and Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna, an A&T food chemist join Adu-Nyako on the multidisciplinary team.

In addition to A&T faculty, faculty from Tennessee State University and Louisiana State University are involved in the project, as are USDA professionals.

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For more information, please contact Dr. Kofi Adu-Nyako, NC A&T School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, (336) 334-7426.